Vietnamese algae was imported from Southeast Asia. In aquariums you can find several varieties of this representative of the flora: Membranacea, Audouinella investiens, Microscopica, Spinulosa.
Characteristic signs
The Vietnamese resembles bunches of dirty gray, black or brown hairs, no more than 2 cm long. Algae is located on the tips of the leaves of aquarium plants and gradually occupies their entire surface. In addition, the Vietnamese can settle on decor items, artificial soil, ledges and bumps.
The plant belongs to the group of red algae due to the presence of a coloring substance in its structure, which can only be detected experimentally. Pigmentation manifests itself under the influence of a solvent or alcohol.
Ways to get into the aquarium
If the Vietnamese flocked abundantly in the aquarium, it means that errors in care were allowed. The plant propagates by spores, which are easy to bring along with the acquired algae, especially if the purchase was not made in a specialized department. Infection can also occur through dirty hands, new equipment, and fish resettled from another aquarium.
The Vietnamese can for a long time be in a state of spores, which are not afraid of cold, fever, drought. For nutrition, the alga uses organic particles that are spread by the current or by the fish who are looking for food in the ground.
Distribution reasons
In favorable conditions, red algae quickly populates the aquarium. The rapid spread of flip flops is associated with such reasons:
- The soil has accumulated a lot of organic particles: underfed food, waste products of aquarium inhabitants, dead representatives of the flora.
- There was a mistake in calculating the required amount of fertilizer applied.
- The presence of fish actively digging the soil and raising the entire sediment from the bottom.
- Weak or dirty filter.
- Increased hardness and acidity of water.
- Overpopulation of the aquarium.
- Too powerful a stream of water, due to which organic particles rise from the bottom and settle on glass, decorative elements and vegetation.
- Excessive oxygen saturation of the water.
Difference between flip flops and beard
To determine the type of algae, you need to pay attention to the threads of which it consists. In a Vietnamese, they turn into tassels, and in a black beard they stretch out in length, becoming like a fringe. Vietnamese is more demanding on living conditions. Most often, it is located away from the stream.
Water contaminated with both varieties of algae takes on a dirty green hue. You can take several hairs and place them in alcohol or acetone. As a result of these manipulations, the Vietnamese will turn red, and the black beard will become colorless.
Harm to plants
Despite the fact that red algae do not feed on the juice of representatives of the flora, they cause irreparable harm to them. Algae covers the entire surface of the vegetation, does not allow it to carry out photosynthesis and receive nutrients. First of all, slowly developing plants die from the Vietnamese. Also, the pest likes to be placed on wide leaf plates.
Due to the spread of flip flops, the appearance of the aquarium is radically changing. Its surfaces are covered with an unpleasant black coating, which is quite difficult to get rid of, because algae are firmly attached to their place of growth. All this makes you wonder how to get rid of flip flops in the aquarium.
The interaction of algae and fauna
You can free the aquarium from a small number of flip flops with the help of fish, the diet of which includes red algae. Antsistruses and Siamese algae eaters can eliminate the pest in a few weeks.
It is important to note that the Vietnamese is not a favorite food for cleaners. So that they pay attention to the algae, they need to stop feeding. In addition, the remaining fish and green plants must be removed from the aquarium.
Experts who know how to get rid of flip flops in an aquarium advise using snails for this purpose. It is best to take small individuals, the size of a match head. They are in the most active life cycle and consume the maximum amount of food. About a hundred snails may be required to clean a medium-sized aquarium. After obtaining the desired effect, the mollusks should be removed, otherwise they will begin to multiply actively and eat all the greens they find.
The mechanical method of getting rid of flip flops
In a neglected situation, the only solution may be the complete elimination of aquarium vegetation. To prevent this, one should proceed to the destruction of the algae at the first sign of its appearance. If the Vietnamese appeared in the aquarium, getting rid of it forever will not work. The only way out is to constantly monitor the number of pests. If the fish are kept in optimal conditions, the algae will not grow too quickly, but any inaccuracy in care can cause a new outbreak of flip flops.
First of all, you must try to manually catch the maximum amount of algae from the aquarium. Scrapers and hard brushes will be required to restore the scenery and equipment.
Every day you need to clean the filter of accumulated organic particles and replace 10% of the water in the aquarium.
Chemical spore destruction
The most effective drug that eliminates the flip flops within a week is Sidex for an aquarium. This disinfectant is an aqueous solution of glutaraldehyde at a concentration of 2.5%. The kit also includes a powdered activator, which is not used to process the aquarium.
The analogue of the drug is Organic Aqua. This product also contains aldehyde as an active substance, but thanks to the softening additives included in the composition, it does not adversely affect the health of fish.
If the aquarium is heavily launched, it is necessary to add an anti-flip flop agent to the water daily for a week, at the rate of 20 ml Organic Aqua per 100 liters of liquid. To prevent the release of ammonia, you need to regularly collect dead algae from the surface of the soil and rinse the filter. On the third day, it is recommended to replace 20-30% of the water and introduce a culture of beneficial Bactoferm bacteria into the aquarium, which process organic residues and support the health of the ecosystem.
On the eighth day, you can reduce the dosage to 10 ml of the drug per 100 liters of water, until only certain points remain from the pest. The complete disappearance of the flip flops is observed after a month of using Organic Aqua. To prevent a repeated outbreak of algae overgrowth, 5 ml of the agent should be applied per 100 liters of water daily.
"Restarting" the aquarium
Opponents of chemistry who do not know how to get rid of flip flops in the aquarium need to do a spring cleaning. It is important to remember that a sharp change in the composition of water is a strong stress for its inhabitants, so you need to monitor their well-being.
First of all, it is necessary to deposit all the fish in a separate container filled with protected water. All decorative elements should be boiled or washed in salt water using a stiff brush. The soil is calcined in the oven.
Plants should be soaked for 1 hour in a bath filled with water with the addition of 3% hydrogen peroxide at the rate of 5 ml of the drug per 10 liters of liquid. Representatives of flora with hard leaves can be poured with 10% solution of acetic acid for 10 minutes. In this case, the roots should not be immersed in a liquid. After restarting, proper care and maintenance of the aquarium is necessary. Only in this case will a positive effect be achieved.
Preventive measures
Compliance with the following recommendations will help get rid of the need to constantly think about how to get rid of flip flops in an aquarium:
- All acquired plants must be quarantined in a separate container filled with clean water. You can not place representatives of the flora in the aquarium, on the leaves of which a suspicious plaque is noticeable.
- It is necessary to regularly check the serviceability of the filter, rinse it.
- Food should be introduced in a limited amount, focusing on the number and size of fish.
- The Vietnamese does not like water, the hardness index of which exceeds 80. Also, algae dies at pH 7.5-8.5.
An effective preventive measure is the correction of illumination for the aquarium. You should avoid lighting the blue spectrum - it is loved by red algae. It is useful to artificially reduce the duration of daylight hours by 2-3 hours. So that the new regime does not harm the plants, you must adhere to the following scheme:
- In the morning, turn on the lighting for five hours, so that representatives of the flora have the opportunity to consume carbon dioxide that has accumulated in water overnight and produce oxygen.
- Darken the aquarium for 2-3 hours.
- Turn on the light again for 5 hours.
To ensure the vital activity of plants, it is enough to turn on the lighting for 8-10 hours. Sockets with a built-in timer will help maintain optimal mode.
Knowing the causes of the flip flops in the aquarium, you can prevent its spread and protect decorative crops. It is important to constantly monitor the condition of water and equipment in order to exclude the creation of conditions favorable for the growth of the pest.