hello all,
ive maintained my aquarium for about 7 months now without a hitch....but recently i have had an algae problem. It is fast growing, covers the glass, gravel, decorative stones, and also looks like its on some plants. I have done water changes, changed filters and cleaned the tank.....cant fix it

any suggestions for this problem?

Its usually excess light, food or livestock that support algae growth. Look at those factors in your setup and make adjustments.

You need to start doing water changes. All the factors gar said are correct so look for those.

But you seriously need to start doing water changes at least every 2 weeks and if you can every week. Like us fish poop and this poop turns into harmful toxins like ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Your ammonia and nitrites will kill your fish if it gets to be above 1ppm. Ammonia and nitrites should always (except when cycling) be 0 and with never removing any water and putting in clean water beneficial bacteria in your tank will not be able to eat it fast enough. If nitrates get over 60 - 80ish it can kill your fish as well.

By doing water changes you will reduce them.

I suggest doing like a 70 - 80% water change since you said you have never done one.

Make sure to use a dechlorinator/water conditioner when you do the water change.

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i do water changes every other week.....i had a typo and said "i have dont water changes".....i meant to say "i have done water changes"

ahhh ok, it sounded more like you didn't do any water changes at all. If you have live plants you can try using flourish excel. It is really meant to help plant growth, but it will kill some algae. It has something to do with the properties of it, all I know is that it killed the algae I had in my tank.

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thanks! ill give that a shot.....would removing the first inch or so of gravel and cleaning it real well help?

Can you take a pic?

Consider three things: Reduce the amount of time you have the light on, try adding a Chinese Butterfly Loach, use Tetra Algae Control. Too many hours of light, or too much sunlight will stimulate algae growth. The Chinese Butterfly Loach eats lots of algae. The Tetra Algae Control will reduce both green and brown algae, and it is safe for fish and plants.

BTW, having plants in your aquarium can help control algae.

I've started having terrible algae problems in my tank as well.

We moved to a different city a few months ago and I think it has something to do with the water.

I have a 29 gallon freshwater and the only surviving fish is an upside down catfish. I've tried snails, shrimp and pleco's (which are about the only thing the local pet store has and it's the only thing they know to recommend).

I'm going to vacuum the tank and do an 80% water change tonight, hook up a timer for the light, add a few new plants and see what happens.

Does anyone know where I might find the Chinese loach that is recommended here?

Thank you!

Do not use any type of algae control additive to your tank. Its just bad advice and not needed. Also, most fish, snails or whatever don't know you need them to take care of algae and dont always do what you need. Again, unless you actually wanted these creatures they will make very little impact on an actual algae problem.

Less light, NO direct sunlight, check your nitrates and get them down if needed (10-20ppm)
are you overfeeding?
I like nirite snails, bristlnose plecos and otos work good if you can fit 5-6 of them in.
also pictures of your algae would help us to see what your dealing with, theres lots of different algae and different ways to eradicate it

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90 gallon, 1 Iridescent shark, 2 Pleco, 3 Goldfish, 5 Cory cats, 2 Nerite snails
5 gallon hex, Blue Crowntail Betta, 1 nerite snail,

I do generally avoid additives, but I gave the Alga Control a try, and it seemed to work. But JRMan is right; additives really are unnecessary. There are better ways to take care of problems.