Types of algae in the aquarium , its types and how to tackle it.

Types of algae in the aquarium , its types and how to tackle it.

Hi my name is Aarya Thakar and I welcome you to my channel , Aquatopia. Today i will be talking about algae, types of algae and how to control it. Algae is a thing which any hobbyist be it new or experienced, have to face at some point.
Algae which is left untreated can take over the entire aquarium. Now I'll tell you about the types of algae
1) Brown algae/ Diatom algae:
This algae coats your aquarium decor, substrate and glass and looks like a brown film. This algae generally appears in newly established aquarium because it grows when there are excess nitrates and phosphates in the aquarium which newly setup aquarium have. To remove this algae is pretty simple. First thing is give it time. As the tank cycles This algae will slowly go away but during this process you can speed up things by removing the excess algae with a toothbrush. Add cleanup crew such as otocinclus catfish, siamese algae eaters and Amano shrimp.
2) BBA i.e Black Beard Algae:
As the name suggests this algae looks like a man's beard and once it starts to grow it can quickly take over the entire aquarium. This is quite a problematic type if algae. This algae can grow on almost all surfaces like decorations plants and substrate. Many things can lead to growth of BBA like high light, high level of nitrates and phosphates, poor water quality and not enough water circulation. You can treat this algae with 3 methods. 1st method is to add algae eating fish such as siamese algae eaters and Amano shrimp. 2nd method is to spray liquid nitrogen directly onto affected areas which will slowly kill it. 3rd method is to get 3% hydrogen peroxide from your local drugstore. Dip affected decorations in the peroxide for 5 minutes then rinse with clean water and add back the decorations.
3) Hair algae:
As the name suggests hair algae looks like small human hair. There are 3 more algae under the category of hair algae viz staghorn algae,  thread algae and string algae.  All these algae have same cause of happening and same treatment. These algae grow because of increase in iron nutrient or very bright light or high light and low level of nutrients. You can manually remove as much algae as possible, decrease Lighting and add cleanup crew.
4) Blue green algae:
This algae is also called as cyanobacteria. This algae coats your decorations plants and substrate like a blanket. Nobody knows the reason why cyanobacteria grows but we can cure it. Algae eaters don't eat this algae so they won't be useful. Best way is to manually remove as much algae as possible, Gravel vacuuming and performing a 50 percent water change. If algae is a lot you can repeat process after 2 to 3 days.
5) Green spot algae:
This algae looks like spots on your aquarium glass. This algae grows when there is too much light ( especially sunlight), or an imbalance in the nitrates and phosphates. The only method to clean this algae is to scrape the algae with an algae scrubber.
6) Green water algae:
If your aquarium water looks like broccoli soup you most likely have Green water algae present in your aquarium. This algae is a type of phytoplankton which multiplies rapidly and cannot be removed from water changes. If your tank has very bright light mostly sunlight, or too much nutrients or organic matter present in your water column or there is an ammonia spike this algae will grow. This algae can be treated in 2 ways. 1st way is to install a UV sterilizer foe your aquarium. This will kill the algae in 2 to 3 days. Or totally blackout the tank for a week to get rid of it.


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