Many aquarists face a problem like a black beard in an aquarium. An ugly black coating, bundles of thin hairs cover everything: plants, soil, jewelry, driftwood, glass. Why is the aquarium "black beard" striking? How to get rid of this scourge?
What is a "black beard"
What is a "black beard"? Compsopogon coeruleus is a multicellular algae in the form of black and brown finest filaments, which can reach a length of 5 cm. It usually affects higher plants, but can attach to any surface.
This algae multiplies at high speed, can cover all the plants in the aquarium. It is very difficult to clean driftwood and jewelry from it. The methods for dealing with the "black beard" in the aquarium can be different, but getting rid of it completely can be quite difficult.
Why algae appear in the aquarium
A black beard in an aquarium usually appears after buying new plants or ornaments. Therefore, the prevention of the appearance of this trouble is very important. The spores of this algae are not carried through the air.
After buying new plants, they must be quarantined for several days. When black plaque appears on the leaves, it is not worth using such bushes. Also, new plants can be treated with solutions of bleach, potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide. Soak the plants in a disinfecting solution for only a few minutes (for gentle species, you can reduce the time), then rinse them in running cool water.
Of great importance is the condition of the aquarium. If biofiltration is disturbed in the tank, the owners neglect the rules of care, do not change the water, do not siphon the soil and overfeed the fish, then the risk of the appearance of a “black beard” increases. In an aquarium with a balanced balance, algae will not reproduce and will quickly disappear on their own. But in the troubled "beard" will appear again and again.
Therefore, it matters not only how to get rid of the "black beard" in the aquarium, but also how to prevent its reappearance.
Restart
How to get rid of the black beard algae? The most radical method of dealing with the "black beard" - a complete restart of the aquarium. All fish need to be transplanted into a temporary container of a suitable size, provide them with filtration and aeration. Drain all the water completely, get out the soil, plants, equipment and decorations.
The soil must be calcined in the oven or boiled in boiling water. Carefully clean jewelry and driftwood from black coating and disinfect with chlorine, potassium permanganate, peroxide or boiling water. Do the same with all equipment. It is better to treat the walls and bottom of the aquarium with boiling water, since it can be difficult to completely wash bleach.
Affected plants are best discarded. If you want to save them, then tear off all the blackened leaves, treat the bushes with a disinfecting solution, rinse well. Place them in a quarantine container and make sure that no new plaque appears.
After everything is cleaned and disinfected, you need to perform the procedure for starting the aquarium. To speed up the process, you can take water from a healthy aquarium. Restarting the aquarium is a time-consuming and responsible business. Before deciding on this method, it is better to try to get rid of the problem by other methods.
Fish and snails
How to get rid of a "black beard" with fish in an aquarium? There is a version that this can be done if you start fish eating this type of algae. This is a Siamese algae -eater and ancytrus. If you run these fish into the aquarium, then in a few weeks they will eat all the growths.
But not so simple. Blackbeard is pretty tough, and they are reluctant to eat it. In order for the fish to pay attention to it, they can not be fed. To do this in a common aquarium, if necessary, give food to other inhabitants is quite problematic. In addition, cleaners may prefer other, more tender plants, if any.
Other types of cleaners are useless for this task, since nobody else eats a black beard, including shrimps and large snails.
Another method of fighting with the help of animals is to launch into the affected aquarium a whole handful (about a hundred) of small young snails, ampullaria, no larger than a match head. These kids do a great job with seaweed. After the "black beard" is finished, the ampoule must be collected on a bait and removed from the aquarium, until they set to useful plants.
Plants
Plants will also help in our problem. How? You can get rid of the "black beard" if you crush the simplest algae with the help of competitors - higher plants. Suitable fast-growing species, such as Wallisneria, Hygrophilus, Schisandra, Elodea.
For their rapid growth, you need to create suitable conditions. For the lush growth of higher plants, carbon dioxide is needed. If you do not want to buy a special installation, then you can make it yourself using an ordinary plastic bottle.
A lot of seedlings will be needed, they need to fill a large space. You can buy green mass not only in the pet store. At a local forum, you can ask aquarists to share plants after weeding.
As the plants grow, they need to be trimmed and root the resulting cuttings. Young shoots intensively absorb nutrients.
A sign of a near victory over the "black beard" is the acquisition of white color. Soon after, the algae will die and begin to disappear.
Household products
One of the popular methods of dealing with the "black beard" is chemical. Boric or brown acid, antibiotics are used. But remember that such methods can lead not only to the disappearance of the "black beard", but also to the death of all plants and even fish.
If there are no living plants in the aquarium, then you can try to destroy the "black beard" with the help of "Furatsilina". This antiseptic is usually gargled with sore throat. This tool destroys all algae. The drug is fatal for shrimp, snails and some fish, such as corridors. You can use a similar method if you have a small aquarium without plants, inhabited by simple fish.
Special equipment
Most fish lovers want to learn how to get rid of the "black beard" in the aquarium as soon as possible. There are special products for algae control - Algefix, Element CO2, Ferti Carbo and others. Many have successfully used the Sidex disinfector.
These drugs remove all types of algae, fight the flowering of water. They are safe for plants and fish, but toxic to snails, shrimps, crabs, etc.
Typically, such drugs should be added over several days, gradually increasing the dosage. "Blackbeard" dies very quickly, the result is noticeable after 3-4 days.
Balance
Nature itself can tell you how to get rid of the "black beard" in the aquarium, because often the appearance of algae in the aquarium indicates a violation of the biological balance.
The aquarium should be clean. Organic compounds must be removed periodically. Weekly you need to make a siphon of soil, change 20-30% of the water. As part of the fight against algae, water can be changed daily at 10-15%.
Overpopulation must not be allowed. Fish should not be overfed: all food should be eaten within 5 minutes. Blackbeard gets its nutrition from the water, so reducing the flow will also help in the fight against the problem.
Higher plants should receive enough light and nutrients in the form of fertilizers. Their rapid growth will help get rid of algae.
So, now you know how to get rid of the "black beard" in the aquarium. It remains to choose the appropriate method specifically for your conditions.