Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Is Algae The Freshwater Aquariums Enemy

There are various kinds of organisms in all
bodies of water. One type of aquatic life that
adapts well into almost all water habitats are
algae. If unchecked the aquarium will become like
a sewer system of toxic water and your fish will
surely die. You can prevent this by knowing what
you are seeing when there is a problem, and
knowing exactly what to do about it. Your fish
will seem more iritable when the problem starts
but prevention is the best way to deal with this.
You help prevent algae grownth in your tank to
start, with a fresh water change every week. Here
is a little more information on algae including
different types to look out for.

Some algae species are edible like many of the
seaweeds and they are sources of food in many
parts of the world. There are hundreds of edible
species and they are found to contain vitamins
and minerals. They are also being processed as
fertilizers and livestock feed. Algaculture is
the study of farming algae for intentional
purposes, which is a kind of aguaculture. In
freshwater aquariums, there are quite a number of
algae and they survive through the nutrients in
the water. In some cases freshwater aquarium
algae serve as food for aquarium inhabitants like
shrimps and snails but if their growth is not
controlled, they could be a threat to other
aquatic life.

Commonly found in new aquarium setups are the
brown algae. They also flourish in low-light
aquariums where phosphate level is high while the
nitrogen is low. They are a slimy and soft algae
that are found in the aquarium glass, in the
substrate, and even in decorations. It has been
observed that brown algae go away in the presence
of strong lights but may still remain in shadowy
areas of the tank. In contrast, the green spot
algae thrive in aquariums with strong light. They
appear as green spots on aquarium plants and the
tank glass. This type of freshwater aquarium
algae is hard and appears if phosphate and carbon
dioxide levels are low.

The hair algae and thread algae appear as strings
in the water. They grow in aquarium tanks if
there are excess amounts of iron. They can easily
be removed by twirling a toothbrush around them.
Thread algae grows on leaves of plants and
normally found on leaf edges and can reach
lengths of 30 cm. Hair algae grow at the base of
plants and on the substrate. They have green-gray
color and grow to about 4 cm. Most aquarists
welcome hair algae because fish like Angels and
Barbs consume them as supplements to their food.
Freshwater aquarium shrimps like the caridina
japonica consume the algae in the likes of the
thread algae.

A kind of algae that enhance the look of a tank
is the beard algae. Algea of this kind creates a
carpet appearence of algea across the decor and
plants in your aquarium like a carpet. Closer to
light sources, they are created. They are soft
and slippery and rapidly grow to a maximum of 3
cm. Beard algae need a stable constant light
source and an lack of nutrient balance in your
aquarium to get the perfect conditions they like.
They are common in aquariums without plants and
can be very difficult to remove manually. By
putting fish in your tank that eat algea, you are
instantly reducing the effect that algea can have
on your tank which is a popular methed of
control. Fish like the Rosy barbs, Siamese algae
eaters, and Plecos would be a great help in
reducing them. Before introducing them to the
existing species in tank, make sure that they are
compatible tank mates for the inhabitants
presently in your tank. If they can not adapt to
the present aquarium setup, they have little use
in controlling the beard algae.

Freshwater aquarium algae in tiny patches add
color and life to the aquatic ecosystem. Aside
from serving as food for some aquatic life, they
provide a sort of hiding place for fish fry. They
are also good indicator that there is an
imbalance in the system. They can show that there
may be an excess of nutrients in the water.
Excess nutrients may indicate that there is an
overfeeding of fish and that an unhealthy plant
is excreting some nutrients. They may also
indicate that there a spike in certain substances
that can cause harm to the fish and plants.

The growth of freshwater aquarium algae depends
on the existing conditions inside the tank. There
are three necessities that enable algae to thrive
in an enclosed aquatic ecosystem. These
necessities are water, light, and nutrients that
are basic in all aquariums. Controlling these
sources of life for algae is the major step in
preventing them to grow and cause some damage.
Light can be controlled by placing the aquarium
far from the sunlight and artificial light must
not be used more than eight hours per day. The
light must also not be too bright and an
automatic switch with a timer should be installed.

Aquarium fish eating habits are different in
every species. With algea, you want to try not to
feed themm at all in your tank as they grow
rapidly and preventing the start is the best
strategy. If fish have eaten and there are excess
foods in the water, remove them immediately.
Aside from removing floating wastes and excess
foods in the water, changing part of the water
will reduce the chances of phosphate and nitrate
build up. Change at least 10 to 15% of the water
once a week and scrape off any algae sticking on
the glass at the same time. Testing the water
from time to time is a good monitoring practice.
You must stop algae grownth and you do this by
destroying the perfect conditions that support
their grownth in your tank

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To recieve professional help in getting your
maintenance right and learning more about plants,
read
http://www.freshwateraquariumcenteronline.com/fres
hwater-aquarium-live-plants/ .

See our website to learn how to spot and solve
problems before they can affect your fish at
http://www.freshwateraquariumcenteronline.com

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