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Brown seaweed in the aquarium: how to fight? How to take care of an aquarium at home?

If you decide to have an aquarium at home, or if you already have one, you know that a lot of problems can arise with it if it's not properly maintained. Our article is devoted to the care of the "small house", you can learn about all the nuances of its content in a clean environment, so that the inhabitants feel most comfortable, and you admired the underwater world without inconvenience. The main theme of this publication is brown algae in an aquarium. How to deal with this pest - read further in the content. Also you will learn how often it is necessary to change the water, what kind of cleaner to start for the neighborhood with the fish, what should be the optimal water temperature and illumination. Following our instructions, you will not have additional cares to take care of your home underwater kingdom.

What is brown seaweed?

If you quickly become turbid in the water in the aquarium, and you have to change it too often, rest assured, the malignant brown alga has settled in it. Of course, we decorate aquariums with decorative algae, but diatom (brown) algae look absolutely not aesthetic. In addition to the fact that they spoil the appearance of the "pond", they also cause discomfort to its inhabitants. This creation is a single-celled organism that multiplies rapidly. They have a silicon shell, and many are able to move! The importance of brown algae in natural marine ecosystems is great, as they form a solid part of plankton and form almost a quarter of the organic matter of our planet.

In artificial water reservoirs, including aquariums, this alga is an undesirable guest. It forms a slimy coating, especially in darkened corners, near the bottom and in places with an incorrect focus of light.

By the way, saying "brown", we mean their color, and not systematic, because the Brown alga is a separate department of highly developed marine organisms, which has large thallus bodies.

Most often brown algae are formed in a new aquarium where the ecosystem is not yet established. In long-acting, they are planted due to poor and incorrect lighting, but there are a number of other reasons, which we will discuss in the future.

Brown algae in the aquarium: the causes of the appearance

In the new aquarium, which was established less than three months ago, diatoms appear due to an unsettled nitrogen cycle, where ornamental plants have not yet taken root. During this period, the overgrowth of water by organic seaweed will become an activator of brown algae, this is an inevitable process of decay, which plants and microorganisms have not yet learned to absorb. In addition, freshly-water has a slightly alkaline or neutral pH, and under these conditions many compounds for most plants are simply not available. Assume, at a pH of less than 7, most of the ammonia contained will be in the form of NH4 + (ammonium ions), which can be used by plants living in the aquarium. If the pH is more than 7, ammonia will remain ammonia and will form the basis of algae nutrition.

The most common mistake many beginning aquarists - too long light day. When starting a new aquarium, you can not immediately turn on the lamp for all twelve hours. A good remedy for brown algae in the aquarium is antibacterial dusting.

If you dream of beautiful ornamental plants in an aquarium, do not rush to add fertilizers to water for their growth and health. In the first two months, no feeding, except potassium, can not be launched into the water, this can contribute to the appearance of brown algae.

If this pest appeared in a long-neglected aquarium, the cause may be a pump for the aquarium. It can work poorly due to the accumulation of organic matter, which is reproduced by overfed fish. Also, the cause of blockage can be excessive fertilizer addition, irregular water replacement and cleaning. Do not forget to monitor the condition of the filter and pump for the aquarium.

The cause of the appearance of diatoms in your aquarium may be the lamps that have served their life. Just do not change everything at once, but with an interval a month, so that all the inhabitants have managed to adapt to lighting properly.

The water temperature in the aquarium also plays a huge role. The brown seaweed adores settling in places of cool. If the water temperature in the aquarium is below 22 degrees, then you run the risk of getting this unpretentious and very harmful plant.

If the fish were treated in a common aquarium, this too can cause a brown coating. Preparations, in the composition there are such toxic components as copper or iodine, can disrupt the microflora, cause serious damage to it. In that case, diatoms will survive until the ecosystem is completely restored. Exactly the same result can give the use of salt.

Brown plaque in the aquarium may appear after the change of owner or serviceman. For example, the previous owner forgot to change water, lamps, make necessary fertilizers, and his aquarium was transparent, like a tear. And then a new owner appears. He begins to repair something, change, create coziness, and immediately forms a brown turbidity of the water. How to deal with it - read on.

Symptoms of Diatoms

The characteristic features of the appearance in your aquarium of brown algae is a brownish dusty plaque. It appears on rocks, driftwood, glass, leaves of plants. Initially, it is almost invisible, but it becomes darker every day.

