On our daily fish keeping hobby, we always encounter a lot of discoloration on our aquarium water. Sometimes, we neglect to perform a simple water change and in time, our aquarium water become cloudy. Most of the time, it is because our water becomes dirty from our fish’s wastes , yet, more often than not, it is because of Algae.
Algae in your aquarium is a common issue and shouldn't lead
to quitting the hobby. It's a sign of a problem in the aquarium's biological
system, often due to mistakes in planning, equipment setup, or environmental
factors. Instead of directly fighting algae, it's crucial to find and address
the root cause.
Algae is not harmful to an aquarium but in most cases is considered unsightly and hobbyists want to control or eliminate it.
TYPES OF ALGAE
1. BROWN ALGAE (Diatoms)
Causes: low-level lighting in old, non-CO2 aquariums, or high levels of Ammonia in newly set-up tanks. It likes the presence of Ammonia and Silicates - the latter can originate from the sand, bad-quality gravel, stones not suitable for aquarium use, zeolite-based filter material and can also come from the tap-water. It has two common types: the first creates a slimy brown surface, the other comes as thin brown threads. It is not a "dangerous" algae type, it can be removed easily (by just wiping the aquarium glass) and it disappears easily. Algae eaters as Otocinclus Affinis will consume it and remove it quickly. In low-tech (non-CO2) aquariums you will need to increase light intensity (now the hours of illumination) - but please keep in mind that increasing the light will result in higher CO2-, and fertilizer need.
With new high-tech aquariums it will just disappear by itself
with time. Try to remove it physically and help the spread of nitrifying
bacteria. Appearance in older, properly lit aquariums will show bad water
quality and presence of Silicates.
2. GREEN SPOT ALGAE
Small, round spots on hard surfaces - most visible on the aquarium glass. It will also appear on slow-growing plants, typically the Anubias-types. It is the algae of healthy aquariums, you will probably see some of it in all aquariums.
It likes strong lighting and blooms when Phosphate and/or CO2 levels are low. It sticks strongly to different surfaces so algae eaters will not really remove it. The Zebra Nerite Snail and it's family will remove some of it - but not very efficiently. Use an Algae Scraper to remove it from the glass and replant the slow-growing plants that tolerate low lighting in shady areas. With medium-light aquariums you should pay attention to regular water changes and efficient filtration, with strong lighting check the efficiency of your fertilizing regime and CO2 injection. As it is mostly caused by Phosphate (PO4) deficiency, please start to add more phosphate to address the main cause.
3. GREEN DUST ALGAE (GDA)
Algae Scrapers are not a solution as the cells removed from the glass and floating in the water will stick to hard surfaces again after some time. Addressing the symptoms: You will need to let these algae grow without disturbance for 10-20 days! It will form a thick green layer that can be removed (sucked out) in big chunks, and if the root cause is addressed, it will not return later.
4. GREEN FUZZ ALGAE
All thread algae are indicating low- or fluctuating CO2 levels! Carbon-dioxide fluctuation can be caused by uneven CO2 levels (because of a pH computer for example) or a timer that was not set up correctly (CO2 levels will have to reach the desired level at the time when light - even natural light in your room - appears). The Fuzz Algae is a thread algae that grows thin threads of just a couple of millimeters on plant leaves. It indicates that the plants are suffering (leaves rotting locally) due to mainly nutrient deficiency (for example the local lack of CO2 that is not distributed in evenly by the flow in the whole aquarium). It can appear on old, and damaged leaves. Algae eaters and Amano Shrimp will eat it.
To address the cause, you will have to ensure the proper CO2 levels, and time you CO2 injection according to the lighting period (start 2-3 hours before-, and switch it off together with the lights). Please take the natural light in consideration too. CO2 need of plants can rise due to a cast of light at mornings for example - even if your lamp will switch on at noon.
5. GREEN BEARD ALGAE
All thread algae are indicating low- or fluctuating CO2 levels! Carbon-dioxide fluctuation can be caused by uneven CO2 levels (because of a pH computer for example) or a timer that was not set up correctly (CO2 levels will have to reach the desired level at the time when light - even natural light in your room - appears). The Green Beard Algae is presumably a more virulent form of Green Fuzz Algae. The fine longer threads will attach to plants and hardscape. It can grow a couple of centimeters and form a dense green coat on their surface. It can be very decorative at times. Algae eaters will like it very much.
It can be difficult to remove mechanically, as it attaches strongly to surfaces. the threads are slimy and weak. It is a typical algae of fish tanks without plants, but it does not necessarily indicate bad water quality. In planted tanks it is indicating that the lighting period is too long (reduce it to 8 hours) or CO2 levels are too low, or there is not enough Nitrate in the water.
6. BLACK BRUSH ALGAE (BBA)
Often called as Black Beard Algae - this is a very difficult type to get rid of! The small black, dark-grey or reddish hairballs will grow in clumps or patches of fine black tufts with a length of half a centimeter. It likes places with strong flow, it sticks to hardscape and submersed equipment (filter in- and outflows, internal filters, etc.) If you have hard water, the Calcium will get incorporated into the threads and algae eaters will not like it. The Siamese Algae eater and Amano shrimp will eat it, but they are not efficient. In a strongly lit aquarium in can be caused by the lack or uneven distribution of CO2, final solution will be to address that. With weak lighting it will help to let the water rest before water changes. Tap water (and fresh RO water) are rich in CO2 - this will favor these algae but slow-growing low-tech plants will not profit from it.
This is one of the most difficult algae to remove. It appears with no apparent cause even in older, very stable lush tanks. Most of the times the only solution is to remove the spots - one-by-one with heroic scrubbing, and that would not at all guarantee that it is not going to come back. Removal is helped immensely by this tool: ADA Pro picker. Using a liquid carbon additive (switch the filter off, apply locally with a syringe) will help kill this algae. It will turn red and whitish before disappearing.
7. BLANKET WEED
Some will blame the moss-ball for spreading the Cladophora infection. The truth is, that the moss-ball is indeed a type of Cladophora, but it is different from the one that causes the Blanket-Weed invasion. The moss-ball is slow-growing, so it can also be easily attacked by algae, that will thrive on the surface of the ball.
The Blanket Weed is a rough, branching algae that looks a like some kind of moss. It will stick hardly in a point and spread from there, so it can be isolated and removed from the middle of your plants. If it contaminates your moss, you will need to trim it down hard. Algae eaters will avoid it. Improving flow and CO2 will help, weaker lighting will push it back relative to the plants. This algae will not spread in air, so you can completely avoid it if you use only lab-grown plants in your aquarium.
If you have any additional information about aquarium Algae, please feel free to mention it on our Comment section. I'm pretty sure it will highly be appreciated by our readers.
Cheerio!
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