Algea problem

[D'Cecilia]

i cleaned up an accumulation of algea in the walls
of my 10 gallon tank a couple days ago, but it was
mostly all back again today, what can i do to decrease
it?

 

[DesignsOnYou]

How many hours a day do you have your light on? If your tank isn't planted you can decrease the hours and that might help. If your tank is getting natural light that can contribute to algae as well.

 

[D'Cecilia]

i have it on from 8 in the morning to about 7
in the afternoon?
its just two of those energy saving house
light bulbs.
is it too much time?
and its not planted by the way.

 

[DesignsOnYou]

You could cut back to about 8 hours a day, 11 is more than you need, especially if you're having algae problems. I vaguely recall that those bulbs can lead to algae problems, but don't remember for sure. You could do some research on it and see what you can come up with.

 

[D'Cecilia]

okay then, ill cut back a little bit, i was thinking that so
much time might have been the problem!

thank you for the input!

 

[blue_ram]

Do you have the lights on a timer? Most of my algae problems went away once I put the lights on the timer.

 

[D'Cecilia]

no i dont have a timer :/
i just turn them on at about 8 when i walk
out of my house for school, and i turn them
off at about 7:30 everyday. but i do think
i should lower the time.

do timers just turn the lights off and on at
an exact time?

 

[DesignsOnYou]

Yup, that's what a timer does.

 

[Monoxide]

Something I always thought about when I started my tanks was that I kept my lights on 24/7 And never had this problem. Guess I was just lucky.

 

[scottlocks]

i had this prob in my 15G! but it was mostly bacause it got a lot of nature light(the sun), so on a summer day i turn off the light and let the sun do the rest. but it gets to much light so i have 4 ottos in that tank.

 

[homebunnyj]

You could just turn the lights on when you come in in the afternoon. The fish don't need the light on all day while you're gone. It's mainly just for your viewing pleasure since you don't have plants.

Have you tested your water lately? If your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate is out of whack -- especially nitrates, I believe -- it may contribute to algae problems. A good water change couldn't hurt.

 

[D'Cecilia]

no i havent checked my water yet!
but yeah ill just leave it on less, just
turn it on when i get hoem and turn it
off around 8. ahah

thankx for the input.

and yeah i do regular water changes,
50% every friday