by Aquariumpros.com staff
Reprinted with permission
http://www.aquariumpros.com/company
Aquarticles

Algae (Plural: Algae / Singular: Algae or Alga) is the bane of every aquarium owner. Algae grows in every healthy aquarium, no matter how well, or how often the tank is cleaned. There is absolutely no safe way to completely prevent or stop the growth of algae. Once it starts to grow in an aquarium, it does so very rapidly. A small patch of algae can triple in size in a few days. When one of our clients calls and informs us that their aquarium is "dirty", we know they’re referring to algae growth on the tank, or on the gravel or decorations.

You Are What You Eat

Nutrition is obviously vital to your fishes health. It is as important as water quality for promoting healthy fish, and yet nutrition is one of the most overlooked aspects of aquatic husbandry. The first step toward good nutrition is to find out whether your fish are herbivorous, carnivorous, or omnivorous. Just like other animals, fish have evolved to eat certain types of foods. Some have sharp conical teeth specialized to capturing fish, while others have down-turned mouths perfect for grazing on algae. Still others are able to eat both fish an plants. Carnivores eat almost exclusively fish, herbivores are specialized for eating plants, and omnivores need some mix of plant matter and meaty foods. The table below lists the feeding preferences of some common freshwater aquarium fish. Most flake foods contain both plant and animal matter, but while they will keep most tropical fish alive, they are not the ideal staple for most (or any) species.