Algee in tanks

Question
Hi Tom
I have a tank with Molly's and Guppys I am loosing the Mollys they just disappear, there are there when I go to work however when I go to feed them of a night  no where to be seen no bits of body anywhere.
Also have a problem with algae and was sold a bottle of   No More Algae made buy Jungle (I now live in Canada so don't know if it's sold back home) its liquid and you pour it in the tank however it does not seem do do anything are there any fish I can put in the tank to help get rid of it, some one suggested snails  
Any help would be great
Jan

Answer
Hi Jan,

There's a far more natural remedy to this than the one you were sold in your local fish store. All you need is a small, compact plec. I would recommend a bristlenose plec. They reach around 4" at adulthood and will go through algae in no time at all.

Snails aren't really algae eaters although some people will have you believe it. They reproduce rapidly and quickly become a problem. They also have a tendency to reappear even if you think you've removed every last one.

I'm not sure about your mollies, that has stumped me completely. They may well be stuck behind the filter or even in the filter. It's hard to say unless there is alien activity around your area!

To prevent algae growth you'll need to limit the time the light is on in the Aquarium. Also keep it out of the way of direct sunlight. Depending on where you live there may well be phosphate in your water. Inner city water firms use it to protect the pipes, in rural areas it comes from the leaching of fertilisers etc.

Test your nitrate and make sure it is close to 0. Also test the Phosphate (it should be 0.0). You can get these tested at your local fish store.

If the algae keeps reappearing you may want to part with some cash and equip the tank with a UV steriliser.

any probs, let me know

Tom