The 7 Best Ways To Stop Algae In Your Aquarium!

Summary

In this video, Fish Tank Mike discusses seven effective strategies for preventing algae growth in aquariums. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balanced ecosystem and suggests reducing organic materials like driftwood and nutrient-rich substrates. Mike also recommends adding live plants, adjusting lighting intensity, using activated carbon and liquid carbon, limiting fish numbers, and feeding high-quality food in moderation. He concludes by advising viewers to monitor their tanks and perform water changes when necessary to keep algae under control.

Takeaways

• 🌿 Reducing the amount of wood in your aquarium can help prevent algae growth, as wood decomposes and adds to the nitrogen and organic load in the tank.
• 🌱 Adding live plants to your tank can absorb excess nutrients, thus limiting algae growth. Ensuring plants are healthy and actively growing is crucial.
• 💡 Reducing the intensity of light, rather than just the duration, can significantly decrease algae issues. Dimming the lights to a level that's sufficient for the tank's needs can be beneficial.
• 🦐 Introducing algae-eating organisms like Amano shrimp or small Siamese algae eaters can help control certain types of algae, particularly string algae.
• ⚫ Running activated carbon in new tanks for the first month can be an effective method to prevent initial algae blooms, as suggested by experienced aquascapers.
• 💧 Using liquid carbon as an additive can help in preventing certain types of algae by reducing their growth in a preventative manner.
• 🐟 Having fewer fish in your tank reduces the overall nitrogen input, which can lead to less algae growth.
• 🍽 Feeding high-quality food in smaller quantities can reduce waste and the nutrients available for algae growth. Fasting fish occasionally can also be beneficial.
• 🔍 Regularly monitoring water parameters and performing water changes when necessary helps maintain a balanced ecosystem and control algae.
• 🧹 Paying close attention to your aquarium and removing organic detritus during water changes can help minimize the organic matter that contributes to algae growth.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the video script?

The main issue discussed in the video script is the prevention of algae growth in aquariums.

Why does the speaker claim that everyone who says they don't have algae is not being entirely truthful?

The speaker claims that everyone who says they don't have algae is not being entirely truthful because even if they don't have a significant algae problem, they likely experience occasional small green spots which they quickly remove.

What is the ultimate goal for an aquarium according to the speaker?

The ultimate goal for an aquarium, according to the speaker, is to create a balanced and sustainable healthy ecosystem that requires minimal external inputs.

Why might having a lot of driftwood in an aquarium lead to more algae problems?

Having a lot of driftwood in an aquarium can lead to more algae problems because driftwood constantly decomposes, adding to the nitrogen and organic pools in the aquarium, which can contribute to algae growth if other factors are out of balance.

What role do live plants play in preventing algae in an aquarium?

Live plants help prevent algae by absorbing excess nutrients in the water, thus limiting the nutrient pool available for algae growth. However, they must be healthy and actively growing to be most effective.

How does reducing the intensity of light in an aquarium help in preventing algae?

Reducing the intensity of light in an aquarium helps prevent algae by providing less energy for photosynthesis, which is a process algae use to grow.

What is the bonus tip provided by the speaker for dealing with string algae?

The bonus tip provided by the speaker for dealing with string algae is to add Amano shrimp or young small Siamese algae eaters to the aquarium as they can help control this type of algae.

Why does the speaker recommend running activated carbon in a new aquarium setup?

The speaker recommends running activated carbon in a new aquarium setup to help prevent algae bloom in the initial stage, as suggested by expert aquascapers who studied with Takashi Amano.

What is the purpose of adding liquid carbon to an aquarium?

Adding liquid carbon to an aquarium serves as a preventative algaecide, helping to reduce certain types of algae by floating around the tank and being introduced during water changes.

How does the number of fish in an aquarium affect algae growth?

The number of fish in an aquarium affects algae growth because more fish produce more waste, particularly nitrogen, which can contribute to algae growth. Therefore, having fewer fish can help prevent excessive algae.

What is the speaker's advice on feeding fish to prevent algae problems?

The speaker advises feeding high-quality food in smaller quantities and occasionally fasting the fish for a few days to reduce waste and the nutrients available for algae growth.

Why is monitoring and maintaining water parameters important in preventing algae?

Monitoring and maintaining water parameters is important in preventing algae because it allows for early detection of imbalances that can lead to algae growth, and timely water changes can help reduce nutrient levels.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Preventing Algae Growth in Aquariums

In the first paragraph, the speaker, Fish Tank Mike, introduces the topic of preventing algae in aquariums. He acknowledges that algae growth is a common issue faced by aquarium enthusiasts and emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balanced aquarium ecosystem. He suggests reducing the amount of organic materials, such as driftwood and nutrient-rich substrates, which can contribute to algae growth by decomposing and adding to the nitrogen and organic pools in the tank. Mike also highlights the role of live plants in absorbing excess nutrients and recommends using less wood and choosing appropriate substrates to help prevent algae.

