How to clean the aquarium from green plaque at home? How to clean the stones and decorations in the aquarium from algae? How to clean aquarium artificial plants.

Aquarium artificial plants and decorations can be difficult to clean, especially when they are heavily covered with algae. There are several basic recipes for how best to clean them.

Looking ahead, I will say: Never try to clean algae with soap and water or with highly toxic cleaners.

By placing artificial plants in the aquarium, after such cleaning, you can see the rapid death of all your fish. I highly doubt this is what you are looking for.

The aquarium needs to be cleaned regularly. It is desirable to combine these actions.

A well-functioning aquarium is home to beneficial bacteria, and cleaning everything out of the aquarium environment can kill or greatly weaken a colony of these bacteria.

If possible, try to wash your aquarium decorations and plastic plants one at a time, rather than all at once, on the same day.

There are several effective and safe ways to clean aquarium artificial plants.

How to clean artificial aquarium plants?!

With the help of boiling water

Hot water easily kills algae, making your decorations easy to clean. It is best to use this method as it does absolutely no harm to your aquarium fish.

But, he will add some part of the physical work with a scraper.

Recipe for cleaning with boiling water

• We boil water
• Put plants in boiling water
• We are waiting for 10-15 minutes
• We clean the scraper from algae
• Putting it back in the aquarium

It is sometimes acceptable to use a bleach solution as this alone can, in rare cases, help get rid of algae on plants.

However, be aware that bleach can discolor some or all of your plants and cause serious harm to your fish if you don't wash it off completely. To be honest, the discoloration effect can only be seen when cleaning really penny aquarium products.

High-quality plastic aquarium plants are coated with a special varnish that can withstand exposure to bleach.

Never use bleach when cleaning artificial driftwood and corals. Also, do not mix bleach with other substances to create a more vigorous mixture.

Safe bleach cleaning of aquarium plants and decorations

• Mix 1 part bleach and 9 parts clean water. We need a 10% solution.
• Soak the decorations and artificial plants in the solution for 15 minutes.
• After the solution with bleach, place the decorations in plain water minutes for 15.
• Rinse in running water. Rinse thoroughly.

If possible, use a chlorine neutralizer during the soaking in clean water.

Cleaning silk artificial aquarium plants

First, rinse thoroughly in hot water. Boiling water is not necessary.

After that, you will need to prepare a paste from a mixture of non-iodized salt and lemon juice.

Using a toothbrush, apply the paste to the silk decor and thoroughly clean the algae. When you are sure that you have cleaned all the algae, all that remains is to rinse the product under hot running water.

Get yourself snails in an aquarium, they will eat most of the algae even before all the above operations are required. Mollies are also very helpful in removing algae.

Algae on the rocks and aquarium decor are quite frequent guests and spoil it very much appearance aquarium. Remove algae from aquarium decor No problem, they clean up quite easily. It is much more difficult, more important and more laborious to correct the factors that contributed to the growth of algae in the aquarium so that they do not appear again.

List of necessary things:

1. Toothbrush or sponge
2. Bucket or other container
3. Bleach (Whiteness)

Cleaning stones and decor from algae

Take it all away decorative elements to be cleaned, into a bucket

Pour into a bucket hot water(you can even boil water) and leave your decor for 10 minutes. After that, clean the aquarium decorations with a toothbrush or a soft sponge. If there are a lot of holes in the decor, then it is much more convenient to use a toothbrush (but not from a personal hygiene kit =))

Leave decorations in this solution for 15-20 minutes. Most of the algae will disappear, and the rest will turn white and eventually fall off.

And at the last stage of cleaning, the entire decor must be rinsed very thoroughly under running water.

Prevention of algae in the aquarium

The aquarium should have lighting for no more than 12 hours. Also, keep your aquarium out of direct sunlight.

The fluorescent lamps may need to be replaced. Choose special aquarium lamps. Over time, the algae will disappear when the wavelength of the lamp changes.

