Does Natural Algae Control Actually Work

At some stage in practically every aquariums life it will become the end result of an algae outbreak. Quite often these outbreaks simply disappear on their own, however on some occasions they simply will not go away and no matter what the aquarist does they simply return.

It is important to understand in the first instance why algae takes hold and grows in the aquarium.

All algae require an energy source. This energy source could be a particular colour temperature in the light, a nutrient in the water etc.

Therefore the algae outbreak could be due to the lighting not being replaced and the incorrect colour spectrum being transmitted into the aquarium. Some algae like this particular temperature and then grow. The light to the human eye will probably look fine however unless you perform a specialist test you will not know. The best thing to do is ensure that you change the bulbs at the correct time period based upon manufacturer’s recommendations.

The second and probably the most common one is where algae feed upon nutrients in the water. The most common nutrients and nitrate, phosphate and silicates. In this scenario especially for nitrate and phosphate it can be hard to locate. The reason for this is that the algae are taking up the nutrients from the water column and therefore when a test is performed the parameters appear to be ok. As soon as the algae is removed from the aquarium the levels start to increase and the algae takes hold again.

It is a vicious circle unfortunately.

As the saying goes though - prevention is better than cure.

The best prevention is to ensure that the equipment in the aquarium is correctly maintained and replaced if/when required as well as the water parameters being kept at the highest possible standard.

A very useful part of obtaining these parameters is the reduction/removal of nutrients. An excellent way to reduce and/or remove nitrate and phosphates is through the use of natural based control.

This natural based control could be live rock, deep sand beds, mud beds, refugiums, mangroves etc.

Live rock for example is exceptionally powerful at filtering the aquarium and if enough high grade quality is purchased then it can also assist in the reduction/process of nitrates.

It is my opinion that there are two natural based packages which can be used for both filtration and nutrient export.

These are:

1. Live rock combined with a deep sand bed - This allows for efficient filtration of the aquarium via the live rock and also for nutrient export via the deep sand bed.
2. Live rock combined with a refugium - This again allows for the efficient filtration of the aquarium via the live rock and also for nutrient export via the refugium where macro algae is grown.

In the refugium example above I personally find it interesting that you can use algae to control algae. The reason this can be performed is that the algae which you are growing in a separate aquarium can be harvested from time to time. The algae removes nutrients from the water and uses this for growth. When the algae is harvested from the aquarium the nutrients are removed as well. As you are not removing all of the algae then the remaining algae feeds upon the nutrients in the water and maintains these parameters at a low level. Because the algae is located in a separate aquarium no or minimal algae outbreaks should occur in the main display aquarium. This is not to say you will never receive any because you might however it severely reduces the possibility.

These are not the only methods which you can use as there are many more. Mangroves for example are very powerful but they are very slow growing and therefore reduce the nutrients at a slower speed.

The aquarist, however should never rely upon these techniques and needs to ensure that the correct care and maintenance is still employed, the fish are not overfed etc.

Simply put in response to the question in the title of this post - yes natural algae filtration does work as long as it is properly implemented and cared for.

Follow nature and keep it simple.

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Tags: Algae, Aquarium Filtration, Aquarium Maintenance, Care, Equipment, Problems

Why Do Algae Blooms Occur In The Home Aquarium

Algae blooms can occur at any point in a home aquariums life but normally algae blooms occur during the start of the aquariums life.

When the home aquarium is first started everything is new. All the equipment, the sand, the rocks, the water etc are new. The aquarium needs time to settle in.

A good example of this is the sand. Quite often near the start the sand can become covered in what looks like a dusty brown covering. Quite often this is due to the silicates in the sand. When the silicates are all used up the algae simple disappears - quite often overnight.

As already said though an algae bloom can happen at any time especially if the water quality is not maintained at optimum quality. A couple of nutrients which can cause problematic algae to occur is nitrate and phosphate. The trouble in this instance is that the algae is using up the nitrate and the phosphate in the water therefore when the aquarists checks the parameters they show quite low, however behind the scenes there is a potential problem.

Another area is not looking after the equipment correctly. Two areas which spring to mind are the protein skimmer and the aquarium lighting.

If the protein skimmer is not maintained correctly then not all of the dissolved organic substances etc will be removed from the water and will be processed by the aquarium filtration and will therefore create nitrate etc which otherwise you would not have had.

