Home » Plants & Animals » Aquariums » Algae - Part one of two

Algae - Part one of two

© Winston Vaughan Schoenfeld

This is the first article in a two part series dedicated to teaching you how to deal with and avoid algae problems in the aquarium. While algae in not necessarily a bad thing in some aquariums (ex. reef), most aquariums are better off without it. Before we can fully understand how to avoid algae problems in the aquarium, we must first understand why algae exists. In Part I, I will try and describe what it is that allows algae to be present in an aquarium. Part II of this two part series will then deal with how to reduce the risk of algae problems, and what to do if they occur.

As I mentioned above, we must first understand what allows algae to survive. As with all animals, the ability to survive depends on the presence of the basic requirements of living...for example humans must have food and water. So, what is it that algae needs? The requirements of algae life can be broken up into two categories: light and nutrients.

Light At first examination, this may seem to be a horribly obvious concept....of course algae needs light. But ask yourself this - How is it that natural reefs do not have algae problems? They do get light all day long. Things are a little different in aquariums, and some minor differences are easy to overlook between naturally occurring systems and the aquarium. In Part II I will lay out the answer to this question.

Nutrients This brings us to the second category.....nutrients. So, what are the nutrients that algae needs, and where do they come from? The first source of life for algae is nitrate. Nitrate is in all aquariums, and is a by-product of nitrite decomposition in the aquarium. The wonderful bacterial colonies which remove the toxic nitrite from the aquarium are at the same time providing a source of life for the algae. We often do not say much about nitrate since it is not toxic to fish, but now you may think again. Two other sources of nutrients for algae are phosphate and carbon dioxide. Phosphate sources are everywhere - they get into the aquarium through water changes and even food. Their abundance in the aquarium is unavoidable, but controllable. Similarly, carbon dioxide is present whether we like it or not, but some sources of it can be avoided. The last component of nutrients for algae comes from dissolved organic matter. Again, there are many sources of organic matter, but some are more common than others, often in places that you may not have thought of. All of the above mentioned nutrients can lead to horrible outbreaks of algae in the aquarium. Fortunately, they can all be reduced or avoided. In the next article, I will focus on the ways we can prevent each of these sources of algae life from getting out of hand. There are some really easy solutions once you understand the places that they come from.

The copyright of the article Algae - Part one of two in Aquariums is owned by Winston Vaughan Schoenfeld. Permission to republish Algae - Part one of two in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.