Black beard in the aquarium

Black beard is characterized by the fact that plants begin to grow black thread lengths from 5 to 20 mm, which then form that very beard. This aquarium black beard very quickly affects all plants. Even if you do not have a black beard, it's not a fact that you are immune from its appearance. Spores of a black beard can be brought with plants or fish. And then this algae will multiply very quickly in your aquarium.

By itself, the black beard in the aquarium is not harmful. For fish it is absolutely safe. But over time these small algae cover the entire surface of plants, which leads to the inhibition of their growth. By the way, not all plants are so much affected by a black beard. Fast-growing algae very well resist the black beard, which can not be said for slow growing plants.

How to get rid of a black beard

In the literature, you can find so many different ways to get rid of a black beard. But not all of them are effective. Some aquarists advise to have fish that feed on algae, for example, girinoheylus. But the fact is that the fish will not give the desired effect. Also they will not cope with the black beard of the ampullaria. Of course, the amount of black beard will noticeably decrease, but here the centers of growth of snail plants can not be destroyed. As a result, after a couple of weeks you will again face the same problem.

You could use chemical means. But even here everything is not so simple. Boric acid or borax will bring you the desired effect in a few days. But after the black beard will die and plantshighest class. You can also hurt the fish. There is also information that antibiotics help to get rid of a black beard. This tool will slow down only the growth of plants, but it will not affect the black beard. Mechanical methods (breaking off the affected leaves, for example) also does not bring results. Often even purchased means give only a short-term effect.

But still there is a way to fight with a black beard. But first you need to understand why shedevelops. For the development and rapid growth of algae you need a large amount of organic matter in the water and its appropriate rigidity. Under such conditions, the spores of the black beard begin to actively grow and settle on the plants.

To prevent the development of algae, it is necessary to create special conditions that will be fatal only for them, but not for fish or plants. First you need to worry about the rigiditywater. In soft water, the black beard develops very quickly. Therefore, the hardness of the water must be at least 8 °. To increase the hardness of water, you can use this recipe: add 10% calcium chloride solution to the water prepared for replacement at the rate of 2 ml per 1 liter of water.

Also, the water in the aquarium must have stable alkaline reaction. To increase it by 1 liter of water, add 0.2 g of baking soda.

Make sure that there is no excess organic matter in the aquarium. It is because of her black beard so quicklygrowing. As often as possible, clean the bottom. Do not overfeed the fish. Very often it is impossible to completely remove all the organic matter from the soil, and the fish that dig in the soil raise its remains in the water. If you want to get rid of a black beard, do not start such fish. Also, filters with strong aeration can raise the organic from the soil.

Keep an eye on your aquarium. To begin, do not overpopulate the aquarium. In an overpopulated aquarium, there are always problems with various algae of lower order. In time, remove the yellowed leaves or plants that are dying.

As you can see, The struggle with a black beard is a difficult task, but it is quite possible. Create the right conditions in your aquarium, and the problem of unwanted algae will disappear by itself.