Controlling Algae in a Freshwater Aquarium

Algae is a plant that uses the same light and nutrients as your intentional plants. Fix the balance: reduce photoperiod, scrape glass on a schedule, vacuum detritus, and do not overfeed. Algae eaters help but cannot out-eat a tank flooded with nitrate and twelve hours of light.

Brown diatoms on new tanks often fade after a few weeks. Green hair algae on plants usually means too much light or unstable CO2 in high-tech setups.

Manual removal plus consistent maintenance beats miracle liquids. Log light hours, nitrate, and phosphate in ReefDiary when fighting persistent algae — you are looking for a pattern, not a one-off bad test.