05:01

💡 Reducing Light and Introducing Algae Eaters

The second paragraph focuses on the importance of light control in preventing algae growth. Mike suggests reducing the intensity of light rather than the duration of light exposure, as excessive light can promote algae. He shares his personal experience of using lower light intensity and observing reduced algae issues. Additionally, he recommends adding Amano shrimp or small Siamese algae eaters to the tank for controlling string algae. Mike also discusses the use of activated carbon and liquid carbon as methods to prevent algae, especially during the initial setup of a planted aquarium, based on insights from expert aquascapers.

10:01

🐟 Managing Fish Load and Diet to Minimize Algae

In the third paragraph, Mike talks about the relationship between the number of fish, the type of food they are fed, and algae growth. He advises having fewer fish and feeding them high-quality food in smaller quantities to reduce waste and nitrogen levels, which can contribute to algae. He shares his experience with fasting fish occasionally and the benefits of using his own brand, Legit Fish Food, which is less heated and retains more nutrients, thus requiring less food and producing less waste. Mike also stresses the importance of monitoring water parameters and performing water changes when necessary, including removing detritus from the substrate to maintain a clean and balanced aquarium environment.

Keywords

💡Algae

Algae are simple, typically aquatic organisms that can grow in freshwater aquariums. In the context of the video, algae are unwanted because they can overgrow and negatively affect the aesthetics and health of the aquarium. The video discusses various methods to prevent their growth, such as reducing light and nutrient input, which are key factors in algae proliferation.

💡Aquarium

An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of a transparent protective enclosure primarily used to keep fish, but also other aquatic animals or plants. The video's theme revolves around maintaining a balanced aquarium to prevent algae growth. It is the central environment where the discussed practices and concepts are applied.

💡Organic Materials

Organic materials in the context of the video refer to substances like driftwood and substrate that can decompose and contribute to the nutrient load in the aquarium, potentially leading to algae growth. The video suggests reducing these materials to maintain a balanced ecosystem and prevent excessive algae.

💡Live Plants

Live plants are used in aquariums for aesthetic purposes and to help maintain water quality by absorbing nutrients that might otherwise fuel algae growth. The video emphasizes the importance of having healthy, actively growing plants to maximize their nutrient-absorbing capabilities.

💡Light Intensity

Light intensity refers to the amount of light energy provided to the aquarium, which is crucial for plant growth but can also stimulate algae growth if too high. The video suggests reducing light intensity as a strategy to prevent algae, highlighting the need to balance light for both plant health and algae control.

💡Activated Carbon

Activated carbon is a form of carbon processed to have small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions. In the video, it is recommended to run activated carbon in new aquariums to help吸附 excess nutrients and prevent initial algae blooms.

💡Liquid Carbon

Liquid carbon, as mentioned in the video, is an additive used to help control algae in aquariums. It is different from activated carbon and serves as an algaecide, preventing certain types of algae by reducing their nutrients in the water.

💡Fish Load

Fish load refers to the number and size of fish in an aquarium, which directly impacts the amount of waste produced and thus the potential for algae growth due to increased nitrogen levels. The video advises having a lighter fish load to reduce the overall nitrogen input into the system.

💡High-Quality Food

High-quality food in the context of the video means fish food that is nutritionally dense and less likely to contribute to excessive waste and algae growth when fish are fed. The video suggests feeding less of a high-quality food to reduce waste and the potential for algae proliferation.

💡Water Changes

Water changes involve partially replacing the water in an aquarium to maintain water quality and remove waste products that can lead to algae growth. The video emphasizes the importance of regular water changes, especially when nutrient levels are high, to keep the aquarium balanced and algae under control.

Highlights

Algae is a common issue in aquariums, and everyone experiences it to some degree.

A balanced aquarium is the goal for sustainable and healthy ecosystem.

Reducing organic materials, such as wood, can help prevent algae growth.

Using an organic nutrient-rich substrate can lead to excess nutrients and algae issues.

Adding live plants can reduce the nutrient pool and limit algae growth.

Healthy and actively growing plants are more effective in absorbing nutrients.

Reducing light intensity can help prevent algae growth.

Adding Amano shrimp or Siamese algae eaters can help control string algae.

Running activated carbon can prevent algae blooming in the initial stage of setting up an aquarium.

Liquid carbon can be used as an algaecide to prevent certain types of algae.

