Algae control in betta tank

My betta is in a 3g tank and sits in the living room corner near windows. The green algae is rampant in there. How can I control it without taking it apart and scrubbing every couple of days? The tank is too small for any little algae eating critters and the betta would probably eat them anyway. I think I have the light on too long and can definitely cut that back. Any other suggestions?

apple snail

I have had snails before but they never last more than a month in my tanks and I don't know why.

Nerite maybe?

Or Malaysian trumpet snails. Supposedly tough as nails.

Just an idea: You said near windows, can any sunlight shine directly on your tank sometimes during the day?
I have this problem in the early morning, the sunlight reaches the small side of the tank. I just covered the glas with a print (like those background posters you can buy) and it makes a big green algae difference in my tank. Still have some algae from my light but not as much.

What I always tell my customer's at PetSmart is this: Algae isn't necessarily a bad thing, in many cases it's a sign that your aquarium is healthy. However, excessive algae growth can occur from the following:

- More than 8-10 hours of light in a 24 hour period.
- High levels of ammonia, and phosphate in the water, which are both things algae feeds off of. The more ammonia in the water, the faster, and more rampant algae will grow, which is why water changes, and not over feeding your fish are important.
- Excessive direct sunlight can encourage algae growth.

As far as algae control, one of the simplest ways to get rid of it, is simply wiping it off with a washrag, or scraping it away with an old toothbrush.

Furthermore, you can add several aquatic snails to help control the algae. I'd recommend a mystery snail of any colour.

Bettas are snail eaters. It may take them a long time to get an angle, but any small snail is a target. They don't attack the shell, but look for the soft parts when the snail gets careless.
I have never seen a Malaysian snail infestation affect algae here.
It's the sunlight, and the tank location. Either you will have algae, with or without snails, or you'll have to move the tank. If you can't move the tank, what's going to matter is the type of algae. Not everything we use that name for is algae - there are bacteria for example, that look like algae. So what do you have in there? Defining what it is is important for fighting it.

Have you thought about putting black plastic on 1 or 2 sides, facing the windows? This will not only shield your tank from the light of the windows, but also make your betta's colours stand out more.

Add a plant (live or fake) which has the additional advantage, the betta can rest up high in the tank and your look is complete!

Here is the spot where the tank is. It gets light from both sides but not direct sunlight. I suppose I can still put black along the back and one side. I did have a plant in there at one point, but there is not much left of it.


And here is the algae. It is light long green hair waving in the current.



And here is Mr. Betta. I am guessing the algae does not bother him as much as it does me.

For the hair algae problem get a few large amano shrimp. To big for the betta to bother and they should do the trick.

Thanks everyone. I think I will cut back on the light, put some black backing on the tank and look into getting some amano shrimp.