There’s nothing wrong with a little algae in your fish tank. In fact, it can sometimes be beneficial to your fish and give your tank a more authentic feel. However, too much algae can cause problems and doesn’t look to great either. There are chemicals available for killing algae, but I strongly recommend avoiding those. Instead, here are seven natural ways you can get rid of algae in your fish tank.

Just like plants, algae thrives on nutrients and light. The key to getting rid of algae naturally is to limit the amount of light and nutrients they have access to. The most important things are to keep your tank out of direct sunlight, limit the amount of artificial light, and regularly change the tanks water.

Why Choose Natural Methods?

There are chemicals that you can buy that kill algae, and it’s often tempting to go down this route because it seems a lot more convenient. The problem is, these chemicals might kill algae, but they are not good for your fish either. I’ve come across quite a few reports of fish dying or almost dying after chemicals were used to get rid of algae. And these chemicals are supposedly designed for use in a fish tank. As long as you keep it under control (and the steps in this guide should help you with that), algae is unlikely to become such a problem that you have to resort to chemicals.

What Causes Algae to Grow?

Although not technically plants, algae is very similar and grows in a similar way. Nutrients and light are the main factors needed for it to grow. Most of the methods in this article are focused on reducing the amount of nutrients and light to starve the algae and stop it in its tracks.

How to Get Rid of Algae Naturally

Below you can find 7 natural ways for getting rid of algae from your fish tank. Some of these will require some work, but there are also some simple things like reducing the amount of food and light that can really make a big difference.

1. Reduce Light

Just like plants, algae use photosynthesis to create their own food. Reducing light – both artificial and sunlight – is a great way to get rid of algae. Always try to avoid positioning your fish tank in direct sunlight. You’re begging the algae to grow if you do, and the drastic changes in water temperature as the sun comes and goes isn’t good for your fish either. For artificial lighting, try and limit it to no longer than eight hours per day. The best way to control this is by using an electronic timer. I highly recommend a timer that comes with a battery as a back up like the Hydrofarm TM01715D (click to check price on Amazon). The Hydrofarm has great reviews and isn’t too expensive either.

2. Reduce Food

It is common for fish owners to overfeed their fish. This causes an increase in phosphate levels in the tank and promotes algae growth. Of course, you don’t want to starve your fish, but for many people, reducing the amount you feed them can help to get rid of algae. So, how do you know if you’re overfeeding? Well, after you have fed your fish, if there is any food left over after five minutes, you should reduce the amount you are feeding them until they can clear it up within five minutes. Any uneaten food should quickly be removed with a net or pipette.

3. Change Your Water Frequently

Algae thrives on nutrients, and if you don’t change your water regularly it can contain a lot of nutrients. You should aim to change 10 – 15% of the water weekly. You can also use this as an opportunity to vacuum and clean the gravel.

4. Introduce Algae Eating Creatures

There are many fish and creatures that absolutely love to eat algae. Introducing a few of these creatures into your tank is a great way to keep algae under control. However, you do need to keep in mind that this won’t outright fix the problem and only cover it up. The root cause of the algae will be an imbalance of the nutrients in your water, and you really need to address this. But algae eaters will definitely help and it’s a fun method too!

5. Keep More Plants

Plants thrive on many of the same nutrients as algae. Introducing more plants into your fish tank, especially fast growing varieties, will starve the algae and help to prevent it from growing. Floating plants are even better because they will also block out much of the light that the algae needs to grow.

6. Be Careful Not to Introduce It

Adding live plants to your aquarium is a great idea for reducing algae, but be careful the plants you introduce don’t already have algae on them. If you notice algae on them, you can follow our guide to removing algae from aquarium plants.

7. Keep Your Tank Clean

As soon as you see algae starting to grow in your tank, clean it before it has a chance to grow and become a bigger problem. To clean the glass, you can use a credit card to scrape away the algae, or if you don’t want to get your hands dirty you can use a magnetic cleaner like the FL!PPER cleaner (click to check price on Amazon). Whenever you do a water change, you can use the opportunity to vacuum and clean the gravel. You’re also going to want to remove rocks and ornaments and scrub away any algae on them. Plants can be a little trickier, but you can find our guide on how to clean them here.

Algae Isn’t All Bad!

Having too much algae in your fish tank definitely isn’t good. For starters, it doesn’t exactly make your tank look appealing. But also, if you have live plants, it will compete with them for light and nutrients, and this can be detrimental to your plants. However, as long as the algae isn’t out of control, it won’t harm your fish, and many fish actually love to eat it. The key is to keep on top of it to prevent it from getting out of control.

How Do I Know If I Have Too Much Algae?

It isn’t like there’s a specific point at which the algae becomes too much, but if you’re reading this article, the chances are your tank is starting to look a bit gross. If this is the case, then you could definitely benefit from following these methods to reduce it. Even if the algae in your tank isn’t that bad, these methods are still a good idea to prevent algae from becoming a problem in the future.

Conclusion

If you take on board the seven methods in this guide, you should be well on your way to a relatively algae-free tank. Remember, algae is natural in a fish tank so don’t worry too much if there’s a little bit here and there. But even if you don’t have a significant problem with algae, it’s still worth following the methods in this guide to prevent if from becoming a problem in the future.

