Green algae in an aquarium: causes of appearance, methods of control and prevention

A modern aquarium is not only a habitat for fish, but also a thing that decorates the interior of a room. For this reason, absolutely all owners are trying to maintain its impeccable appearance. Nevertheless, even with careful maintenance, the walls of an artificial reservoir can become covered with a strange green coating. You should know what kind of plaque it is, why it appears, and how to remove it.

Sometimes the slightest change in the appearance of the aquarium makes the owner panic, especially if the prerequisites for such changes were not observed. Green bloom occurs gradually, and it comes from a special type of algae that is always in the aquarium. These algae are called protococcus and xenococcus. Most of the time of their existence, they are harmless, and the green plaque resulting from their vital activity is removed relatively easily by hand, or snails and bottom catfish eat it.

However, if the ecosystem in the reservoir is disturbed, algae begin to multiply rapidly, and this leads to a variety of problems. Protococcus forms green dust that settles on glass and also covers the water surface. In advanced cases, nothing can be seen through the glass, and the wiped plaque reappears after a few days.

As for xenococcus, they parasitize on plant leaves, appearing in the form of dots. It is extremely difficult to remove overgrown spots; you have to tear off whole leaves. If you ignore the xenococcus, it will "bring" new inhabitants.

Such organisms can already be considered dangerous, as they will affect the water quality and health of the fish or other inhabitants of the aquarium.

The appearance of green plaque is an issue that is still being studied today, so there are quite a few opinions here. We will highlight the most basic and most likely ones.

• Problems with fast growing plants. There are several options here: there are too few such plants, they do not exist at all, or they have slowed down growth. Because of this, the nutrients with which the aquarium is saturated cause algae to multiply.
• A large amount of phosphorus combined with a low nitrogen content. This becomes the reason for the rapid reproduction of protococcus, and the aquarium is literally overgrown with greenery.
• Incorrect tank placement... Experienced aquarists know that no aquarium can withstand constant sunlight, but beginners, on the contrary, mistakenly believe that fish need a lot of natural light. Direct sunlight will cause algae to appear in the aquarium.
• Violation of the temperature balance. Depending on the type of fish contained in the tank, a certain temperature must be set in it. If fluctuations occur in one direction or another, this provokes the reproduction of algae, as well as illness and poor health of the fish.
• Poor care... This refers to a rare cleaning. Even with modern cleaning systems, you always have to control the cleanliness level yourself. Fish may not finish eating food, it will fall to the bottom and rot. In addition, fish waste also sinks down and creates an excellent habitat for algae.
• Increased salt concentration. If you rarely change the water, do not defend it, or have recently treated your fish with salt treatment, this may very well be another reason why the aquarium is suddenly green.

To get rid of the greenery that spoils the appearance of the aquarium, experts suggest using one of the following methods.

This is the simplest and most natural method of dealing with an ailment at home, you only need to show a little patience.

This technique will be slightly different in low tech and high tech aquariums. If the aquarium is low-tech (without an additional carbon dioxide supply system), then you need:

• clean the tank well;
• make a water change (30%);
• do not add fertilizer or change water for 21 days.

If the aquarium is high-tech, the water is not changed, but fertilizers continue to be applied, as they are needed for the plants. However, their number should be reduced by 25%. After 3 weeks, the tank will need to be cleaned. They do it as follows:

• all inhabitants are temporarily moved to another container;
• they clean glass surfaces with a hard sponge, completely removing plaque;
• pour out the water;
• thoroughly clean the scenery, loosen the soil, then process it with a pump to remove all unnecessary particles;
• wash the aquarium outside;
• fill in new water, start up the aquarium and set up all systems;
• when the parameters of the water and temperatures return to normal, the fish are launched.

This method is suitable for those who need to return the proper form to the aquarium in a short time. One of the most popular remedies is streptomycin. To use it, you need to boil water, and then dilute the powder in a small amount (3 g of medicine per 1 liter of liquid). The resulting mixture is run into a filter. Streptomycin acts quite quickly, and after a couple of days the walls of the container will be completely cleaned. Pisces, as a rule, do not notice such interference.

Besides, At any pet store, consultants will always offer you several chemical options designed specifically to kill algae in aquariums. Judging by the reviews, the most acceptable solution would be drugs from Tetra, which can be both liquid and tableted. Use them in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions about once a month.

This method is partially used during a biological procedure, but some are adopting it as a single measure. As a complement, you can heed a few helpful tips:

• do not use sponges and scrapers that have already been used for cleaning: they contain bacteria, both useful and harmful;
• be sure to protect your hands with gloves;
• if plaque is difficult to wash off, try prying it off with a blade or remove it with an aquarium scraper;
• if the decorations cannot be washed, dilute a small amount of bleach in water, soak them in it for about 15 minutes, and then rinse with boiling water.

Green bloom is an unpleasant problem, but quite solvable and, most importantly, not leading to the death of the inhabitants. If you properly take care of underwater pets, reacting in a timely manner to any changes in the aquarium, then such an attack does not threaten at all. After getting rid of algae, many aquarists try to make sure that this problem never occurs again. And this is quite real, if you take into account some of the rules of prevention.

• Arrange the right lighting. Direct light provokes rapid cell division and algae begin to multiply. Get special phytolamps designed for aquariums. As for the length of daylight hours, the best solution would be 8 hours. You can adjust the bulbs so that they work a few hours in the morning and a few in the evening.
• Monitor temperature readings... They should be adjusted depending on the type of fish, but generally the average temperature does not exceed 24 °. At higher rates, the multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms begins.
• Control the phosphate content. If their number exceeds 0.8 mg / l, this is fraught with water bloom and the appearance of green plaque on the walls.
• Take proper care. It includes cleaning and washing the soil, removing debris accumulated at the bottom and uneaten feed, caring for filters and other systems.
• Calculate the amount of feed... This can be done experimentally, since each type of fish eats differently. If you see that a lot of food has been served and it has not been completely eaten, feed smaller next time, so the aquarium will be much cleaner.
• Don't forget to change the water. Basically, the liquid is changed by 25% every week. Moreover, it must be defended in advance for several days so that the chlorine disappears. Boiled water cannot be poured into the aquarium.
• Get a few "orderlies" in an artificial reservoir, who will eat algae and harmful microorganisms. You can advise the catfish of ancistrus, corridors, labeo. From snails, ampullia and neretina will help a lot.And you can also populate the tank with shrimp: cherry or amano.
• Plant some plants and take good care of them. The more plants you have in your aquarium, the less chance the algae will have.

Watch a video below for tips on how to deal with green algae in your aquarium.