Aquarium Algae - You are going to get them

Aquarium Algae is the constant companion of most fish keepers

Aquarium Algae is a fact of life with fish keeping, where there are fish in water there will be algae in fact it is probably safer to say that where there is water there will be algae.

I advocate planted tanks rather than unplanted so will talk about freshwater algae in relation to a planted tank. When you set up your tank you try to give your plants the optimum environment for growth. The problem is that freshwater algae need exactly the same nutrients as plants to thrive.  The key is in maintaining the best environment for your plants so that they thrive and grow and steal the nutrients, depriving the algae of the food that they need to multiply.

So what are the common aquarium algae that you can expect to occur in your tank

Green Water just as the name suggests is caused by an algae bloom causing a sudden increase in algae suspended in the water.  Your fish and plants disappear into this green fog.  This is usually caused by an increase in nitrate levels.

Thread Algae grows on leaf edges forming long threads anything up to twelve inches in length and can be caused by excess iron in the water.  Healthy plants will help to keep these algae at bay by using up the nutrients that it thrives on.

Hair Algae is found on gravel, bogwood and decorations or around the base of some plants.  It grows to a couple of inches in length and is easy to remove manually  It is also the staple diet of most algae eaters and fish such as Barbs who like to nibble on this in addition to their normal food so is easily managed.

Beard Algae grows on rocks and bogwood forming a thick green carpet which some aquarists find quite attractive.  It is almost impossible to remove this manually but it can be kept under control by some of the algae eaters.

Staghorn Algae grows in long branching strands close to alight source and will attach itself to leaves and equipment.  This can be removed manually but will also be eaten by algae eaters.

Fuzz Algae is fairly normal in small quantities and tends to grow on plants that are suffering from some sort of nutrient deficiency.  Again these are a great treat to algae eating fish and are easily controlled.

Green Dust Algae form a dusty looking green patch on the aquarium glass and can grow to cover the glass.  This one unfortunately is not eaten by algae eaters and is difficult to get rid of.  Left to grow it will form a thick layer than then starts to detach itself from the glass when it can be removed more easily.

Brown Algae tends to appear in new aquariums and low light aquariums but can be easily removed manually.  If it lingers on low plants it is a staple part of the diet of Otos and Siamese Algae eaters.

Green Spot Algae lights strong light and as the name suggests will form small green spots on the aquarium glass and on slow growing plants that are exposed to bright lights.  It can be removed by hand but is ignored by most algae eaters apart from some snails as it is so hard.

Blue Green Algae is not actually algae at all but rather cyanobacteria which has the attributes of both animal and plant.  It forms slimy blue green sheets that cover everything in the tank and needs to be dealt with quickly to avoid problems for fish and plants.  Algaecides and antibiotics are the best way of treating this but you also need to deal with the underlying water quality problem or it will simply return.

You will always have some aquarium algae in your tank and through monitoring and routine maintenance you will be able to control it most of the time. If it increases suddenly it is an indicator that something has changed within the tank. If you can work out what has changed and deal with it you are a long way to reducing the problem.