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At some point, algae is going to cause problems for most fish tank owners. Algae on plants can often be the most troublesome because they are so delicate and hard to clean. Artificial plants can usually be salvaged, but unfortunately it can sometimes be too late for live plants. If you follow the steps in this guide, you will give yourself the best chance of getting your plants algae-free.

The first thing you want to do is gently rub off any debris whilst the plants are still in place. If there is still some stubborn algae remaining, remove the plants and use an algae pad to gently scrub them. If this doesn’t work, you may have to resort to using a bleach solution, but keep in mind this can sometimes kill live plants.

After you have removed algae from your plants, it’s important to take action to prevent algae from becoming a problem in the future. We have plenty of information on that at the end of this guide.

Things You Will Need

If you’re lucky, you might find that you can remove the algae from your plants by simply using your finger. But if it’s stubborn, there are a few things you’re going to need.

• Algae pad – If the algae is too stubborn to be removed with your finger, you will want to use an algae pad to gently scrub it off. These only cost a few dollars each and you can pick them up on Amazon.
• Bleach – If even an algae pad isn’t tough enough, you’re going to need to use a bleach solution. Only use regular bleach and not any that is mixed with detergent. If you don’t already have any bleach, you can pick some up from Amazon here.
• Conditioner – If you have to resort to using bleach, you’re going to need to rinse the plants in conditioned water. You can find conditioner here on Amazon.

Live and Artificial Plants: Same Process?

The process for cleaning live and artificial plants is basically the same. But of course, as live plants are living and delicate, you will need to be a bit more careful with them. There are a few differences in how you would go about cleaning live plants, like how long you should soak them for, but I’ll point those out when we get there.

Step-by-Step Guide

You won’t necessarily need to follow through with this whole guide to clean your plants. Each step gets progressively more vigorous for removing tougher algae. If the algae is removed after the first or second step, you can go ahead and stop there.

If your fish tank has lots of plants, you should only clean one or two plants at a time to reduce the stress on your fish caused by the changes in their environment.

Step 1: Use Your Fingers

The first thing you want to do is remove any loose debris from the plants by gently brushing or rubbing them with your finger. You can leave the plants in place whilst you do this. If the algae isn’t too bad, this can sometimes be all you need to do.

Step 2: Use an Algae Pad

If there is still a lot of algae left on the plants, remove them from the tank and use an algae pad to gently scrub off the algae. Make sure you use an aquarium safe algae pad. You can pick them up for a few dollars on Amazon. Whatever you do, DO NOT use any soap or chemicals as this can be lethal for your fish.

In many cases, this is all you will need to do to get rid of the algae on your plants, but if the algae is really stubborn, move on to the next step.

Step 3: Use Bleach

As a last resort, you can use a 10% bleach solution to get rid of any algae that really doesn’t want to go. If you use this method with artificial plants, be warned that it can affect the color of your plants. You can use bleach with live plants too, but there is a chance they will die. If the algae is really bad, they will probably die anyway, so it is worth a go as a last-ditch effort to save them.

For artificial plants you want to use a 10% bleach solution by mixing 1 part bleach (you can find some on Amazon here if you don’t already have any), with 9 parts water in a bucket or container. Soak them for 5-10 minutes. Next, remove them from the bleach solution, use a clean algae pad to gently scrub off any algae, rinse in conditioned water (link to conditioner on Amazon), and allow to air dry. Now you can place them back in your tank.

For live plants you want to use a 5% bleach solution by mixing 1 part bleach with 19 parts water in a bucket or container. Soak them for no longer than a couple of minutes, then gently rub them to dislodge any algae. Soak the plants in conditioned water for around half an hour. Hopefully the plants survive and you can return them to the tank.

Once you have removed the algae from your plants, it’s important to keep on top of it so you don’t have to keep going through this process. Keep reading to find out how.

Prevention

They say prevention is the best cure, and that’s no different here. Once the algae on your plants gets too bad, there are some permanent consequences. If you have to resort to using bleach, the color on artificial plants can fade, and live plants can often die.

To prevent algae from becoming a problem on your plants, follow step 1 of this guide once a week. Give the plants a gentle shake and carefully brush or scrub off any debris.

Keeping algae in the rest of your tank under control will also prevent it from becoming a problem on your plants.

Controlling Your Tanks Algae

Plants aren’t the only thing that can get covered in algae. You’re going to want to take some general measures to combat algae in your whole tank. This will help with controlling algae on your plants too. Below you can find ten natural ways of reducing algae in your fish tank. We go into more detail on each of these points in our guide to getting rid of algae naturally.

• Reduce light
• Reduce food
• Change the water frequently
• Use good filters that are in working order
• Get some algae eating creatures
• Introduce more plants
• Be careful when you purchase new plants
• Check your water levels
• Have the correct water temperature
• Keep your tank clean

Conclusion

Dealing with algae in your fish tank can be a nightmare, and due to their delicate nature, plants can cause the most problems. The most important thing you can do is keep on top of algae in your tank using natural methods. But if it’s got to the point where your plants have a big algae problem, the steps in this guide should help.

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