Blue-green algae in the aquarium: how to fight? Elimination of the cause of the appearance, tips and tricks

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Blue-green algae is a scourge for many aquarists. Appearing as if from nowhere, they flood the aquarium, causing a lot of problems for its inhabitants, as well as causing serious damage to aesthetics. Therefore, it will be useful for every fish lover to know how to deal with blue-green algae in an aquarium. But first you need to figure out what it is and where it comes from.

What is this?

Another name for them is cyanobacteria. And they are tiny, single-celled organisms capable of photosynthesis to release oxygen. In fact, they are the real algae. And the hornwort, elodea, pistia and other greens in the aquarium are officially called aquatic plants. Therefore, it is safe to say that bacteria and blue-green algae are one and the same.

What they look like

Before you figure out how to get rid of uninvited guests, you need to decide what they look like. Still, you need to know the enemy in person. In such a case, to the article photo of blue-green algae in an aquariumattached.

Despite the fact that these are single-celled organisms (essentially bacteria), they are easy to spot. After all, they do not stay alone, but in large colonies. Once in the aquarium, they multiply quite quickly, covering all surfaces (walls, large stones, decorations, leaves of aquatic plants) with a characteristic film. It is slippery to the touch and has a rather characteristic color (the palette is rich, ranging from greenish yellow to black with a purple tint), so it is quite difficult not to notice it.

Removing a thick layer is quite easy, but in the process it collapses into rags and settles to the bottom. And a small piece is enough for the colony to continue to live, capturing new territories of the aquarium. Therefore, ordinary mechanical cleaning will not achieve results.

Also, a colony of bacteria has a characteristic smell. It is especially pronounced if you remove a layer of algae from the water. Hardly anyone will like this "aroma". Therefore, learning how to deal with blue-green algae in an aquarium is worth every aquarist, both experienced and novice.

Where do they come from

When talking about blue-green algae in an aquarium, the reasons for the appearance should be mentioned.

In tap water, this bacterium is practically not found due to treatment at water intake stations with chlorine or ultraviolet light. Therefore, the risk of bringing it in when replacing water is close to zero. Of course, when using a centralized water supply.

Most often algae are brought along withsnails, decorations, stones taken from the natural environment, or aquatic plants. Not surprisingly, this usually applies to beginner aquarists who are not yet used to such a necessary thing as quarantine. Yes, a tiny piece of a few millimeters is enough for a green carpet of slime to cover all surfaces in the aquarium in a week or two.

Harmful

Of course, the most obvious harm that the appearance of blue-green algae brings is the deterioration of the aesthetic component. Few people like an aquarium in which the soil, glass and plant leaves are covered with a thick layer of green slime.

In addition, the oxygen balance is disturbed. Yes, during the day, algae start the process of photosynthesis, enriching the water with oxygen. But at night, in the absence of light, they, on the contrary, actively absorb oxygen. As a result, fish, especially large and active ones, begin to suffer seriously from the inability to fully breathe. In the most advanced cases, this may well lead to death.

Therefore, the fight against blue-green algae in the aquarium is very important. The sooner you start it, the easier it will be to win.

Fight algae with shading

Of course, the easiest way to kill harmful algae is shading. However, it requires some effort on the part of the owner. Any representatives of the flora that live by photosynthesis need sunlight or its replacement. In its absence, the processes do not go, and they die. This happens especially quickly with unicellular organisms that do not have a reservenutrients for survival. Therefore, the first way to fight suggests itself - you need to shade the aquarium.

Of course, you first need to catch all the inhabitants - fish, shrimp and others. Even if they survive the shading, it will definitely not benefit them. The only exception is snails. They can easily endure a night lasting several days. In addition, their shells may also have fragments of algae that need to be disposed of. The rest we move to an aquarium with clean, settled water.

Aquatic plants also do not need to be pulled out. Yes, they need light just like algae. But a few days of shading will do less harm to them than transplanting to a new place.

When all preparations are completed, just shade the aquarium. It is advisable to use a black, dense fabric for this, which will not transmit light at all. The main thing is that even diffused light does not penetrate there - otherwise it will not work to achieve the desired result.

After three or four days, you can remove the shading. Dead algae will lie in layers at the bottom. They must be carefully removed, trying not to leave the slightest piece. However, dead algae will no longer cause much harm - they obviously will not be able to reproduce. Part of the water (about one third) is changed to fresh, after which the fish and other inhabitants of the aquarium return home.

