A flip flop in an aquarium: what is it and how to get rid of it?

Vietnamese is a real problem that hobbyists often face. This alga, appearing in the water, fills the entire space in the shortest possible time, interfering with the normal life of aquatic plants. Getting rid of such an uninvited guest will not be easy.

First, let's look at definitions. Most novice aquarists believe that algae is any planting in an aquarium that is green or some similar color. However, this is not entirely true; only the lower groups of plants that are swimming or clinging to decorative and other surfaces are classified as algae. Visually, they resemble moss, threads, bundles or mucus. In total, over 30,000 species are distinguished.

Vietnamese is bunches, the size of the hairs in them does not exceed 2 cm... As a rule, they are located at the very tips of the leaf plates, as well as on the stems. In addition, it is fashionable to find algae on grottoes, artificial flora and decorative elements of the aquarium. Vietnamese refers to red algae, although it is rather brown, brown-gray and even black. The explanation is simple - there is a scarlet coloring pigment in her tissues, it is determined only empirically, reacting with alcohol, acetone or other solvent.

Despite the fact that it is impossible to call the Vietnamese a parasite, since it does not feed on plant juices, nevertheless, this algae causes great harm to the aquarium flora. The Vietnamese woman completely covers the surface of crops growing in water, thereby blocking their access to light, does not allow nutrients to pass through to tissues, and this inevitably leads to the death of plants.

A flip-flop is rapidly spreading along the inner surface of the tank, it becomes unsightly and ugly - in just a month, all the walls of the aquarium, decorative elements and pebbles are covered with a dark bloom, which is quite difficult to get rid of.

Reproduction in an aquarium of flip flops occurs for the following reasons:

• lack of oxygen;
• too strong current;
• overpopulation of the aquarium with fish and invertebrates;
• excessive purging.

First of all, the foliage of the slowest growing plants suffers from the red algae; in most cases, the attack of the red algae leads to their early death. She also prefers Anubias, Echinodorus and other similar plants with large leaves - usually they also cannot be saved, but the fate of the rest of the plantings can be fought for. It is noted that most of the affected reservoirs are illuminated by bulbs with a powerful glow of the yellow spectrum - such radiation creates an environment favorable for the appearance and spread of algae, and has the most unfavorable effect on the growth of higher vegetation.

Algae grows very quickly under the influence of the sun, therefore it is important to avoid direct UV exposure, otherwise, new outbreaks of flip flops will arise at great speed and all that remains for you is to say goodbye to the bushes entirely. As practice shows, newly launched artificial reservoirs most often encounter algae, since there is no formed nitrogen cycle in them.

In addition, beginners usually do not have enough basic experience in order to deal with an adversity, since getting rid of a flip-flop effectively requires a clear understanding of the situation and an instant response. In general, according to experts, the emergence of any type of algae is the most common process, but it is very important to take control of it, only in this case the planted plants will have sufficient strength to take food from the algae and cause their growth to stop.

The fight against flip flops begins with measures of mechanical impact on the affected areas - they need to be removed manually as much as possible... In addition, all stones and decorative elements affected by red algae should be removed from the aquarium, they should also be cleaned with a sponge, and then boiled in water for about half an hour. Usually, after such processing, the flip-flop is completely destroyed, and the jewelry can be used further.

Plants should also be removed from the container, all infected areas should be torn off, and then rinsed under running water. Please be aware that you need to remove not only leaves infected with Vietnamese, but also all old or rotten areas, since algae primarily infect weakened parts of plants - it is important not to give the parasite a chance to attack again.

In addition, it will not be superfluous to work with all the remaining elements of the aquarium environment: clean and siphon the sand, treat the thermometers with alcohol, boil all the driftwood, and simply throw away the items made of plastic.

The product is diluted with water and left in the resulting solution for 2-3 days... Usually, already on the first day, the Vietnamese begins to turn gray, and by the time the treatment is finished, it completely dissolves. Please be aware that this may change the color of the item, but there is simply no other way to completely clean porous surfaces.

On the forums of aquarists, the topic of the fight against Vietnamese often arises, the brothers unfortunately share with each other ways to destroy this algae, but, unfortunately, no one has yet found a panacea.

Compositions based on borax and boric acid have a short-term effect - the Vietnamese stops growing and it seems that it is about to disappear altogether, but as a result, it remains to live and reproduce, and some higher plants, for example, Cryptocorynes, lose their foliage. Moreover, under the influence of these drugs, fish lose their appetite and begin to scratch on the soil and plant stems.

Copper and silver coins, which have a disinfecting effect, are also powerless. The widely advertised drug Algumin also does not give a result - on the third day after its use, dark bushes begin to crumble, after a week they disappear altogether, but after 3-4 weeks they return again, and with renewed vigor - they grow faster and inhabit the surface of an artificial reservoir much more aggressively ...

Has a good effect hydrogen peroxide, but this is a powerful remedy, so many weakened plants simply do not withstand its effects and "give up" first. According to experienced aquarists, there is only one drug that really helps to cope with Vietnamese in the long term: "Sidex"... It is able to withstand red algae, but at the same time does not cause the slightest harm to the plants themselves.

During use it does not accumulate in the liquid, but upon oxidation it decomposes into water and carbon dioxide. And also the safety of "Sidex" for fish and other inhabitants of the aquarium fauna has been proven. To treat the tank from algae, use 15–20 ml of the composition per 100-liter reservoir.

Any therapeutic measures must be accompanied by adjustment of water parameters... An increase in hardness up to 8 units helps in the fight against Vietnamese - for this, potassium chloride is added to the container at the rate of 2 ml for each liter of liquid. In addition, it was found that Vietnamese does not tolerate acidity above 7.5 pH. To create the right environment, you need to use baking soda - 1 g per 5 liters of water. Keep in mind that such changes have a detrimental effect on the condition of the fish, therefore any changes in water properties should be carried out gradually.

As the saying goes, it is easier to prevent a disease than to cure it, and in the case of a Vietnamese woman, this truth is 100% right. If red algae begins to multiply in your aquarium, the struggle will be long and difficult, and it is unlikely that you will be able to save all the plants. There is no need to hope that it is really possible to get rid of it forever. Whatever you do, sooner or later it will reappear in your artificial reservoir. Therefore, special attention should be paid to prevention, which consists in the following:

• it is important to keep the number of inhabitants of the aquarium under control;
• you need to monitor the main parameters of the biocenosis, paying special attention to the balance of nutrients in water and soil;
• take the quality of the compressor and filtering devices seriously;
• from time to time, remove from the tank all the fish that like to bury themselves in the ground and siphon it;
• do not overfeed your fish - food leftovers, decomposing, form favorable conditions for the reproduction of red algae.

Any new plants that you plan to place in the aquarium should be carefully inspected - for this, plant them in a separate container with water and stir a little. If they are affected by flip flops, then you may be able to see small hairs on the leaves. If you do not trust the verification methods, you can carry out preventive treatment, for this, whiteness is diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 20 and the newly purchased bush is soaked for several minutes, after which the bush is washed and transplanted to a permanent place of residence.

Any methods of dealing with Vietnamese give only a short-term effect. The only effective way would be the formation of biological balance. As practice shows, creating a healthy microenvironment is not difficult at all - you just need to treat your pets conscientiously and responsibly.

For information on how to get rid of flip flops in an aquarium, see the next video.