Clean the filter regularly

Change 10 to 25 percent of your tank with water every week.

Do regular water tests in order to know the values ​​of nitrates, ammonia or other nutrients for algae. After that, you can take appropriate measures to solve a specific problem.

An aquarium in our apartment or office is a small corner of wildlife, undersea world. He always pleases the eye of the owner and attracts the views of guests.

Natural purity creates the illusion of a short-term immersion in the realm of Neptune. How to make sure that this feeling does not disappear? How to avoid water bloom and green plaque?

Every lover of the underwater world in the room sooner or later had to deal with the problems of cleanliness of the aquarium.

The most frequent problems.

1. Cloudy water. Water loses its transparency and acquires a whitish tint. Most often this happens in a new aquarium that has just been populated with fish. This phenomenon is temporary. The development of a mass of bacteria makes the water opaque. This goes on for two or three days. With proper feeding of fish and optimal temperature conditions, the next stage in the development of the underwater world begins - the biological balance between unicellular organisms and more highly organized. Infusor turbidity disappears.
2. Rotting in the ground. After some time, the soil may be covered with a dark film and periodically release bubbles. There is a rotting of organic residues that fell into the ground initially or with the process of feeding the fish. To prevent this, it is better to underfeed pets than to overfeed. Snails are an additional means of dealing with organic matter in the soil.
3. Water color change to green or brown. This is due to the development of algae in the water: green, blue-green or brown.
4. Formation of plaque on the walls. Plaque is also green or brown.

These two problems are interrelated, often have common causes, the means to eliminate them are also the same. Plaque on the walls is the biggest nuisance in the life of an aquarium.

Brown plaque is caused by the development of brown algae. The reason for its formation is the lack of illumination in the aquarium. As in any living body of water, in our closed underwater world there are all kinds of microorganisms, bacteria and algae.

The imbalance leads to the rapid development of one or another organism. Brown plaque is eliminated by leveling the lighting to normal. Wash the walls, change a little water and add light - and you're done.

The problem with brown algae is solved. Most often this happens due to their replacement with green algae, as more highly organized ones.

The most famous of school course biology - euglena green. It is this algae that is the main cause of green water. Plaque is formed by green algae of other species - threads of edogonium and xenococus.

These are the most common green algae that grow on the walls of the aquarium and stones on the ground. It is much more difficult to deal with them, so we will consider all methods.

1. The main reason for the rapid development of green algae is excessive lighting.. Avoid direct sunlight on the aquarium. The distance to the window must be at least 1.5 meters. Choose artificial lighting lamps at the rate of 0.5 W / l with a duration of no more than 8 hours a day. At a higher pH in the aquarium, green algae also grow less intensively.
2. Regular wall cleaning and partial water changes. Take care of your underwater world and you will avoid many problems. Cleaning the walls should be done with a soft sponge, cutting with a blade is an extreme measure. Scratches on the glass make it possible for algae particles to remain and continue to multiply. Water changes should not be more than ¼ of the total.
3. Biological cleaning method. This is the most desirable method. Many types of aquarium fish feed on algae. Almost all viviparous are guppies, swordtails, platies and mollies. Carp, goldfish, veiltails, telescopes also diversify their diet with greens. Experts say that the better aquarium plants grow, the less algae will multiply. A variety of snails will be of great help in cleaning the walls and water. They eat the remnants of the remaining food, some filter the water through themselves, thus feeding on unicellular algae. Ampoules love to gnaw algae off glass. But, as with everything, you need to follow the measure. Daphnia and cyclops can quickly clear the entire volume, but they themselves are tasty prey for fish.
4. Salting water. In this article, we are looking at freshwater aquariums. The sea walls are not overgrown with green algae, there are problems there. If water acidification is not possible due to the content of certain fish species, you can try to add salt to the water, no more than 1 g / l. Salt will delay the development of green algae in the water.
5. Chemical method. Antibiotics are useful in the fight against bacteria and lower algae, if the problem has gone too far and other methods do not help. You can treat the aquarium with Riboflavin, Tripaflavin, Rivanol (0.1 g per 100 l). But when using these substances, snails and some aquarium plants with delicate green leaves suffer. Cabomba and hornwort will shed their leaves immediately after applying these remedies. Streptomycin and Penicillin are less harsh. Plants and fish are not affected. The applied dose of Streptomycin is 0.3 mg/l for 48 hours, then the water should be changed. The safest aquarium disinfectant chemical is 3% hydrogen peroxide. Concentration from 2 to 6 mg/l with enhanced aeration. No water change required.

