The water in the aquarium is blooming

Question from Denis

Good afternoon.

I have a problem, the water in the aquarium is blooming, everything is turning green. The aquarium is exposed to sunlight, there is no other place. Is there any way to avoid water blooms, water additives don’t help. Thank you.

ANSWER

Greetings!

The water in the aquarium blooms for certain reasons. Exposure to sunlight is only one reason. In general, the water only blooms because certain conditions are created for bacteria and algae to live in the aquarium.

To deal with blooms, you need to know why they occur, so you can eliminate as much as possible all factors that influence the formation of greenness in the water and on the walls.

Causes of water blooms in the aquarium

Exposure to sunlight in the aquarium is probably the most well-known cause. Yes, sunlight is an important factor in the formation of algae. But there is another reason: Bacterial growth. These bacteria multiply under certain conditions, particularly if excess fish waste, food leftovers and the like accumulate in the tank.

However, this does not mean that sunlight is the main factor – the water may also bloom in winter if there is very little sunlight. The sun is like a catalyst that accelerates algae growth.

What to do when there is a water bloom

Here are some simple rules to minimise the risk of water blooms:

1. Limit the influence of sunlight on the aquarium. Sounds simple, but not always feasible. As one implementation option, you can try to make partitions between the aquarium and the sunny side. In this case, the influence of sunlight will be minimal.
2. Clean the aquarium regularly. Properly cleaning the aquarium is not that difficult. It is important to siphon the grounds regularly. Do this regularly and in a mandatory manner, and also change the water in the aquarium regularly.
3. There is another option with a chemical intervention – use a special product called Algol. We have never used it to combat water blooms, but we often use it to combat green growth in the aquarium. So be careful.
4. There is an opinion that you should remove most of the water from the aquarium and then the algae growth will go down as the conditions improve. In this case, it is better to also clean the filter and other equipment used.

We certainly advise you to do everything, but just don’t let the water in the aquarium bloom – turn green.

Good luck to you!