Tips For Cleaning Up Algae

So my 5 month old son was hospitalized for 3 weeks. He's better now and were home. I wasn't able to be home in that time due to the hospital being out if town. I didn't have anybody to take care of the tank, other than topping it off every few days. I got home today and the sides are covered in green algae. Any tips on cleaning it up?

 

You can just rub it off the glass if you so choose. The water would be murky for a bit, but you could just do a water change. If you want, you can also get algae eaters. My favorite are nerite snails. They do the job tremendously, are pretty, and don't reproduce in freshwater. The algae will likely be reoccurring, but nerites can usually keep up with it if it isn't out of control. If it gets out of control then reconsider how long you have your lights on

 

That's terrible, but I'm very glad to hear he is better.

You can buy an algae scraper of some sort, and just scrape it off without getting your arm wet. I personally use one of those magnetic scrapers. One side goes in the tank, and the other side you hold against the glass. There is a strong magnet that holds the two halves together thru the glass. Then you just use a wiping motion on the outside and the side inside the tank follows and scraped the algae.

 

My favorite algae remover is a square of melamine foam (aka a magic eraser). You can practically get a whole pallet of it for super cheap on Amazon. It takes off even the toughest green spots.

 

Very glad your son is doing better! I use an old giftcard to remove even the toughest forms of algae off the glass then give it a good WC and you will be good to go. If you miss a little then just reach in and scrape the rest or like others have said a Nerite or 2 will usually keep your glass spotless.