I have a 20gal tank with 2 goldies. I do water changes on a regular bases (once a week) and have a timer for the lighting which turns on about 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. Both my goldies are pretty greedy and will eat eat eat. One of my orandas will eat at the algae on the rock but they don't like the algae very much. I don't know what to do to lessen the algae. It's not so much that I want to stop it from growing but I just want it controllled. Does anyone else have this problem? Are there any suggestions?

Yes, elbow grease! Thats the only way I keep the algea at bay in my tanks! The only tank that I have that does not have algea is one of my 30 gal tanks without a light on it. But on my other tanks I just wipe everything down when doing water changes.

Is it brown or green algae? My goldies enjoy eating the green kind. Brown algae is common in newly started tanks and harder to get rid of. Anyway, elbow grease is certainly a good way to go during vacuuming time. You could also add live plants, add snails, buy algae decreasing products (but they contain things that I would not want added to my tank - but it is supposed to be safe), and you could decrease the amount of time your lights are on. 8-10 hours should be sufficient. If you have plastic plants you could take them out and put them in a solution of clorox to completely clean them. You can find that topic string here at koko's if needed. Good luck!

Thanks for the help and I have green algae on all the fake plants, rocks, and flower pots, but mostly brown on the glass of the tank. When i first came to the website alot of people said that the goldfish like the algae (green) so when I first saw it growing it didn't bother me becasue I figured that the goldfish would eat it. But now it's all over the tank.

What is the size of your tank, how long do you keep your lighting and what type of goldfish do you have that eat the algae? I am looking at getting goldfish that would like the algae so maybe it wouldn't be such a problem.

For a 20 gal tank I think ur already at your stocking maximum so getting another goldfish is out of the question. I agree with vmlola, hard yakka (or elbow grease as u yanks says ) is the most effective way for ur situation. I'd put a snail in there (neat little buggers they are) but dunno if ur filter can handle another heavy-pooping individual.

d_golem
Stop getting so offended. Everyones situation is different. The 10 gal rule does not apply for everyones situation for one. If you go out and buy a baby goldfish then I agree that it applies. I believe that you should give that goldfish the chance to grow to it's full potential. Also if you go out and buy and 7 inch goldfish that fish also deserves and should get a proper size tank. But when you go out and buy a goldfish that is stunted, you have them for a for a whole year in the proper size tank and they barely grow I don't feel that the 10 gal rule applies. I also don't believe that any fish should be in anything less than a 10 gal but nor do I think the 10 gallons a goldfish always applies.


I am not an amateur nor an expert but I am a good goldfish owner.

Huhh?? offended?? I wasn't offended at all. Where did u get the impression that I was offended? I wasn't offended nor did I try to offend anyone

I don't know the size of your 2 goldies so I stick to the 10-gal rule (which I think is very very lenient) and say that ur fully stocked. If u happen to own 2 very small (2-inch long or less) stunted goldfish that haven't grown in years then I would say the 10-gal tank is sufficient. But then again, ur looking to buy another goldfish to eat the algae, which is likely to be a baby goldfish (which is not stunted) which will grow and get cramped in the 10-gal in a matter of weeks with the 2 existing goldfish, forcing you to buy another bigger tank to accomodate the growing family.

I still think an apple snail is a good choice. Sure it poops alot, but the poop doesn't seem to foul the water as severely as goldfish poop does.

Sorry again if u think I was offended, which I totally wasnt and ur reply really surprised me.