Algae - How Do You Get Rid of Them?

Massive, rampant green algae stretching through the aquarium in long threads. Smelly, dark films covering the entire substrate. Dense green fuzz coating all the decoration and aquatic plants and smothering them. Completely overgrown aquarium panes. Cloudy water that completely blocks the view – anyone who has ever experienced such a horror scenario as an aquarist knows how frustrating and annoying this situation can be. Many beginners in particular are tempted to give up the hobby because of algae outbreaks and similar problems. What can you do about algae in the aquarium? We want to help those who are struggling and stand by their side. On the one hand, algae are simply part of an aquarium's biotope; on the other hand, real algae plagues can truly drive aquarium owners crazy. A massive algae outbreak is also usually a sign of an imbalance in the ecosystem that needs to be corrected before it can cause even more damage in the aquarium.

In this section of the Aquascaping Wiki, you'll find everything important about algae. Our introductory article "Algae in the Aquarium" gives you a good overview. It describes the different types of algae in more detail, such as thread algae, beard algae, brush algae, diatoms or the dreaded Cladophora, but also cyanobacteria, free-floating algae and bacterial blooms. First of all, it's important to be able to identify the algae precisely so you can take targeted countermeasures and also get to the bottom of the causes. We've described every type of algae outbreak that occurs in the aquarium hobby in detail in individual articles.

You'll also find very effective control methods, from introducing the right natural predators and blackout treatments to treating the aquarium with specific anti-algae products. We always make sure that using such a product doesn't significantly affect the aquatic plants or the inhabitants of the aquarium or aquascape.

In this section, we also take a closer look at certain products that help prevent algae. The Twinstar Nano and other aquarium sterilizers from the same manufacturer are one option. Since these still fairly new devices need some explanation, we've created a dedicated Twinstar FAQ article.