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You cannot have an aquarium which is completely free from algae less it be said not to be normal.This means that you cannot completely eliminate algae from your aquarium.
Brown algae,popularly known as diatoms,grows very fast in favorable conditions and can cover the entire aquarium in few days.Getting rid of brown algae-starts with prevention whereby one understands the conditions which favor their growth and then employs measures aimed at eliminating these conditions.But if already your aquarium is full the algae,i suggest that you employ one or a combination of the following measures;
1.Manual removal where you use your hand to physically remove them from the aquarium.The slimy plants are easily removable by hand only that this method cannot ensure the removal of all the algae.
2.Washing the aquarium whereby you first tranfer the fish temporarily somewhere,drain all the water and then you embark on washing the rocks and pebbles to get rid of hold-fasts taking care not to damage the health plants in the aquarium.Filter the water before you return it back into the aquarium. 3. Introduce algae eating fish,mollusc's or crustaceans such as the black mollies,Siamese algae eaters,otos and snails.Black mollies for instance are good eaters especially if they are starved before they are introduced and should not be fed to increase their appetite. 4. If you cannot employ the above measures for any reason,then i suggest that you use chemicals but care must be taken not to use those chemicals which can kill the health plants or even the fish themselves.Examples of algae-cides which you can use are Algal Magic TM and Algone.
After you have successfully gotten rid of the brown algae from your aquarium you may need to keep them off for quite some time or for as long as you desire to have the aquarium.The following preventive measures will go along way in ensuring that the growth of brown algae in you aquarium is controlled to a bare minimum; A. Excessive nutrients such as phosphates,silicates and silicic acid favor faster growth of the algae.Silicates are introduced into the aquarium through tap water.Try to replace lost water with distilled water.Elimination of the silicates present also helps.Phosphates are introduced into the aquarium through over-feeding and over-stocking.Knowing the right quantities of feeds for your fish is very important as well stocking the right number of fish. B. Lack of enough light in the aquarium favor faster growth of brown algae.Supplying enough light will eliminate this problem.Bulbs should also be replaced quite often because old bulbs emit light whose quality favor brown algae growth. C. Lack of enough oxygen in the aquarium promotes the presence of trace elements which favor the faster of brown algae.Introduction of health plants helps to increase oxygen quantities in the aquarium water.Higher quantities of oxygen in the aquarium water depletes the aquarium off trace elements and reduces the availability of essential minerals and vitamins which algae depend on for growth.More power heads in the aquarium tend to increase water circulation.This creates a ripple effect on the water surface which promotes aeration hence more oxygen is dissolved into the aquarium wate D. Presence of algal spores in the aquarium ensures that there is constant germination of algae no matter how much you employ to remove the algae.Eliminating the spores by the use of Ultra Violet Sterilizer will stop them from germinating.
E. Low concentration of co2 in the aquarium leads to increase in the pH of the water.Brown algae stores ammonium which is transformed to toxic ammonia with increase in pH.This toxic ammonia poisons the algae from within.Low concentrations of co2 can be achieved by growing more health plants in the aquarium.This plants also prevents brown algae from overgrowing the aquarium. F. Regular cleaning of filter sponges helps eliminate the algae.
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