Elimination of encrusting algae can be accomplished by simply scouring the aquarium sides or cleansing the rocks occasionally. If you have plastic plants and a gravel bed which is entirely white, it will require more effort as you would need to bleach the gravel to eliminate the algae altogether. But if you use bleach which is very poisonous, you must meticulously wash out the gravel thereafter or else even tiny traces could have an adverse effect on the fish in the aquarium.

Extra light is the main reason for green algae. The first few things you should do to eliminate the algae is to reduce the light, change water fractionally and replace the artificial plants with live aquarium plants. Thereafter, an algae killing formula should make sure that the crisis has been eliminated, not to reappear for awhile. Only make sure you don’t overuse it!

What is even more important is to first eliminate the causes that brought about the algae in the first place. Using live aquatic plants is one of the most successful methods of keeping the algae away. Abundant growth of the aquarium plants will filter out the extra light thus keeping the algae under control. Besides, aquatic plants absorb a lot of nutrients from the water therefore leaving extremely little for the algae to feast on. You will be surprised to learn that the ideal plants to space ratio is about 50 to a square foot.

Green algae is supposed to be tasty and an excellent way of eliminating it is to introduce some algae eating fish like the Suckermouth Catfish, Siamese Algae Eater, Peckoltia, Ancistrus or Otocinlus. Is your aquarium lit continuously? Too much light can promote the growth of algae. By making sure your aquarium is lit for at most ten hours in a day, and removing whatever green algae you can get your hands on, you can restrict the growth of algae quite effectively.

You can control the growth of algae by changing the water time and again. In so doing, you will maintain the nutrient levels in the aquarium, which are vital in restricting the growth of algae. You must introduce suitable live aquatic plants that absorb high levels of the same nutrients needed by algae. This will result in the algae getting starved thereby reducing its chances of survival.

The suggestions mentioned here have to be carried out faithfully if you want to have an algae-free aquarium on a continuous basis.