Advantages and disadvantages of algae

[Antwan]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having algae in your tank?*ALL*

 

[Skullburger]

One disadvantage is that if you have algae, you will not see any Smurfs scuba diving in your tank-

However, as these horrid blue creatures tend to employ hand crafted gill nets to catch fish, this should probably be looked upon as an advantage- or at least it would if they were in any way real.

I guess I have not been of very much help after all.

 

[SoulFish]

some fish like to eat algae, algae eaters of course and some african rift lake species like mbunas and tropheus appreciate algae to graze on, disadvantages are its a very big eye sore

 

[Antwan]

I guess thats the only reason people don't like it, is cause its that ugly. I kinda want algae.

 

[Angelfish]

I'm with you Antwan, I like algae, not a whole lot of it but a little looks okay. Unfortunately I never have any because my SAE is obese and eats too much =)

 

[colesea]

As others have said, many different species of fish do eat algae, so a little of it is healty in your tank. Another reason algae can be helpful is that it processes nitrates out of the tank, as well as adds oxygen to the water. Algae is, after all, part plant.

Disadvantages of algae well, beyond ugly aestics is that if it takes over the tank, especially in planted aquariums, the tank will go through a process known as eutrification. Algae will grow over the plants and rob the plants of light and nutrients. As the plants die, decomposition uses up oxygen, as well as the contaminates of decomposition increasing ammonia levels. When eutrification occures, the tank dies and becomes pretty much a swamp.

The amount of algae you allow in your tank is up to you. Personally, I don't clean algae out of my home tanks because the plecos eat it. I also practice proper light management so that the algae never gets an opportunity to become overgrown. When I used to work at an LFS I was fanatical about making the tanks look algae free by introducting snails and ensuring I had at least one pleco in every tank, as well as weekly scrubbing the algae off and bleaching ornaments.
Hope that helps.
~~Colesea

 

[Somonas]

I like algae on the rocks and gravel, gives a nice natural look to everything. (mbuna tanks). In the plant tank however, that is another story. However if you have an army of algae control (just bristlenose plecos and oto cats!!) you'll have zero algae Guaranteed.

teehee. scuba diving smurfs.

 

[mike the zealot]

I've got some serious green hair algae on the top of my plastic plants in my 20g high. I had a bristlenose in there the whole time it grew out. So I got some otocinclus about 2 weeks ago, I can't see that they've put a dent in it. So I took 1 oto out and put it in my father-in-laws tank. His tank had just finished it's cycle, and had a nice brown algae bloom all over. That little bastard cleaned his whole tank in 2 days...