Tom, thankyou very much for the reply I was desperately waiting for it. I have thoroughly cleaned the tank, scrubbed everything that I could. Have been changing 50% water every other day. The tank is looking much better than before. I have also ordered Excel. You got the problem right. I guess too much lighting and overdosing with fertilizer caused the algal bloom. I'll keep the things in check from now on. I am planning to move from my experimental 10 gallon to a 30 gallon tank. I hope a larger tank will be a better option.

My only concern is several conferences I have to attend in coming weeks and i'll be away for 5-7 days during each visit.