In the first stages of the lesion, the plaque is easily removed from the glass, it can be shaken from plants. If you hold your finger over the surface on which the brown seaweed has settled, a cloud of dust will rise.

In advanced cases, it is very difficult to get rid of diatoms. The plaque becomes almost black, multilayered. The top layer will still be dusted, and the lower ones are practically not removed. The plants look like they were sprinkled with earth, visibility in the aquarium becomes bad because of the plaque on the panes.

Danger to the aquarium

Brown algae does not affect the health and behavior of fish in any way, but they are dangerous for aquarium plants. They, growing on the leaves, interfere with the normal photosynthesis. If you do not take measures to get rid of the pest, then the plants will soon die.

Diatomaceous algae multiplies very quickly, it affects every newly appeared leaf. It also becomes an ideal substrate for the growth and development of more complex algae removal, contributing to the appearance of a black beard.

If you notice the first symptoms of the appearance of a brown alga in the aquarium, then immediately take measures to eliminate it. You can not allow it to expand. The seaweed itself will not leave the chosen place, so do not hope that it will not become over time. In just a week diatoms can completely affect the aquarium, inhibiting the environment in it. Disposal of this actively developing and expanding creature will take at least three weeks. How to deal with brown algae in an aquarium?

New Aquarium

If the attack of plants and glasses occurred during the start-up phase, then the brown alga in the aquarium will be quite removed. How to deal with it? Just stick to the basic rules. Increase the water temperature by a couple of degrees, this will slow down the growth of diatoms. Once a week, make a water change of 30%. In doing so, do not forget to clean off the scurf from plants, stones and glasses. Soon, decorative algae will begin to actively grow and displace the brown algae.

To scrape off the brown plaque, use a toothbrush, the leaves must be rinsed under running water. Do these operations until there is no trace left of the diatoms.

Stabilized aquarium

If you have an aquarium for a long time and there was an outbreak of growth of brown algae, then you have to try a little to get rid of it. Start with a stable water substitution of up to 30% twice a week. It is necessary to carefully clean the plaque. A sponge, a brush or a scraper will help if several layers have appeared.

Check the filter and pump for the aquarium. Probably, the water intake was hammered or the filter could be airborne, and the speed, quality of filtration decreased, which contributed to the appearance of brown algae. If necessary, clean, rinse under running water.

Daylight hours

Promoting the propagation of brown algae can be sunlight. If your aquarium is located in a well-lit place, then for a couple of days, take it to a darker one, so that the light day does not exceed six hours. In the future, for two weeks, slowly add time, so that by the end of the period the light penetrates the water for ten hours.

If the lamps installed for lighting are more than a year, then they will have to be replaced. As we already wrote, do not change them all at once. One, within a month, make a replacement. To sustain such terms is very important, that plants could adapt to new, more bright illumination.

Organic substances

To get rid of brown algae and prevent its appearance, you must properly feed the fish. The feed should be so much that the underwater inhabitants can eat it in two minutes. If the food stays after the given time, it is surplus. Do not worry that your fish will remain hungry if you reduce feed intake. They are able to eat too much, such is their nature. The amount of food consumed depends on the amount of organic matter in the water, and the more of them, the higher the probability of the appearance of diatoms. If they are already wound up, it is more likely to get rid of the reduced amount of fish food.

Thick vegetation

If diatoms have appeared in your aquarium, then plant a few bushes of ornamental plants. They will consume more microorganisms, minerals, and there will be nothing left for the kelp. Over time, with stable water changes, they will simply disappear.

Who eats brown seaweed in the aquarium?

Diatoms are a favorite delicacy of catfish-ototsinklyusov. A dozen such fish are able to maintain a constant cleanliness in the aquarium by 200 liters. With such inhabitants you will not have problems with the appearance and reproduction of brown algae. Bring snails of theodotuses, mollusks, plectostomus, girinochleus or Siamese algae. These inhabitants will help you in the fight against annoying diatoms and diversify the fauna of the aquarium.

Emergency Measures

If no method helps, and the brown seaweed continues to multiply in the aquarium, how to deal with it, the pet store consultant will tell. He will pick up the optimal chemical preparations to eliminate the pest from your underwater kingdom. Do not buy any money without professional advice, since you can only exacerbate the problem, adversely affecting other, useful vegetation. Chemicals should be such as to oppress brown algae and promote the growth and development of ornamental plants. You can try to put in water a prophylactic dose of algaecides, which are aimed at plant growth.

