lolagurl

There is now starting to be some green spots on the tank...i guess thats algae...but how do i get rid of it..I tried a snail which died, and i dont have room for another fish like a pleco to clean the sides of the tank..is there any product i can get at my LFS that will get rid of this. Or else if there isnt i guess ill have to dump all the water and clean the tank myself..is this happenning from a not very good filter..or if i get a gravel vac would that help the algae building up on the sides.thanks lola *
P.S- im going to the fish store tonight so would like to hear anyones suggestions lol

inuyasha_lover_21

They have a magnet that takes off the algae. I love it and its very good cause you dont have to contaminate the wter with your hands

Isabella

How large is your tank and what fish (and how many of them) do you have in it? Also, what is your nitrate reading?

Neville

u can keep some otocinclus catfish or corys, they r fine algae eaters and they grow up to 2 to 2.5 inches. they are schooling fish.

lolagurl

i have one molly in a 5 gallon(new tank)......why could the nitrates be causing this buildup..if i got a bigger tank would that help...I just really want to know for ssure if algae and how to get rid of it but i guess ill just get another snail

Isabella

Lolagurl, in a small tank - such as a 5 gallon tank - even one small fish can produce a lot of waste. A Molly is not such a small fish, so it produces even more waste. A lot of wastes increase your nitrate. And a lot of wastes mean a lot of nutrients available to algae. If you have high nitrate / a lot of waste, you may easily get algae.

Unfortunately, in a 5 gallon tank, you cannot have a school of Otos. Yes, they're small, but they need to be in groups. The best you can do in that tank is clean the algae yourself (or with the algae magnets, or anything else you prefer).

I don't know much about snails, but maybe you could get some algae-eating snail? I know one died already, but maybe try again. Only find out exactly what snail would be best for your 5 gallon tank, and research on how to acclimatize it properly (so that it doesn't die).