# Algae growth on sand



## rolf35 (May 11, 2010)

Lately there has been a big boom of algal growth on the sand substrate of my tank, is there a quick remedy for this problem?


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## MoneyMitch (Aug 3, 2009)

based on the mimited amount of info, try takeing it out by hand which will be most effective and work the fastest. Then do w/c and monitor your nitrate lvls when they get high do a w/c 40ppmish and keep lights on a limited schedule and cut feeding back a bit to maybe 3x a week


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## eileen (Feb 24, 2009)

I have sand in all my tanks. I have pool filter sand that has a courser grain. I get algae on it but I just put my hands inside the tank and rub it between my hands in sections and it comes clean. You might want to limit your lights to 7 hrs aday. I bought my timers at Home Depot. I have all my lights on a timer from 1pm-8pm. Using algae medication can be harmful to some fish, live plants and inverts in the tank. You might want to limit your feeding as to much food in the tank will cause algae bloom. Once a day and skip a day is good also. Do 20-25% water changes once a week to keep Nitrates,Nitrites, Ammonia down also. If your tanks are overstocked with fish that could also cause algae bloom but also new tank set ups will get algae bloom til the bio kicks in to cycle your tank.Live plants are also good for tanks as some will keep Nitrates down like Hornwort.


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