If the brown alga struck a lot of plants, attacked the bottom of the aquarium, do not do without an antibiotic. Erythromycin is the most optimal option. For the period of struggle with diatom antibiotics, move the fish to another aquarium, so that they are not accidentally injured. Leave only catfish and snails, they will help to overcome the pest much faster.

The period of activity of diatoms

The most dangerous time for the appearance of a brown alga in an aquarium is winter. Light day in this period is too short, and insufficient lighting - the threat of the appearance of diatoms. It is necessary to create good artificial lighting to prevent the appearance and reproduction of brown plaque.

How often to clean the aquarium in the winter? It is necessary to perform this action at least once a week. Do not change all the water, this will have a detrimental effect on the microflora of the aquarium, which will cause diseases of fish and ornamental plants. Change from 20 to 30 percent of the water, be sure to clean all the scenery and glass of the aquarium from dirt and organic substances.

If the brown algae appeared in the winter, in the spring it should completely disappear, once the light day resumes. In this interval, clean the aquarium up to twice a week, use a scraper to remove any deposits from the glass.

Water for aquariums

We examined the characteristics of brown algae and the main methods of combating them. We offer you to familiarize yourself with the basic rules of care for a home underwater kingdom. To scaly pets lived in comfortable conditions, did not get sick, lived as long as possible, it is necessary to know how to take care of the aquarium at home. If you are an aquarist - a beginner, then this publication is useful to you.

The first thing everyone should know is that the water in the aquarium can not be poured from the tap, or immediately bringing it from the pond. In order for the inhabitants of your underwater world to feel good, the water must be settled for at least three days. There are species of fish for which water that is stationary for a day is unacceptable, as many do. It is considered too fresh, saturated with oxygen. In such an environment, fish can become sick, after which they will be restored for a long time.

If you do not have enough time to uphold the water, you can bring it to normal more quickly and easily. Take the necessary amount, place in a metal container, heat on fire to seventy degrees. It is important not to miss the moment and not to allow boiling! After reheating, allow it to cool to room temperature and start replacing.

We throughout the article wrote that you need to change 30% of the water. This is the optimal weekly substitution, but there are fish that do not tolerate such substitution, it is acceptable for them to replace only a fifth of the volume. But if there is a brown seaweed, they will have to suffer, and you will get rid of the pest according to the scheme recommended by us.

Turbidity of water

If you carefully monitor the cleanliness of the aquarium, change the water stably, and the turbidity does appear, do not worry right away. Such an effect on water can be provided by the food left after the fish meal. For a while, stop giving the fish this kind of food, go to the other and do not pour it a lot.

Spend a general cleaning in the aquarium with cleaning all the scenery and glasses. If the water still continues to grow turbid, it gives off an unpleasant smell, move the fish to another tank, and put the daphnia in the aquarium, it will clean everything perfectly.

The turbidity of the water can be caused by the aquarium itself, which has outlived its own. If the tank is too old, you will need to replace it.

Adapting a new aquarium

Having bought a new house for fish, do not rush to populate it. It is necessary to adapt it within a week. Pour water into it, change it in a day. In this way, you can remove all harmful substances from plastic and glass, which can adversely affect the health of fish.

Replacing the water twice, you can fill the bottom with soil and plant decorative plants in it. During the week, observe the behavior of the soil: if it starts to cake, change, since all microflora can be disturbed. Most often this is the cause of the death of plants and fish, which lived happily in another, an old aquarium.

Fish population

The content of domestic aquariums seems simple, but in fact this is far from the case. When planted decorative plants have taken root, you can start fish, and this is also done according to the rules. It is necessary to select those species that are able to get along together, live in the same environment. If this is not done, only the most adapted species can survive, while others will be oppressed. In the end they will die.

If you have purchased new fish and they are suitable for living together with the existing ones, then do not rush to determine them in the aquarium. It is necessary to wait from a month to three, to make quarantine. It's not even that pets can not be friends, but that newcomers can be sick and infect other fish. They may also have microorganisms that are not adapted to life in your aquarium environment.

Conclusion

Home aquariums, of course, are very beautiful. Looking at the measured life of fish, you can calm down, relax. Knowing how to properly care for the aquarium and its inhabitants, you can achieve the maximum life of everyone. From this article you could learn about how to deal with brown algae in an aquarium, and this is the most common problem for many aquarists. Following our advice, you can keep your pond in perfect cleanliness.

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