The easiest way to keep an aquarium clean is to organize it properly from the start.

In a properly organized aquarium, a biological balance is established, and the water in it can not be changed for years.

A few tips on how to start setting up an aquarium.

1. The larger the volume, the easier it is to establish a biocenosis in it. Aquariums from 10 liters are generally considered temporary - for jigging fish for the duration of sanitary work or for spawning. An ideal aquarium is an aquarium with a volume of at least 100 liters. Only in such a water space can life organize itself.
2. The population of the aquarium with fish should be at the rate of 1 medium-sized fish per 5 liters of water, a little more liquid is better. Planting should also be taken into account. Plants absorb the waste products of fish and snails from the water, saturate the water with oxygen, converting carbon dioxide in the process of photosynthesis. But at night, plants themselves consume oxygen, and the process of photosynthesis stops at this time. Therefore, an overabundance of plants can play a cruel joke with an inexperienced aquarist, although this is rare. Excess amount snails can turn from a squad of cleaners into a crowd of pollutants, it is necessary to thin out their population in a timely manner.
3. It is advisable to purchase fish, plants and snails in specialized stores or from experienced breeders. The risk of introducing an infection from a natural reservoir is too great. This also applies to the infection of the aquarium with euglena in the summer, when it multiplies intensively in ponds and lakes.
4. Feeding the fish should be very moderate. Dry food should be eaten within 10-15 minutes. Preference, of course, fresh live food. For most aquarium fish, it is not particularly difficult to fast for 3-4 days. If you are going to be away from home, do not pour food in advance.
5. Illumination. The aquarium should be set up so that direct sunlight does not fall on it, but the illumination is sufficient. A distance of 1.5 m from the window will be ideal. Solar lighting is best organized in the morning, and the duration of lighting 8-10 hours a day is sufficient. The lack of sunlight can be compensated by artificial lighting.

The established biological balance in the aquarium is characterized by the transparency of the water and the natural greenery of the plants. The color of the correct water, if you take a glass from the aquarium, is yellowish. This is the so-called Fish condition water.

The water became alive, the biocenosis was established. After about a week of operation of the indoor underwater world, this should happen. If not, you need to analyze the errors, but you should not panic. Nature is wise, you just need not interfere with it.

The issue of algal outbreaks in the aquarium periodically torments both beginners and pros of the aquarium trade. And all why? Because these unwanted guests can appear both "in a young" and "in an old" reservoir.
An experienced aquarist will immediately notice unwanted algae and, knowing approximately its name or genus, will quickly neutralize it, preventing an outbreak. But for beginners, it's hard!

The situation is further aggravated by the diversity of information on the issue of algae control. Who says: keep the aquarium in the dark, who, on the contrary, increase the daylight hours! Some say: you have an overdose of fertilizers in the aquarium, while others, on the contrary, you have little macro fertilizers, etc.

Let's figure out what's wrong in the aquarium ?! How to deal with it! Let's debunk the legends and myths about algae.

What is aquarium algae?

