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News & Reviews Article
| Title |
Algae Control |
| Author |
Algone Corp.
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| Last Updated |
2009-12-08
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| Abstract |
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Algae Problems
The pesky algae are always present either naturally in form of spores or by �catching a ride� on newly purchased ornaments, fish and plants. They are patiently waiting for an accumulation of nutrients and favorable conditions that will lead to their explosive and destructive outbreak.
Algae are part of a natural habitat. They are part of a healthy aquatic environment and are an important supplemental food source for many species.
Algae can not be completely eliminated from the aquarium no matter how big the effort.
Algae are demonized as a problem, however they can't be avoided. Algae outbreaks are caused by factors that can be controlled. This means that instead of trying to eliminate algae by attacking the problem itself, it is far more effective to focus on the cause. Successful treatment of the cause means algae can be controlled and in most cases major outbreaks can be prevented.
Prevention is possible by avoiding a favorable environment that allows excessive algae growth.
Algae growth requires water, light, and nutrients (nitrates organic and inorganic pollutants sometimes further fueled by phosphates and silicates depending on the algae type). Since eliminating water from the aquarium is not an option, light and nutrients must be controlled and adjusted.
Fluorescent light bulbs are the most commonly used light sources, but they need to be replaced every 6-9 months. The replacement is necessary because of the loss of lighting power over time and a change in the light spectrum. As the bulb ages, the light spectrum becomes increasingly more favorable for algae. The light becomes more easily absorbed and helps the algae produce energy through photosynthesis.
A late replacement of the bulb will not eliminate the risk of an algae outbreak, on the contrary. Replacing the bulb after a prolonged period of use (1.5 - 2 years) will dramatically increase the energy input in the aquarium. Especially in planted tanks or aquariums with already progressed algae population, the increase of energy will further the growth rate. Since plants and algae are both photosynthetic, the result of the newly replaced bulb may cause an increase in oxygen levels above a "healthy level".
Dramatically increasing oxygen levels will deplete trace elements and shorten the availability of essential minerals and vitamins. An intense growth factor will reduce CO2 in the aquarium and a decrease in CO2 leads to an increase in pH.
Some plants (cryptocoryne or crypts in short, limnophilia aka Foxtails, and rotala to name a few) store ammonium as a nutrient in their leaves. Ammonium is relatively harmless at a pH below 7.0, but once the pH rises above 7.0 ammonium is transformed into the highly toxic ammonia. Allowing the pH to rise will literally poison these plants from the inside out.
Decaying plants will then further contribute to the algae problem by creating waste and nutrients. Algae furthermore benefits from the dying plants as the competition for nutrients decreases.
Another fact regarding low CO2 levels is that algae can utilize carbon derived from carbonates. Carbonates availability increases as the CO2 drops and the pH rises. Since plants do not have this ability the algae benefits again.
The correct lighting and the timely replacement of the bulb is one step to prevent algae from overtaking the aquarium.
Next to light, nutrients are the main factor for algae outbreaks. Nutrients enter the aquarium by fish food and fish metabolism.
The term over-feeding is closely related to algae. Waste resulting from overfeeding must never be greater then the tanks own ability to break down this waste. If it exceeds the breakdown capacity of the aquarium excess nutrients will accumulate and this will be the decisive factor for fast and sudden algae outbreaks.
Over-stocking an aquarium has the same effects as over-feeding. If the stocking rate exceeds the tanks limitations the result is also an accumulation of excessive waste which will have the same negative effects as overfeeding.
If uneaten food particles are picked up by the aquariums filter they will contribute equally to the accumulation of waste (the same as if it had settled on the substrate) since the filter is part of the complete environment. Changing the filter media regularly is therefore important.
The amount of nitrates created by fish food can roughly be calculated by multiplying the protein content (PC) by 0.16 and then dividing the result by the number of days (D) the container will last:
(PC x 0.16) x (W/100) / d = nitrates per day
PC = Protein Content of the fish food (see label)
W = Weight of the can of food (see label)
D = Days in which the can is used up
Example:
A 50 gram can of fish food containing 45% protein that lasts for 2 months (60 days):
(45 x 0.16) x (50/100) / 60 = 0.06
Nitrates per day are measured in grams. To convert the grams into ppm multiply the result by 1000.
0.06 x 1000 = 60 ppm per day
Healthy stocking rates are at about 1 inch of fish per 15 square inches of water surface. A good feeding guideline would be to feed what fish can eat in approximately 1 minute once a day. Regular maintenance should include partial water changes of 10-20% every other week in addition to vacuuming the gravel and rinsing the filters. Combined with timely replacement of the lighting algae can be reasonably controlled.
Algae eating fish and critters prefer fresh and soft algae which are often not the ones that are a visible problem and a nuisance. Algae eaters are therefore part of the preventative measure but not part of the solution once the algae are out of control.
Adding new fish to an already algae infested aquarium will likely worsen the problem as more waste will be produced and the aquariums bio filter will need to adjust for the change in bio-load.
Despite of all of the above avoiding an algae outbreak can still be very challenging. An aquarium is a delicate environment which needs regular attention. Often our busy lifestyles make a consistent maintenance schedule difficult. So from time to time "it just happens!"
When it does don't fall for the quick fix! There are some products such as algaecides which appear to offer a fast solution to the problem.
Common ones are simazine, copper, and surfactants.
Copper is a toxic metal and affects bacteria as well as crustaceans. The bad effects of copper have resulted in the decline of use of all forms of copper (i.e. copper sulfate) in algaecides.
The main manufacturer of simazine has withdrawn the chemical from use in aquarium and commercial fish breeders intended for human consumption, reasoning the negative impacts and effects of long term use. Warning labels indicate not to release the compound into lakes and streams.<
Surfactant (lowering water tensions that destroy cells) manufacturers openly state that this algaecide is toxic to fish.
No matter the marketing, the facts remain often undisclosed and many chemical compounds in algaecides will remain in the water for years. The detrimental effects are often only discovered at a later time. Often they are then not associated with using these chemicals months earlier.
Use of these chemicals will do nothing to actually fix the cause of algae outbreaks and will in no way "heal the tank". The problem is therefore likely to return at any time.
The only true control of algae is the control of the nutrients responsible for their explosive growth!
Algone provides an efficient tool to control nutrients and to prevent algae. Nitrogen fixating microorganisms incorporate nitrogen compounds into the bacterial cell mass. Bioactive molecular substances are released to assimilate free nitrogen from the water column. Enzymes break down protein, carbohydrates and metabolic waste which are then safely contained in insoluble complex structures. Organic and inorganic pollutants are directly removed by oxidation.
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