Having fewer fish in the tank reduces the overall nitrogen, which can cause algae.

Feeding high-quality food and less of it can reduce waste and prevent algae growth.

Legit fish food is produced without heating to preserve valuable nutrition.

Monitoring water parameters and performing water changes when necessary is crucial.

Spotting and removing detritus during water changes can help reduce organic matter contributing to algae.

A well-maintained aquarium with limited inputs can prevent out-of-control algae problems.

Despite best efforts, some algae may still appear, but should be easily manageable with routine maintenance.

Transcripts

hey guys fish tank Mike here today I

wanted to talk about seven different

ways you can prevent algae in your

aquarium because let's face it everybody

hates algae and everybody has it if

anybody says that they don't have algae

they're lying to you okay maybe not

lying but they're leaving out the part

where it's like they get a little green

spot on the glass from time to time and

they're just quick to remove it but

here's the deal algae is one of those

things that it happens no matter what to

all of us in our aquariums and we don't

like it and if anybody knows about algae

it's me if you follow me on Instagram

you know what I'm talking about over the

years I've learned so many different

ways that you're supposed to be able to

get rid of algae prevent it all of these

things but what I've done here is tried

to condense it down into what I think

are the best ways that you can prevent

it from even starting a little bit

different than if you already have a

really bad algae problem but some of

these things you could certainly dial in

to help your current situation the

overall thing that we're trying to

accomplish here is a balanced aquarium

and I know you've heard that term

probably a million times before it's

super vague and annoying I know but what

we're really all trying to do here is

create a sustainable healthy ecosystem

that can take care of itself and has

little to few inputs that we introduce

to it if we can throw a little bit of

time in there and achieve it then you're

probably not going to have the algae

problem that you might be experiencing

right now the first thing I want to talk

about is reducing the amount of organic

materials that you have in your tank and

what I mean by organic material is a few

different things so the first one I want

to talk about is reducing the amount of

wood that you have in your tank

Driftwood is a cool part of aquascaping

I love to use it I have some in the

tanks behind me right now and I've used

a lot of it in the past but it does

suffer from a problem being that no

matter what type of wood it is it is

always constantly decomposing I've found

that in a lot of Tanks where I have a

lot of wood relative to water volume

that I tend to have more algae problems

than in tanks that have no or a lot less

wood so maybe keep that in mind next

time you're thinking about setting up a

new tank try not to go overboard with

the wood certainly don't limit your

creative abilities and what you want to

do but just don't forget that the more

wood you use relative to water volume of

course could be an issue that organic

material just slowly over time

decomposes and adds to the nitrogen pool

and the organic pool in your aquarium

and that can if other things are out of

balance can lead to some problems

another source of Organics in your

aquarium could be the substrate that

you're using because most all the tanks

that we do here are planet aquariums we

tend to use an organic nutrient-rich

substrate like a contra soil a Fluval

stratum stuff like that but what you

have to keep in mind is that a lot of

that material can be a source of excess

nutrients in the tank which can lead to

algae issues so if you're somebody

that's new you're setting up an aquarium

for the first time second time third

time you might not have all the things

dialed in as far as the you know huge

breadth of knowledge that is aquariums

don't make the mistake of putting in a

substrate like that if you're not going

to be using plants stick to to a sand or

a gravel I don't think that this is a

problem that a lot of people have but I

had to include it here there's more to

the organic story but we'll cover that

here in a little bit the second thing

you can do to prevent algae is of course

my favorite and that is adding live

plants to your tank chances are you've

heard a million other people talk about

how adding plants can help reduce the

nutrient pool in the aquarium and thus

limit the amount of algae that can take

advantage of those excess nutrients this

is totally true and it works in practice

I've experienced it many times but it's

sometimes easier said than done I've

seen a lot of planted tanks and I've

even had some over the years where I had

a ton of plants but still had algae

problems and that was probably because

there was certain other factors that I

was going overboard with that just

negated the fact that I had plants in

the tank at all so plants aren't a

silver bullet but I think there's a

right and wrong way to do it I'll try

and cover that in as much detail here to

be able to truly take advantage of the

plants absorbing nutrients in the tank

you need to have them healthy and

actively growing if a plant's not

actively growing then it's probably not

assimilating a lot of nitrogen and other

components in your water column I think

the problem with this though is that

most people have simple low-tech

aquariums they're not using CO2 they're

not cranking the Highlight so they're

not really getting the most aggressive

plant growth and thus they're not

getting the most out of those plants

ability to suck nutrients out of the

water all you can really do in this

low-tech type of a situation is have

plants that are happy maybe they're not

growing like crazy but they're not dying

off I think the more important thing is

just having a substantial amount of

