Henry & Tammy's Place/Algae

About Algae With Descriptions

I guess it's important to remember that algae is a normal part of aquaria, and if maintained properly, your tanks need not be overwhelmed with algae and your fish can benefit.

Eventually though, some if not most home aquarists will have times where they may end up having to deal with the potential problems that algae can cause in their aquariums. There are several factors that can account for algae blooms in aquariums. The trick is to be able to control the algae blooms through limiting what causes the blooms so that it can't overtake the tank and ruin the beauty of your set-up. When this happens, the source of the problem needs to be identified and rectified or even if you do manually remove the algae, it will return.

As is true in so many things, prevention is the key. Listed below you will find some preventative measures that can be taken to help insure that algae doesn't become a constant frustration.

Direct Sunlight- It's best to never set a tank up where it will get direct sunlight. The Sun's rays of light are ideal for promoting algae growth. Because we have so many tanks, and it is virtually impossible for us not to have a tank where it will receive *some* direct sunlight depending on the time of year and the angle of the sun. We have purchased shades for the windows to help keep the direct sunlight off the tanks.
Adequate Filtration- Not having enough filtration to clear all the impurities out of your water will certainly lead to the conditions being right for algae growth. If you can constantly see little suspended particles in your water, your filtration may not be adequate or your system may be malfunctioning. We also have two Vortexs (Diatom XL) that we rotate between our tanks to help "polish" the water.
Partial Water Changes- Nitrates, Nitrates, Nitrates.. High concentrations of nitrates in your water will promote algae growth. As will high levels of phosphates. If you find yourself having cloudy or green water (which is actually a form of algae) test your water for phosphates.
Too Much Of A Good Thing(s)- Uneaten food left on the bottom of your tank will also promote algae growth. Also, limit the amount of time you have your strip lights lit on your tanks. If their is algae present, unless you have plants in the tank which need the light to grow, keep the lighting off for a few days. This may help to stymie the growth of algae.
In Fish Only Tanks-(No Plants)- The proper use of a ultraviolet sterilizer should kill any algae present in the water, not allowing it to thrive and grow.
Converting to a Planted Aquarium- Plants will usually out-compete algae for the available nutrients. However, if there is an imbalance of nutrients, algae will opportunistically use whatever is not used by the higher order plants. Different algae will utilize different nutrients, causing sporadic outbreaks of new algae types in apparently stable tanks when a temporary imbalance occurs.

Types of Algae: as written by Mr George Booth

Blue-green, Slime or Smear Algae- Grows rapidly in blue-green, slimy sheets. Spreads rapidly over almost everything and usually indicates poor water quality. However, blue-green algae can fix nitrogen and may be seen in aquariums with extremely low nitrates. Sometimes seen in small quantities between the substrate and aquarium sides. Will smother and kill plants.
This is actually cyanobacteria. It can be physically removed, but this is not a viable long term solution as the aquarium conditions are still favorable for it and it will return quickly. Treatment with 200 mg of erythromycin phosphate per 10 gallons of water will usually eliminate blue-green algae but some experts feel it may also have adverse effects on the biological filter bed. If erythromycin is used for treatment, ammonia and nitrite levels should be carefully monitored.
Brown Algae- Forms in soft brown clumpy patches. In the freshwater aquarium, these are usually diatoms. Usually indicates a lack of light or an excess of silicates. Increased light levels will usually make it disappear. Easily removed by wiping the glass or siphon vacuuming the affected area.
Green Water- Green unicellular algae will sometimes reproduce so rapidly that the water will turn green. This is commonly called an "algae bloom" and can be caused by too much direct sunlight shining on the tank or excessive nutrients being either nitrates and or phosphates.
An algae bloom can be removed by filtering with micron cartridges or diatom filters. UV sterilizers can prevent the bloom in the first place. Green water is very useful in the raising of daphnia and brine shrimp.
Film Algae- Grows on the aquarium glass and forms a thin haze. Easily removed by wiping the glass. Considered normal with the higher light levels needed for good plant growth.
Spot Algae- Grows in thin, hard, circular, bright green spots, usually on the aquarium glass but also on plants under high light conditions. Considered normal for planted tanks. Must be mechanically removed. On acrylic aquariums, use a cloth pad or a gentle scouring pad like a cosmetic "Buff-Puff" and a lot of elbow grease. On glass tanks, scraping with a razor blade is most effective.
Fuzz Algae- Grows mostly on plant leaves as separate, short (2-3mm) strands. Considered normal. It might be a less "virulent" form of "beard" algae. Easily controlled with algae eaters such as black mollies, Otocinclus, Peckoltia and siamese algae eaters.
Beard Algae- Grows on plant leaves and is bright green. Individual strands have a very fine texture but it grows in thick patches and looks just like a green beard. It grows up to 4 cm. It cannot be removed mechanically. This does not indicate bad water quality but grows very fast and overtakes the tank, making it a "bad" alga. Can be eliminated with Simazine (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals "Algae-Destroyer").
Hair Algae- Grows in bright green clumps in the gravel, around the base of plants like Echinodorus and around mechanical objects. It has a coarser texture than "beard algae". Beard algae will ripple in the water current, hair algae tends to form matted clumps. Individual strands can get to 5 cm or more. This is easy to remove mechanically by twirling a toothbrush in it. Can be troublesome if left unchecked. This is a popular food supplement for fish among European aquarists.
Thread Algae- Grows in long, thin strands up to 30 cm or more. Tends toward a dull green color (hard to tell because it is so thin). Usually indicates an excess of iron (> 0.15 ppm). Easily removed with a toothbrush like hair algae.
Staghorn Algae- Looks like individual strands of hair algae but tends to grow in single branching strands like a deer antler and is grey-green. Seems to grow mostly on tank equipment near the surface. Difficult to remove mechanically. Soak affected equipment in a 25% solution of household bleach and water to remove it.
Brush Algae- This grows in feathery black tufts 2-3 mm long and tends to collect on slower growing leaves like Anubias, some Echinodorus and other wide leaf plants. Also tends to collect on mechanical equipment. This is actually a red alga in the genus Audouinella (other names: Acrochaetium, Rhodochorton, Chantransia).
It cannot easily be removed mechanically. Remove and discard the affected leaves. Equipment can be soaked in a 25% bleach solution, then scrubbed to remove the dead algae. Siamese Algae Eaters (Crossocheilus siamensis) are known to eat this algae and can keep it in check. A more drastic measure is treatment with copper.

**Copyrighted Material**
All of the algae type descriptions and a portion of the other information are copyrighted to a gentleman named Mr George Booth. His descriptions of the different types of algae were just to informative to pass up.

THANK YOU Mr George Booth