How to Control Algae Blooms

It is necessary to distinguish between algae and aquatic plants (the differences are described in detail in the “Plants” section), the former are undesirable in an aquarium, while aquarists specially grow plants and decorate their man-made underwater world with them.

Algae blooms cause a lot of inconvenience:

•  water turns green, the process is often accompanied by a bad smell;
•  the concentration of oxygen in the water drops, leading to hypoxia in fish;
•  algae cover with a thick layer all interior items and aquarium glass.

Method No. 1. Daily water changes from one fifth to one third of the volume of the aquarium, the amount of water replaced depends on the degree of algae growth. If there is a smell, then you need to change at least a third. The reason for the rapid growth may lie in the large amount of fertilizer (excrement, uneaten food residues, etc.), so changing the water will reduce the concentration.

Method No. 2. One of the reasons for the growth of algae is uneaten food leftovers. Do not overfeed the fish (this is harmful to their health), the nutritional rate is the amount of food that is eaten within three minutes.

Method No. 3. If there are no plants in the aquarium or only mosses are present, then you can reduce the aquarium light level and daylight hours. The light level is changed by installing a weaker lamp.

Method No. 4. If the above methods did not help and the water remains green, it is necessary to exclude light from entering the aquarium. Wrap the aquarium with thick dark paper or cloth and leave it in this state for several days (3-4 days), after removing the plants from there into a separate container. For fish, darkness is not critical, and algae die.

Method No. 5. The use of special chemicals, however, is a last resort, since the risks greatly outweigh the effect of their use, even if you get the latest products, they leave by-products anyway.