Welcome Heather,
There's two ways to combat algae-growth:
-Something that consumes algae will keep the growth down.
-Make the tank "inhospitable for algae".
There are several types of fish (and other creatures) that eat algae. Depending on which type of algae, some will be better than others.
-Some of the 600 or so different species of "pleco" eat algae of some types (mainly green).
-Rosy barbs are good at eating algae, particularly hair algae.
-Siamese algae eater (NOT to be confused with Chinese algae eater). Effective algae eater for most types of algae. The chinese version grows much larger and will attack fish when it gets big.
-Shrimps. There are some types of shrimp that are good at eating algae.
-Snails. Certain types of snails will eat algae, but probably also your plants, and will reproduce like crazy, so probably not such a good idea.
It's obviously your choice which one(s) to go for. There's plenty of reasons to choose one over another, but it does come down to personal preference in the end.
Laura mentioned bristlenose plecos, the Common variety,
is easy to find (relatively speakng), and a very good algae eater. It will not eat the hard algae, nor much of hair-algae. Good thing about them is that they are hardy, they can live in just about any water condition, as long as the temperature is around 20-28'C (70-85'F), ideally around 24-26'C (~80'F). They are also relatively easy to breed (guppy's of the catfish, as someone said). Common bristlenoses grow to max 5"(15cm), and you usually find them in the shop at 1-2"(2.5-5cm) in size. If you have a tank of about 50 or more liters (12us gal), this should be an ideal fish for you. If you get two of opposite sex, you can expect to get some babies as long as there is some sort of "cave" for the male (an upside down flowerpot saucer is ideal, if you cut of a portion to one side so that it forms an opening). A piece of wood will also be a nice place for the bristlenoses to hide and chew a little bit.
Another option would be some Otocinclus (and related) specie. These stay much smaller than bristlenoses, less than 2" (5cm). They are a little bit more sensitive than the bristlenoses.
Second method: making the tank inhospitable for algae.
Algae needs two things to grow:
-Light.
-Nutrients.
Take away one, and they don't grow (as much).
If you have sunlight hitting the tank, you should try to shield this out, not only because it causes algae growth, but also because it can cause overheating of the tank. If the tank is lit only by artificial lights, try reducing the time the lights are on by a few hours.
The primary nutrient for algae is Nitrate, which is formed from the waste from the fish. This is removed by two things:
1. Plants. Plants, like algae, use up nitrate to build proteins inside the plant.
2. Water changes. Removing water with high nitrate content and replacing it with lower nitrate level water...
Also, feeding slightly less will cause lower nitrate levels, and thus less algae growth.
--
Mats
/g/s/1.jpg)