plants that aren't dying they're looking

pretty good in the tank and then you

should get the most benefit out of that

that you possibly can more plants is

always better that should be the take

home the third thing I think you should

focus on is really reducing the amount

of overall light that you have going

into your tank I don't much so mean that

you reduce the amount of time that your

lights are on but I think reducing the

intensity of that light is really

important something that I've been

experimenting more and more with is

really dialing the light down on my

tanks and having them be almost dark to

the camera in real life they don't look

like they do on camera like this tank

back here it looks like it's almost no

light going into it I can see everything

just fine the fish look great but the

point is is that there's a lot less

light going into this tank than I've

ever had on any tanks ever before and

what I'm finding by doing this is that

I've been having way less issues with

algae and it's almost like a rare

Occurrence at this point with at least

these three aquariums I think most of

these newer LEDs that are on the market

probably have way too much par for or

the average aquarium owner so if you

have the ability to really dial down

your light try and set it if the fixture

allows you to 50 percent forty percent

thirty percent and see how things go I

think most plants in your tank aren't

going to have a problem from that unless

you're trying to grow something that is

a little more High demanding I think

you're going to be just fine quick bonus

tip that I almost left out try adding

some Amano shrimp or young small Siamese

algae eaters to your aquarium they're

not going to eat every type of algae but

they do a phenomenal job if your problem

is string algae I didn't want to cover

them completely on this list because

everybody's Tank's different and not

everybody can have particularly shrimp

but if you can get these organisms in

your tank get them they'll help out a

lot the fourth thing I recommend to

prevent algae from ever starting in the

first place is to run activated carbon

on your tank this is something that a

lot of planted aquarium keepers have

talked about being a useless thing to do

something that could harm the overall

goal of growing plants and it's not

something that I've done a lot of in the

past I mean the three aquariums behind

me don't even have filters and so I'm

definitely not running Carbon on them

but when I had a chance to hang out with

Mike and Jeff sensky of aquarium Design

Group Master aquascapers people that are

really well known in the planted

aquarium World they studied with Takashi

Amano when he was alive one of the trade

secrets in that area was that when you

set up a planted aquarium for the first

time in the first month or so you go

heavy on the activated carbon and I

thought that's interesting I've never

really heard that before but if these

guys say it's a great way to prevent

algae from blooming you know in that

initial stage of setting up your

aquarium I trust them I need to do a

little bit more experimenting myself

with this but if they do it I trust them

I think that it's probably a really good

method and it makes sense from a

chemistry and biology standpoint part

two of number four is going to be the

addition of liquid carbon if you're new

these two things are going to sound a

little similar because they both involve

carbon but they're totally different

liquid carbon is a type of algaecide

that a lot of people use is pretty

popular and it's a method for reducing

certain types of algae in a preventative

way there's a few different products

that do this there's of course the sea

chem stuff and then even Corey sells a

liquid carbon additive that does help

reduce algae I've used it in the past to

eliminate certain types of algae but

also prevent it because it is this thing

that's going to float around your tank

you're going to add it when you do your

water changes and then you shouldn't

have as much of an issue with algae

overall I know that's not everybody's

favorite thing to do is adding some type

of chemical to the tank to prevent it

but it is an option that a lot of people

use and have success with the number

five thing you can do to prevent algae

is to just have less fish in your tank

we all know that fish are a source of

nitrogen they produce ammonia which then

gets converted to nitrate in your filter

so the less fish you have in your system

the less overall nitrogen you should end

up with and you're totally right

nitrogen is not the only waste product

that ends up in your tank and can cause

algae but it's a big one sticking with a

light fish load is definitely one of the

best methods and it's something that

I've experienced a lot over the years if

I do a tank and I put too many fish in

it I know right away I think that's

actually one of the reasons why I'm

having such an easy time right now and

not really having any algae problems

because the smaller tanks require me to

keep smaller fish and a fewer number of

them the sixth thing to help you prevent

algae is to feed a high quality food and

feed less of it I think for most fish

Keepers the size and amount of fish in

the tank paired with how much you feed

them is like the number one factor as

far as do you have algae or not this is

another thing I've experienced a lot of

over the years tanks that have a lot of

fish usually require more food to be put

in food is definitely one of the biggest

inputs that we add to our closed system

that's not really closed and thus can

have a big impact on whether or not we

have algae problems so one of the things

I do besides feeding a really high

quality food is that I just feed my

aquariums and fish a lot less than I

used to and what this means is really

just rethinking the diet of the fish

another thing that I do now from time to

time maybe a few times a month is go two

or three days without feeding my fish

putting them on a little bit of a fast I