Use the antibiotic "Erythromycin"

The method described above is safe and convenient, but it takes quite a lot of time and effort. Not everyone hasopportunity to use it. Therefore, many people have the question of how to deal with blue-green algae in an aquarium without spending so much time.

Yes, there is such a way. But you will have to use antibiotics, which are not always easy to obtain. A good choice would be "Erythromycin". It is quite inexpensive and is sold in most pharmacies. It is advisable to give preference not to tablets, but to capsules, which are much more convenient to work with.

For the complete destruction of algae, you need to bring the concentration of the drug in water to 3-5 milligrams per liter. It is easy to calculate the required proportion, knowing the weight of one capsule (indicated on the package) and the volume of the aquarium. More concentration should not be increased - you can cause serious harm to fish and snails. But you shouldn’t save too much of the drug, otherwise you won’t be able to get rid of algae.

The effect is observed in a day. Yes, after 24 hours, all single-celled blue-green algae will die off. Most of them can be easily removed with a hose, at the same time replacing about a third of the volume of water with fresh water. Minor leftovers will not cause much problems - they will either rot, creating a breeding ground for aquatic plants, or become food for snails and fish.

Using hydrogen peroxide

Unfortunately, buying antibiotics is far from always and everywhere. In this case, you can use another drug that is freely sold in any pharmacy. We are talking about simple hydrogen peroxide. When using it, the treatment process takes moretime, but the result is also just fine.

There is no need to transplant fish and snails, because hydrogen peroxide will not harm them. The main thing is to correctly calculate the appropriate ratio of water and the drug. To achieve the desired result, it is enough to spend 25 milligrams of hydrogen peroxide on a 100-liter aquarium. It is added daily for three days.

Most often, by the end of the third day, the algae die off and their remains are easy to remove. At the same time, do a water change - about 20-30 percent of the total volume of the aquarium.

Cleaning a small aquarium

Above we have described several ways to deal with blue-green algae in the aquarium. But usually they are resorted to if you need to clean a large container - 100 liters or larger. But owners of small aquariums can solve the problem differently. It will take relatively little time and effort.

It is enough to catch the fish and shellfish and move them to a suitable container, then thoroughly rinse all aquatic plants with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, after mechanically removing the film from the algae. After that, you can send them to the fish.

The aquarium itself needs to be cleaned of bacteria. To do this, the water is completely drained, the soil is boiled for several minutes, and the glass is thoroughly wiped with a soft cloth from the inside. Don't forget about the compressor tube and filter - they can also have algae on them. The method requires relatively little time and effort, while allowingsolve the problem completely. But, for obvious reasons, it is not suitable for large aquariums.

Proper aquarium restoration

After the fight is over, bacteria and blue-green algae are completely destroyed, you need to restore the aquarium. This must be done with skill.

First of all, you need to fill the soil. If he was removed - everything is simple here. It is laid out in an even layer with a slight slope so that the waste products of the fish accumulate in one corner. After that, aquatic plants return. They are rooted in the right order, and then left for a day so that they acclimatize. At the same time, during this time, you can make sure that there are no algae left on them.

After this time, shells, stones, sunken ships and other decorative elements can be returned. Then again you need to wait a day.

The final stage is the return of the inhabitants of the aquarium to their usual habitat - fish, shellfish and others.

Prevention measures

It is quite clear that preventing a problem from occurring is much easier than dealing with it later. That is why we will tell you what can cause the development of algae in the aquarium.

First of all, the cause is excessive illumination. After all, unicellular organisms reproduce especially well with sufficient lighting. Because of this, experts recommend not placing an aquarium on a windowsill or near windows. If there is simply no other place, then it makes sense to shade one wall of the aquarium or plant cultivated plants here.(hornwort or elodea) with a solid wall to prevent the sun's rays from illuminating the entire aquarium.

Another reason for the development of blue-green algae is the temperature of the water. The higher it is, the faster unicellular organisms will develop. Keep an eye on the thermometer and keep the aquarium away from the battery.

Finally, algae begin to grow actively if the aquarium has a large amount of nutrients, i.e. fish feces and food debris. If you clean regularly, at least once a day after the evening feeding, then the risk of algae in large numbers is drastically reduced. And the well-being of the inhabitants of the aquarium is improving. So order comes first.

Conclusion

This concludes our article. Now you know what can cause blue-green algae to grow in an aquarium, what are the preventive measures and how to deal with it. So, if necessary, you can easily solve the problem.