If the light bulbs are not changed in accordance with manufacturers recommendations then the lighting will be below ‘par’ and could be producing lighting which is at the wrong end of the spectrum and algae which likes this type of colour could start to thrive.

There is another aspect which springs to mind and that is water flow. If there is not enough water flow in the aquarium or even in areas of the aquarium then algae can start to grow in these areas, cover the rocks perhaps even the corals.

The trick is to ensure that you maintain the aquarium correctly - perform all the required care and maintenance and attempt to keep the water at as high a quality as possible. Doing this however does not guarantee that you will not get any algae growing however it should reduce the likelihood of one occurring.

All algae have a food source. If an algae outbreak does occur the best thing to do in my opinion is identify the type of algae it is, identify what this type of algae feeds upon and remove its food source. Once the food source has been removed the algae will start to disappear.

There are also a lot of ‘quick fixes’ on the marketplace at present. Ones which promise to remove algae ‘magically’. Whilst I am sure that some of these do actually work are they just masking the problem and as soon as you stop using it the problem will re-occur. I personally think so. In my opinion the best thing to do is look after the aquarium correctly.

A lot of aquarists give up this hobby and the majority do so due to algae outbreaks. When thinking about setting up the aquarium they picture and aquarium which is always clean. They soon find out that this is not the case and go from outbreak to outbreak and eventually they get fed up and give up.

The internet is a huge source of information and fellow aquarists are always willing to help other aquarists. If you do experience an outbreak then the first thing to do is check all your water parameters. If there are any areas of concern then these should be rectified and hopefully the algae will go away. If not then the next thing to do is check the equipment to ensure that it is all working correctly and if required to be replaced has been.

If after doing this the algae is still apparent then pop to your local fish shop, speak to a friendly aquarist and ask their opinion. You will find that the majority of people are prepared to help out. If you do struggle then as said the internet is a source of great information. In this instance probably a forum or social community would be your best bet as you will be able to upload a picture of the algae where other hobbyists will be able to identify it and inform you of its food source. From this information you will be able to remove the food source from the aquarium and the algae should go away.

Of course you may get another outbreak. There are some aquarists who never have one - my dad John is one, he has never had an algae outbreak in his aquarium but then I have never seen another aquarium with water quality at the level he keeps his maintained at. Makes me jealous every time I see it!

The good thing about algae outbreaks in that each time you get one you learn something else about this hobby. This is now information that you can use to assist others if they get one and if you get another one then you will learn again.

As we always say - ‘in this hobby you never stop learning’.

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Tags: Algae, Aquarium Maintenance, Care, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, Problems, Water Quality

Nitrate - The Ongoing Problem

I answer numbers of questions concerning various aspects of marine aquarium keeping. Looking at the subjects of all these questions it seems one of the biggest problems that is faced by aquarists is excessive nitrate (NO3). If it is not a problem the subject seems to puzzle some.

It may be thought that I tire of the same question, but this is not so. Rather, I am pleased as it shows that aquarists are concerned about the welfare of their livestock and wish to understand how the problem could have arisen and how it could be dealt with.

Why are aquarists so concerned about nitrate levels? Probably because, along with phosphate (PO4), it is a known nutrient of nuisance algae, the horrible stuff that can show its ugly presence under certain circumstances. In addition, corals will tolerate nitrate badly in many cases, and in a lesser way the same can apply to fish.

I hope I will be forgiven for not repeating what is already in other articles on this website (or maybe I’m just lazy!). What I have done is note in brackets any relevant article and the path to it.

To get to ‘Articles’ simply click on the word at the top of the page or click the link.

First of all, nitrate is not a disaster in itself, in the way that a presence of ammonia (NH3) or nitrite (NO2) could be. Nitrate is a product of the so-called Nitrogen Cycle (see article ‘The Nitrogen Cycle‘ under the sub-heading ‘Filtration‘). The nitrogen cycle should be understood by all aquarists and is straightforward.

Nitrate will be produced in any marine system, the level being dependant on more than one factor - these include type of system, stocking level, and bio-filtration method. In addition, husbandry expertise should be included. Excessive nitrate levels are usually faced by new aquarists where experience has not had time to accrue, but the problem is not entirely restricted to the beginner.

