Saltwater Aquarium - How To Control Algae With Lighting In Your Saltwater Aquarium

Introduction

Algae is important to filtering the ocean by absorbing nutrients and trace metals. But if it gets out of control in your aquarium it can turn it into a green soggy mess. If you allow sunlight on your aquarium or you do not do the proper maintenance on your aquarium lighting you can develop severe cases of algae bloom.

Algae

Land plants are believed to have evolved from algae and are probably the most important element needed to sustain life because they produce up to 70 to 80 percent of the oxygen we breathe.

But if you allow algae to get out of control in your saltwater aquarium, it can turn an immaculate aquarium into a soggy mess. Algae can grow on the sides of your aquarium, decorations, live rock, substrate and any where else it can get a hold of inside your aquarium.

So if you are dealing with algae in your aquarium look at the lighting you are providing your aquarium, this may be the source of your algae problems.

Sunlight

If you have placed your aquarium near a window, the sunlight coming in may be the source of your algae blooms. Look at the location of your aquarium and if it is next to a window you may need to move it.

Even if you have a curtains or shades on your windows it may not be enough to prevent sunlight from entering your aquarium producing algae. Even if you think they are preventing sunlight from entering your aquarium, you may unintentionally leave the blinds or curtains open allowing for enough sunlight to enter creating an algae bloom.

Artificial Lighting

The artificial lighting you provide your saltwater aquarium to grow your coral and plants can also cause algae blooms. As you're light bulbs age, the color spectrum they provide will drop into the range needed for algae growth.

There are two methods you can use to replace your light bulbs before they drop into the spectrum needed to produce algae.

Spectrograph- You can purchase a spectrograph to measure the color spectrum being emitted from your aquarium lighting. You can purchase a cheap one that is unreliable or more expensive ones that can cost you an arm and a leg.
Preventive Maintenance- The best way to keep your lighting spectrum in the proper range is to do what companies do to keep their equipment running properly, preventive maintenance. This means to change out the light bulb before it falls into the unacceptable color spectrum. It is recommended that you change out your light bulbs every eight to ten months to keep them in the proper lighting spectrum.

J.W. Chase is an amateur Aquarist who has successfully been keeping both fresh and saltwater aquariums for over 35 years. He has extensive knowledge on how to manage an aquarium, keeping all his fish healthy and smiling. His web site has information on keeping salt water aquariums so if you want more tips, strategies and secrets on how to manage a saltwater aquarium go to his site http://homesaltwateraquariums.blogspot.com.

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The Top Seven Ways To Control Algae In A Freshwater Aquarium

A beautiful aquarium can quickly change into an unsightly mess when green algae takes over. Algae is sneaky; it creeps throughout your tanks while slowly, innocently, covering everything inside your aquarium. Then, your friends stop by for a visit and they accuse you of neglecting your poor little fish. Let's look at the best ways to control this!

Change the Water - Regular water changes are necessary to keep fish healthy. During water changes use a gravel vacuum to remove some of the water while you suck out fish waste and excess food from the gravel. Since excess waste is converted by bacteria into Nitrates and Nitrates are a food for alga, vacuuming the gravel removes one of its sources of food. Also, vacuuming the gravel will physically remove some the unsightly mess by turning the gravel under. This vacuum action buries algae-covered gravel so it no longer can receive light. Without light, it will die.
Physical removal - Algae can be physically removed from the glass by wiping it with an aquarium sponge, algae magnet or scraper (razor blade scrapers work well.) Large rocks, driftwood, artificial plants, etc., can be treated outside the aquarium in a bucket containing a 10% bleach solution. It is important to rinse and dry them thoroughly before putting them back into the tank.
Natural Algae Control - Light is a key factor for algae growth. Fish only aquariums (aquariums without live plants) do not require lot of light compared to the intense light needed in order for live aquarium plants to flourish. For fish only aquariums, make sure there is enough light to see your fish; if you add bright light you will spend much time cleaning the glass and equipment.
Reduce Light Time - How long your light is turned on is another factor for algae growth. Generally, run lights 6 to 10 hours a day for fish only aquariums. Live planted aquariums require light from 8 to 12 hours each day. To control excess algae growth in a fish only aquarium simply shorten the number of hours the lights remain on.
Appliance Timers - An appliance timer is great for turning aquarium lights on and off at specified times. A timer removes human error so that the lights are not left on when you are out all night partying or fall asleep on the couch!
Live Controllers - There are several varieties of fish that eat algae. A few of the best choices are Otocincluss, Siamensis and Plecostomus. Otocincluss are great for small aquariums as they grow to only to 2 inches in length. The Siamensis is another great choice - especially for live planted tanks. One of the most popular algae eaters is the plecostomus (pleco for short.) The plecos seen most often for sale in pet and aquarium stores can grow over a foot long. A better choice for most is a clown or albino Bushy Nose Plecostomus as these fish grow to a mere four and four and a half inches long, respectively.
Chemical Treatment - There are several commercial algaecides which are safe for fish. If you keep live plants, read algaecide labels and follow directions carefully. Some algaecides can be harmful to live plants.