Many beginners call algae aquarium plants and vice versa plants are called algae! This is a fundamentally wrong understanding of the essence of plant nature.
aquarium plants- these are the highest flora. In the aquarium, these are the same plants as in the field or on the lawn near the house. This is a biological kingdom, one of the main groups of multicellular organisms, including mosses, ferns, horsetails, club mosses, etc.
Seaweed are the lowest. A heterogeneous ecological group of predominantly phototrophic unicellular, colonial or multicellular organisms, usually living in aquatic environment, systematically representing a set of many departments. Entering into symbiosis with fungi, these organisms in the course of evolution formed completely new organisms - lichens.

Having demarcated these two concepts, we decided with whom specifically we need to fight. Our aquarium enemy is algae, the lowest of the plant world!

How to deal with and get rid of aquarium algae

At the dawn of the formation of our site, a simple article was written: PLAQUE ON AQUARIUM WALLS AND STONES. Time passed, and to our surprise, even such a short article gained popularity! Yes and on forum, guys often ask for help in the fight against these nasty "raids".
Well, perhaps it's time to paint everything on the shelves!

So here are the main effective methods fight against green, brown, brown, black, blue-green algae.

1. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO DETERMINE WHAT IS A PLAQUE AND WHAT IS ALGAE!
Like plants, there are a large number of algae, as well as their species and subspecies. Of course, it is impossible to know all of them, but you need to know the group, the genus of these algae! The effectiveness of the struggle and the actions that need to be taken depend on this.
This is where all the confusion in the advice on the forums lies: turn off the light, turn on the light ... Everyone has different outbreaks of algae, different aquariums, different lighting, water and aquatic organisms.
Below, in this article, there will be an overview of the main and most common algae in the aquarium and the specifics of dealing with them.

2. AQUARIUM BIOBALANC IS OUR EVERYTHING!
The root cause of any aquarium trouble is the absence or violation of the biobalance in the aquarium, that is, the mutual balance of all hydrobionts (fish, plants, mollusks, algae, fungi, bacteria, etc.).
You will be surprised, but in the aquarium there are always, constantly spores of various algae, as well as bacteria and fungi! All of them perform their function, for example, to clean the aquarium of dead organic matter, remove poisons (ammonium, nitrites and nitrates) from the aquarium, etc. In other words, the aquarium is not sterile - it is a living organism, from various groups, colonies visible and not visible to man living organisms.

An algae outbreak is a visual evidence of a violation (absence) of the biobalance in an aquarium. This is the loss of any link in the balance!

Having found out which link fell out, you need to return it to its place. Which is hard for a beginner to do!

Here are the main reasons for the loss of the biobalance link:

- lack of daylight hours or using the "wrong" lamps with the "wrong" spectrum. Accordingly, it is necessary to increase daylight hours or remove lamps with a "bad" spectrum and buy lamps of the desired spectrum or purchase lamps of the missing spectrum. More Aquarium lighting and lamp selection and Do-it-yourself aquarium lighting. This item, for example, is relevant for diatoms that appear in "young aquariums" and which do not like intense lighting.

- the presence in the aquarium of excess dead organic matter and dirt(dead plants, fish, food residues, waste products of hydrobionts, etc.). Simply put, the aquarium does not have time to cope with such an amount of "garbage" and the only way out for our beloved, live aquarium is to call for help from algae, which will happily gobble up all this garbage.
Accordingly, you need to remove all the “garbage”: siphon the bottom of the aquarium, clean the walls, decor and equipment, try to mechanically remove algae, as well as do more frequent and more complete water changes with fresh water, in the end, you can pour aquarium coal into the filter compartment .

