Fish Aquarium Question

[theantiquetiger]

My daughter has a little 2 1/2 gallon fish tank with three neon fish in it. No matter what I do, the rocks, fake coral, and flowers turn a nasty blackish algae. Any advice on how to keep it clean. It does have a filter system, and I clean it out regularly. When we got the tank last Christmas, it stayed nice and clear for about 6 months.

[AJ Collector]

I would take everything out, boil the rocks, coral and run the plants under very hot water. Never use soaps to clean the tank and be carefull of over feeding.

You might also want to get a small ground feeder, they help with the algae.

Good luck!

[Mikey]

Light is your worst enemy for algae.

Only keep it lit when she's looking at it.

Also, remember this incase you get more fish --- 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon of water.

Anymore then that, they'll kill eachother with their own pollution (even with a filter)

[Hector]

I agree about a small ground feeder...it will help quite a bit.

Also, Neon Tetras are much happier as a larger school...three are not enough. You should get a school of about six to seven...they will be much happier.

BTW...algae buildup is not harmul to your fish.

...and like AJ Collector said...overfeeding might be the root of the problem.

[Hector]

Light is your worst enemy for algae.

Only keep it lit when she's looking at it.

Also, remember this incase you get more fish --- 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon of water.

Anymore then that, they'll kill eachother with their own pollution (even with a filter)

We are talking about neon tetras here...lol.

[Hector]

you need one of those algae eating fish..not sure what they are called now..

Corydoras catfish are the perfect bottom feeders for a small aquarium.

[Hector]

My daughter has a little 2 1/2 gallon fish tank with three neon fish in it. No matter what I do, the rocks, fake coral, and flowers turn a nasty blackish algae. Any advice on how to keep it clean. It does have a filter system, and I clean it out regularly. When we got the tank last Christmas, it stayed nice and clear for about 6 months.

What temperature do you keep the neons?

[Mikey]

We are talking about neon tetras here...lol.

I used to have a huge tank for a lot of years so sometimes I go overboard when giving fish tank advice

[Hector]

I used to have a huge tank for a lot of years so sometimes I go overboard when giving fish tank advice

Me too.




I want to get back at aquariums...I had a pair of red belly piranhas for 13 years until they both died of old age.

As a kid I started with freshwater goldfish...them moved to tropical fish...now I want to get to the more advance saltwater aquarium...they have the most wicked-looking fish...eels, scorpion fish, seahorse, octopus...I mean...it's pretty much endless. But saltwater aquariums is much more difficult to maintain, definitely for the more advanced aficionado.

[Mikey]

My nephew Dave (Pearlharbor) used to have a salt water tank when he was in Hawaii.
He said it's really-really high maintenance.
I don't think i'd have the patience with it.

[Hector]

Yeah...it's really high maintenance...I also have a bud who has three 100 gallon saltwater tanks...yes...you read right...three 100 gallon saltwater tanks.

[theantiquetiger]

Light is your worst enemy for algae.

Only keep it lit when she's looking at it.

It stays lit all the time, basically a night light.

Like I said earlier, we had it 6 months, it stayed perfect, crystal clear. We had just one fish in there back than, a Fighting Beta, and the light stayed on 24/7. The first time it turned dirty, the fish got "sleepy", as my 4 year old called it.

I was mistaken, they are not neons, they are called "Glow Fish".

I have an automatic feeder than feeds a small pinch twice a day. I guess I could get a new filter, but it is just a flow through gravel filter.

[Captain]

...Well I was going to say quit sticking your Mego Aquaman in the tank, but it sounds like the other folks had some better ideas...

[Adam West]

Light is definitely the source of your problem. It could be natural sunlight or an artificial light. It takes a little time for algae to build up but which is probably why you didn't see it for a while.

Catfish are good at eating just about anything that falls to the bottom of the aquarium. An algae eater will do a good job of eating the algae for you but they do have a tendency to get big as they eat more and more. If you check with a pet store...sometimes they are willing to swap out a bigger fish for a smaller one since they can sell the bigger ones for more....so you might want to ask about the algae eater.

The only other suggestions are to change about half of the water once a month...a vacuum type tube is the best since you can suck up the garbage under the gravel but it sounds small enough that you might be able to stir the water so the filter grabs it. Add a little dechlorinizer to the new water.

It also might be worthwhile to purchase an inexpensive pH tester kit so you can test the alkalinity of your water. This could also be causing a problem and the kit usually comes with drops to help add more acidity or alkalinity as necessary.

[Seeker]

All good points above.

1. limit light. But especially sunlight if tank is near a window.
2. Don't over feed
3. Get an Algae eater, cat fish or snail

But not mentioned..

1. There are several commercial algicides. Some are a few drops per gallon , some have a tablet that fizzes. Any pet store, Walmart etc would carry it