First of all, how much nitrate is acceptable? There are guidelines of course, but it should be noted that an inability to meet the guideline does not mean disaster. However, a continuing effort to control the nitrate level to the guideline should be made (see article ‘Guideline Water Parameters‘ under the sub-heading ‘Water Quality’). For nitrate in a reef system, the guideline is 10ppm (parts per million) or less, and in a fish only system the same if possible, or as close to it as can be achieved.

It has been said that ‘the answer to pollution is dilution.’ This is correct for nitrate and the marine aquarium. Routine seawater changes should be carried out whether there is a nitrate presence or not, and the guideline is 10% of the total net system gallonage per week. This can be flexed somewhat according to need, but gives a base for a newcomer. In a well designed system that is not overstocked this in itself could be sufficient to control nitrate levels, where there are no other controls present.

To help prevent unwanted pollutants including nitrate getting into the aquarium, it is highly recommended that reverse osmosis water (‘super filtered’ tap water) is used. An aquarist could be surprised at the content of tap water (see article ‘Reverse Osmosis‘ under the sub-heading ’The Basics‘. Also see article ‘Should You Use Tap Water?‘ under the sub-heading ‘Water Quality‘). Reverse osmosis water should be used for the initial aquarium fill if possible, and also for evaporation top-ups and routine seawater change mixes.

The marine system should not be overstocked. Proper stocking allows for high water quality which by definition is lacking in nitrate (see article ‘Stocking The Salt Water Aquarium Part 1‘ and also Part 2 under the sub-heading ‘The Basics‘).

How does the type of filtration help?

If the aquarist is using live rock of sufficient quality and in sufficient quantity, this excellent filtration can deal with nitrate as it completes the full nitrogen cycle, the nitrate being released from the aquarium after conversion to a gas. This is ideal, of course, but the aquarist must be sure not to overload the filtration with fish.

If another bio-filtration type is in use, for example canister filters or trickle filters, then once the nitrogen cycle has reached the production of nitrate stage that is as far as it goes. Seawater routine changes and/or other methods of nitrate control are required. If the nitrate level is persistent, and is not reducing, or is even rising despite seawater changes, then there are methods to reduce it. One good introduction is to construct a DSB (deep sand bed) if possible (see the articles ‘Deep Sand Bed Construction‘ and ‘Deep Sand Beds‘ both under the sub-heading ’Filtration’).

Some aquarists who have a sump, or even utilise the display aquarium, use algae to assist in combating nitrate (and phosphate). This is the macro-algae Caulerpa (see the text ‘Caulerpa‘ - this is not under Articles, but can be found by going to the right side of the page and looking under ‘Categories’. Go down to the bottom of the list to ‘Problems’, and click on ‘Algae’, which is at the very bottom).

One point I will make here which is a repeat of what is stated elsewhere is to do with feeding. This is one of the major ways, probably the major way, that nitrate (and phosphate) get into the aquarium.

Overfeeding! Until experience has been obtained and the aquarist knows how much should be fed, it is very easy indeed to overfeed. It is often done because of anxiety as to whether the fish etc are getting sufficient to eat. Fish are very good at ‘begging.‘ The fish will often eat until they can eat no more - this is because they instinctively eat while there is food available. They do not know, as in the wild, when further food will be available. Unfortunately, when food is taken in to such an extent some can be excreted half digested which adds to the likelihood of nitrate. In addition, the aquarist can place too much food in the aquarium anyway, and the excess not taken by the fish sinks and generally rots. This leads to nitrate. It also follows that if the aquarium is overstocked then feeding is going to be excessive, and coupled with a newcomer’s inexperience which permits overfeeding anyway there is going to be even more nitrate. Digressing - in a newly set-up system this overfeeding can also put a potentially dangerous strain on the bio-filtration. (For feeding, see the article ‘Feeding Time!‘ under the sub-heading ‘Care and Maintenance’).

When it is considered that one gram (about a teaspoonful) of flake food with a protein content of 50% can convert to 336ppm (parts per million) of nitrate* then overfeeding causing a problem can be understood.

I hope that this text along with the articles noted will help to bring together the causes of, and methods of dealing with, nitrate.

(* Reference: Helmet Debelius & Hans A Bach. Marine Atlas)

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Tags: Aquarium Maintenance, Care, nitrate, phosphate, Problems, Water Quality