Fish Lovers 3.0 [new poll]

[Hime]

Take an old credit card, or some other card, and use it to scrape off the algae.

[scuttlefish]

I would do that, but the problem is it keeps coming back.

[Hime]

If it's the brown algae, I've really only heard of it hitting new tanks. Like most new tanks I've read about have got it. I had it for couple weeks and then with help of couple ottos it went away and has stayed that way. Reason for the algae is usually in those cases too much silicates dissolving into the water from the sand used. But I doubt that's the reason in your case. Quick reading on the matter points out other reasons as: too much nitrates, too little light, too much nutrients and low oxygen.

[scuttlefish]

I've had it for 11 months now, so maybe low oxygen? How do I get rid of it forever?

[.Lupin.]

Algae never goes away forever. Depending on the type, it shows your tank is healthy (:

[Gryffindor's Sword]

I reccommend a trio of ottos. I love watching them and some people say they don't clean tank walls but my tank walls are spotless. Plus, they're friendly, faster at cleaning, and produce less waste then other algae eaters such as snails!

[Hime]

I reccommend a trio of ottos. I love watching them and some people say they don't clean tank walls but my tank walls are spotless. Plus, they're friendly, faster at cleaning, and produce less waste then other algae eaters such as snails!

I may highly disagree with the less waste(never had snails myself, but I wouldn't count ottos as low waste). When I got my original otto pair, there was fish poo everywhere the ottos had clearly feasted on the algae. Even now if I feed them veggies, there's much more poop around than usual. They do very good job on cleaning, that's true, but also make a mess after themselves.

As for algae, little is fairly normal. But if it's taking over the tank then there's most commonly some imbalance with the light and/or nutrients in the tank. If you have no live plants, there's easily too much nutrients(nitrates for starters) in the tank. Which can lead to algae having a field trip, especially if the light is to their liking.

[scuttlefish]

My tank is a five gallon, so ottos..probably won't work.

[boston]

I added aquarium salt to the two goldfish with no fins. Does anyone know how often I add more?

[andy;]

I have a question. I got my betta nearly two or three months ago as a baby, but now I can tell her gender and her baby stripes haven't faded. Why is this? I've seen fish with subtle, faded stripes as a part of their colour, will she end up like that?