Before adding an algae eater fish or algae eating snail to your fish tank, it’s essential to know the algae type growing in your aquarium. After all, different algae eaters eat different kinds of algae. These are the types of algae that grow in freshwater fish tanks:
Hair Algae
Hair algae are also called filamentous or thread algae. It is light green and grows in wispy strands. Hair algae are fast-growing and attach to any tank surface.
Brown Algae
Also known as diatoms are single-celled brown algae. It starts to form over tank surfaces in dust-like particles, which soon turn into a thick covering.
Brown Slime Algae
Dinoflagellates or brown slime algae is symbiotic. It gives nutrients to invertebrates like snails and shrimp but can overwhelm the tank if not enough algae eaters are present.
Blue-Green Algae
Cyanobacteria or blue-green algae are usually pinkish-red in color (despite the name). It usually starts as a spot or two but can spread and cover tank and decoration surfaces.
Black Beard Algae
Black beard algae are dark purple or black and usually grow on aquarium plants.
Green Spot Algae
This type of algae thrives in tanks that have bright lighting and can prove challenging to get rid of. It grows on tank walls and slow-growing plants.
Green Algae
Green algae are also known as algae bloom and occur when you do not let your tank cycle or if the lighting is too bright. It is the algae that turn the aquarium water green.
References
- What kind of algae is in my fish tank? – Algae in your Freshwater Aquarium? – Fish Tank Advisor – https://fishtankadvisor.com/freshwater-algae/
- Aquarium Freshwater Algae – Chewy – Pet Central by Chewy – https://petcentral.chewy.com/aquarium-freshwater-algae/
- Filamentous Algae – AquaPlant – A Diagnostics Tool for Pond Plants and Algae – https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/filamentous-algae/
- Description of Common Aquarium Algae – Algone – https://www.algone.com/description-of-common-aquarium-algae
- Nitrogen-Fixing Blue-Green Algae – https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-662-10385-2_26
- Introduction to the Cyanobacteria – https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanointro.html
- How to get rid of Black Beard Algae in an Aquarium – Aquascaper – https://aquascaper.org/how-to-get-rid-of-black-beard-algae-in-an-aquarium
- Does Green Water Hurt Fish? – Pond Algae Solutions – http://pondalgaesolutions.org/2011/08/02/does-green-water-hurt-fish/
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