I have two fish tanks and i try to keep them clean but it is becoming a time consuming job ( keeping me off AB lol) What i would like to know how do Aquatic shops keep so many tanks in pristine condition.
there are companies that will come out and do it for you....we are thinking of getting a contract (£8/week) as our tank is very deep and awkward to clean...not that i personally mind as it's the husbands job to clean it not mine...heheh
yes - both the prev answers are also right....we replace one tenth of the water per week and also have some algae eating fish...but no matter what you do a THOROUGH clean is needed every few months...
regular water changes keep the water visable and chemicaly clean. a good filter rated at 10x the turnover of your tanks volume will help also and can increase the time between watercahnges.
if you have alage, you need to specify which type so i can help with teh cause, the other answers are offering a quick fix but dont consider the cause of it. prevention is better than cure.
Algae doesn't grow in the dark and you don't need the lights on when nobody can see the tank. This might not be a cure but it might make it less or a chore.