algae problems

Question
Hello.

I have a 29 gallon aquarium.  I was wondering what is the best way to get rid of algae.  I know algae-eating fish do a good job, but they seem to always be the first fish to catch a disease.  I have also heard about algae scrapers, but I'm not sure if they actually get rid of algae or if they just take the algae off the glass and it falls somewhere else in the tank.  What do you think is the best way to get rid of algae?

Thanks a bunch.

Quin

Answer
It depends on the type of algae.  
 If it is the green kind on your glass, then the magnet cleaners or razor blades work great.  The algae that falls into your tank is taken into your filter.  
 If it is  Blue/Green carpet algae, it is best removed by hand.  If it is thread or hair algae, then an algae eater and better water conditions help.  
 If it is brown algae, you need to keep the water cleaner and use a silicate remover in your filter.  
 If you have green water algae, then the algae can't be manually removed except by a diatom filter and you have to control the nutrient levels in your tank.  I hope this helps.