In maintaining your coral reef, you will find it impossible to avoid algae from growing in various places. One thing to think about with algae, is that a little bit of it never hurt the coral reef. In fact, some coral fish feed off of the algae growing in the tank, so that helps to control algae without any work from you. If you keep the levels of algae maintained in the coral reef, your tank is sure to thrive and will continue to survive in its own circle of life. If algae begins to take control of the tank, you might have to change different conditions in order to minimize the level of algae in the coral reef.
One of the first things to look at is the lighting in your coral reef aquarium. If you have light for more than ten hours a day, you are actually helping the algae grow, so don't keep the lights on for more than ten hours. The lights also make the water temperature rise, which helps algae grow as well. By only keeping the tank lit for a certain amount of time, you are helping the water temperature stay under control. Another consideration to keep in mind in terms of water is its cleanliness. Coral reef creatures give off a lot of calcium, which can build up and give resources for algae growth. Consistently changing your water will keep it fresh and clean, which is crucial.
You can purchase algae eating fish if that would fit with the rest of the coral reef. Some coral fish that consume algae are three breeds of Suckermouth Catfish: the Ancistrus, Peckoltia, and Otocinlus. If you have a large tank, you will need to take more time and care to control the level of algae. There are ways to control the level of growth of algae in addition to controlling it with a food source for different fish.
