# algae buildup?



## fishtales (Mar 27, 2011)

i believe my tank is starting to build up algare. it looks cloudier and when u get close the walls def. look like they ahve buildup. ive been doin water changes about every 10-14 days and clean the filter every other water change. im pretty sure my filter is too small though. 

is there any other way to clean it up other then like that stick with like a sponge-like on the end of it?


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## rjrstrang (Jul 16, 2011)

first start with where do you have your tank sunlight will cause algae to grow so move it away from the sun if in direct sunlight you can use a magnetic cleaner or a razor blade when you do a water change your fish will eat the algae as you scrape it off


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

magnectic cleaners are they way to go for keeping the glass nice and clean.


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## fishtales (Mar 27, 2011)

hmm i will look up about magnectic cleaners. i do have my tank out of the sunlight. but could buildup happened when the tank is more hours dark then with the aqaurium light on? like the majority of my tank has the light off then on.


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

No the more light the more algae, but most likely your algae break out is caused by over feeding if your not getting sunlight and your light is off more then its on. What is the wattage on your lights and how big is your tank?


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## PostShawn (Dec 22, 2009)

For goldfish you definitely want to over filter. They are very mess fish. I have double the GPH flow rating normally recommended on my 55g for my goldfish. 

Also overfeeding is very popular to get algae buildup. If you feed them twice a day then stop. They really only need to be fed once a day if that even. If you feed them once a day then maybe for a week or two start feeding them every other day. 
Feed them less too. It's a delicate balance to feed fish correctly. You don't want food left over around the tank but fish like goldfish will just keep eating and that means keep pooping. So you don't want to over feed them if they do eat it all also.

Do water changes every week for at least a month. I can get away with mine every two weeks when things are good but as soon as it's messy I switch back to every week for a couple weeks. 

So clean the tank of the algae, feed them less, and do some good water changes. See how that goes. These are the regular maintenance things and if they work they would be better then adding chemicals or anything close to that route. 
Good Luck!


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## fishtales (Mar 27, 2011)

i feed them once a day. my filter is an old school sumerged filter w/ammo chips. i am thinkin about upgrading. i have a standard 29 gal.

i bought like a wand instead of a magnetic cleaner b.c i have a friend who used it and said they dont stick too well and ur "fishing" for the other half in ur tank.

i was using an old school lightning fixture and i cant quite remember the wattage. when i bought the wand i also bought a new light/lid. so i cleaned the algae with the wand with the dirty water did a 60/40 water change. put new filter pads and ammo-chips into filter and new water and 24 hours later im a happy camper and my tank looks beautiful with the new lightning and clear water!


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