A final tip is to not to overfeed your fish. Excess food is not only bad for the health of your fish, it is also broken down by good bacteria, becoming a source of food for algae.

Following these tips will keep your aquarium looking beautiful for longer times between cleanings.

For more expert tips and advice on setting up, keeping and maintaining a freshwater aquarium, and much more, click here http://thenewfreshwateraquarium.com/

Laurren Schmoyer owned one of the largest aquarium stores on the East Coast for over 25 years. He also owned an aquarium service company for over 28 years. He has spent many years teaching and training customers the experts' way to keep all types of aquariums healthy and thriving for years.

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Freshwater Aquarium - How I Control Ramshorn Snails

Introduction

One of things I wanted to do when I started my freshwater aquarium was to keep snails out, especially Ramshorn snails, because I had heard they can take over an aquarium. I spent extra money to ensure I purchased snail free aquarium plants just to keep my aquarium snail free.

One time, without thinking, I purchased plants from a a store I was not familiar with and I paid the price. I did take extra care to wash my new plants to remove debris and snails, but that was not enough. All I needed to do was miss one snail or one egg and I could guarantee myself a good crop of snails.

Within two weeks I had Ramshorn snails crawling all over my aquarium.

Research Ramshorn Snails

When I found that I had the Ramshorn snail in my aquarium, I immediately researched the subject to learn how to get rid of them. I quickly found out that I should learn to control them rather than eradicate them.

The snails are very good at keeping my aquarium clean. They will eat the algae and even eat dead plants. Since they were good at keeping my aquarium clean, I rapidly turned from trying to eradicate them to just keeping them under control.

Controlling The Ramshorn Snails

When I looked at trying to control the Ramshorn snails I found that certain fish love to eat them. This includes kissing Gourami and Tiger Barb. I had both kinds of these fish in my freshwater aquarium but they were not eating the snails.

So the question was, why were my fish not eating the snails? Then it hit me, they were not hungry and preferred my fish flakes and blood worms to snails.

I consulted an Aquarist at our local pet fish store who told me that I should only feed them once a day and only feed them what they can eat in two minutes.

I reduced their feeding to once a day and solved two problems when I did that. The first problem was they started eating the Ramshorn snails. This solved the main problem I was trying to solve, keeping my snails under control.

The second problem I solved was the nitrate levels were reduced in in the tank. Apparently the high levels of nitrates in my aquarium water was caused by the decay of excess food.

Conclusion

If you want to control the amount of Ramshorn snails in your aquarium, get some fish that eat them such as Tiger Barbs.

J.W. Chase is an amateur Aquarist who has successfully been keeping aquariums for over 35 years. Over 75% of people who start aquariums fail in the first month for lack of knowledge. If you want more information on how to keep an aquarium, go to his web site and download a free eBook on "15 Tips On Building And Maintaining An Aquarium" at http://www.squidoo.com/homefreshwateraquariums.

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