think is probably not a bad thing and

it's probably something natural that

they experience in the wild anyway the

whole reason why I started my company

legit fish food was because I went

through a period where I learned a bunch

about fish nutrition and of course the

pet food industry and what was being fed

to our animals all the weird Horrors

about the dog and cat food industry was

kind of the same thing with fish I think

we just don't think about it as much

because you know our fish aren't dogs

and cats but for somebody like me and

I'm sure you're this way too if you're

watching this video we care a lot about

our fish and we want the best for them

so when I learned that the producer of

the food I was going to brand was made

in a completely different way wasn't

heated up to a million degrees to

destroy the valuable nutrition of it all

I thought hey that's a pretty cool

concept let me dig a little bit deeper

let me learn more about this because

because legit is not heated up to a

million degrees it doesn't destroy as

much of the valuable nutrition in the

pellet so when we feed it to our fish

the fish can absorb more of what's in

the food that really drives their color

and their overall activity in the tank

it's another reason why I don't have to

feed as much is because what I put into

the tank the fish absorbs more of those

nutrients and it just doesn't need as

much food to be put in that equals less

waste overall in the tank and I think

it's a big reason for why I'm not

experiencing as many algae problems

these days in my aquariums don't get me

wrong you feed too much of any type of

food even my food you're going to have

algae problems that food's going to end

up at the bottom of the tank it's going

to get decomposed and that's going to up

the different factors that can

contribute to algae and so you need to

be careful you need to monitor your

system and that's going to lead us into

the last thing that I think everybody

should be doing and that is just pay

attention to your aquarium monitor the

water parameters from time to time and

change the water when you need to if

you've watched this far you've probably

really been waiting for me to say it

water changes they're still important I

think you should do them but for me

these days I'm trying to create systems

where I don't have to change the water

as much as I used to in the past

combining all the things that we've

talked about makes it to where these

aquariums sometimes I do a 25 water

change once a month and I'm really happy

with that get yourself some easy to use

test strips I know they're not the most

accurate things in the world but they're

less of a pain to use which means you're

going to probably do it more often and

then if you happen to see that your

nitrate is 40 or 50 you know do a water

change do 50 cut that down in half but

don't go crazy overboard with it I

should also mention that when you do

your water changes you know try and spot

the detritus that's down at the bottom

of your substrate and remove that as

well that's another one of those organic

components that can add to the algae

problem so to try this as a blanket term

for just dead or decaying organic matter

and we want to try and eliminate that

from the tank as much as you can but

it's always going to live in your

substrate rate you won't be able to get

it all out it's just something that

where if you see a big pile of it you

probably want to get rid of it anyway it

can be a little unsightly so just suck

that out while you're doing your water

change and you should be good to go

hopefully because you have an

appropriate amount of fish or maybe less

fish than you would normally keep in the

tank you're feeding less you have plants

that are happy and healthy then you

shouldn't have something like a 50 PPM

nitrate level all of these things kind

of in concert with one another can

really help you to prevent any algae

from popping up in your tank I shouldn't

say any algae you're going to still have

algae you might get some green spot you

might have a little bit of hair algae

pop up from time to time the goal is

here and I think what you're going to be

able to achieve is a tank that the algae

that pops up you just can get it easily

when you do your routine maintenance and

you don't have any out of control algae

problems that are just impossible to fix

I think if you just focus on limiting

the big inputs to your tank then that

can dramatically help you in your battle

against algae it'll you'll never not

have a battle against algae things

happen sometimes you you know even if

you follow all of these rules you might

still have a little bit of an issue

develop that's where it's paying

attention getting in there and doing

your manual removal as soon as you can

helps out a tremendous amount I think if

you follow these I think they're going

to help out a lot so that was the goal

of this video I hope you learned

something new thank you so much guys if

uh my Spiel on Legit fish food got you

interested and you haven't tried it yet

we still have free samples available on

the website you just have to pay like

four bucks for shipping you can try out

all three of the foods see if your fish

like them I know they're gonna love them

but yeah other than that uh we're just

still chipping away here at getting more

of our tanks set up I'm not quite sure

uh when we're going to have enough Monte

Carlo to do the reboot on the bonsai

tree tank behind you but it's on my goal

for this month so hopefully we can get

it done we'll cross our fingers

hopefully the holiday doesn't impact

shipping too much uh yeah I think that's

pretty much it guys thanks for watching

today's video maybe the next one will do

I have a list here four best ways to

actually get rid of algae so different

topic slightly different approach you

need to take with that but if you're

interested in that let me know down in

the comments thank you once again for

watching guys and we'll see you next

time