Contents
How to wash off plaque in an aquarium
Plaque can spoil the appearance of even the most beautiful aquarium. It covers glass, decorations, plants. Figure out in advance how to wash off plaque in the aquarium so that if a problem arises, get rid of it as quickly as possible.
Why plaque appears in the aquarium
Dark bloom appears due to brown algae. In new aquariums, it occurs due to the fact that the nitrogen cycle has not yet had time to establish. In older aquariums, it occurs due to the accumulation of organic matter.
Plaque in the aquarium spoils its appearance
Remains of food, fertilizers, a dirty filter – all this leads to the appearance of dark spots on the walls and decorations of the aquarium. This plaque is not harmful to fish, but dangerous to aquarium plants. In just a week, he is able to completely fill the aquarium, and it will take at least 3-4 weeks to deal with such plaque.
White bloom is lime. It occurs due to the use of unfiltered or hard water, excess feed, lack of living plants. It is easy to remove such plaque at first, but the older it is, the more serious the problem.
How to get rid of plaque in an aquarium
Here is a list of measures to combat dark plaque:
- change at least 20% of water weekly;
- once a week, thoroughly rinse all the aquarium decorations with a sponge;
- check all filters and clean them if necessary;
- for a few days, reduce the length of daylight hours in the aquarium to 6 hours;
- Get ototsinkluses and snails in your aquarium.
Remove fresh limescale with a special aquarium scraper. Do not use metal scrapers! This procedure can be performed without draining the water. Remove older deposits with a hard dishwashing sponge. Clean hard-to-reach areas with a stiff toothbrush.
In advanced situations, you will have to drain the water from the aquarium and clean it with chemicals. One option is Tetratec napkins, which are available at pet stores. These wipes remove both limescale and dark algae deposits.
From folk methods, acetic and citric acid, ammonia helps to fight limescale
You can also use Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Glass Cleaning Spray. Apply it to the glass, leave it for a couple of minutes so that it breaks down the lime, rinse it off with a sponge under running water.
First of all, figure out what kind of plaque you are dealing with and from what it came from. Next, choose the right plaque remover and take care of the prevention so that the problem does not return.