The next reason follows from the above and is a disastrous continuation of the accumulation of "dirt" in the aquarium. All dead organic matter is decomposed by beneficial bacteria and fungi, and removed from the aquarium. If there is a lot of this dead organic matter and it accumulates, microorganisms do not have time to process it! Poisons begin to accumulate in the aquarium - decomposition products: ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, which leads not only to the appearance of algae, but generally destroys all living things in the aquarium.
In addition to the above measures for thorough cleaning of the aquarium, you need to use aquarium preparations that either absorb poisons or increase the colony of beneficial nitrifier bacteria, for example:

A) zeolite. Sold in pet stores or other places. A mixture of zeolite and coal is found everywhere Fluval Zeo-Carb.
On a note: you need to know that aquarium charcoal is not effective against poisons and only ion-exchange resin - zeolite removes them.
B) Biostarter drugs, as well as drugs that increase the colonies of beneficial bacteria. Simply put, these are preparations that contain the very bacteria that decompose poisons. There are a lot of such drugs, for example, popular ones: - colony of bacteria,Tetra NitratMinus , Tetra NitrateMinus Pearls - these preparations for feeding beneficial bacteria and others.

3. A large number of plants in the aquarium. No one has yet scientifically proven that plants suppress algae, but the fact remains that in an aquarium with live aquarium plants (1/2, 2/3), there are no algal outbreaks, except sometimes green dots appear, and then from strong lighting.
Therefore, if you have the opportunity to provide plants with proper care: LIGHT, CO2, UDO- be sure to plant beds!

4. Yes useful fish that fight - eat algae and algal plaque:
A) Siamese algae eaters- tireless workers of the aquarium, sometimes it seems that the only meaning of their life is an insatiable desire to kiss all the plants and all the stones, and walk through all the aquarium decorations. They can also be found under the abbreviation SAE, which stands for Siamese Algae Eater and translates as Siamese algae eaters. There are also KAE and IAE - Chinese and Indian algae eaters. Effective against algae "black beard", "thread" and "deer horns", etc.
B) Otocinclus- no less effective fish. Due to the structure of their mouth, they carefully and well remove algae from plants, decor and walls. Copes with green, brown (diatoms), etc.
B) Ancistrus- are also useful. But, unlike the aforementioned fish, adults of Ancistrus are lazy. Yes, and they say that in addition to algae, they also eat plants.
G) The whole family also belongs to a good assistant in the fight against algae. pecilian- guppies, swordtails, mollies, platies and others.
D) All possible shellfish- pugulars, coils, physes, marizas, etc.

E) Amana shrimp. Help in the fight against thread.

Note that you can rely on the help of these fish, but not rely on them.

5. And finally, aquarium preparations that suppress algae will come to the rescue. There are a lot of such drugs sold in pet stores, as a rule, they contain the word “Algo” (algae) in their name, for example, .

These drugs must be used carefully, wisely and according to the instructions. We recommend Tetra products, as their preparations contain monolinuron, which has a milder, more gentle effect. At correct application- taking into account all the circumstances in the aquarium, Tetra products do not negative impact on fish and plants. Read more.

Another and rather extensive group of preparations for algae contains glutaraldehyde, a more powerful algaecide. It can be used in advanced cases or, for example, in dense herbalists. In general, in practice it has been noticed that if the aquarium is just with fish, then it is better to use Tetra and monolinuron. And if we are talking about a herbalist - an aquarium with plants, then preparations based on glutaraldehyde are excellent and effective. There are a lot of such drugs, including domestic brands. Of all the variety, we can recommend the algae preparation from the Medos VladOx company - glutaraldehyde, at the right price! You can learn more about this drug.

So, we have examined the main causes of algae in the aquarium, and also analyzed the main methods of dealing with them. Finally, it should be noted that, as a rule, “an algae trouble comes in a complex”, and therefore it is necessary to deal with it in a complex way, i.e. not one method, but several at once, or even all at once.

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Algae in the aquarium - know the enemy by sight!

Types of aquarium algae with a photo

As previously mentioned, there are a lot of varieties of algae. There are over 30,000 species! Below are the most common algae, the reasons for their appearance in the aquarium and the individual features of solving problems with them.

But first, a classification. Due to the abundance of algal mass, they were simply divided according to the color of the thallus (thallus) into:

- Diatoms - Diatomeae;
- brown algae- Phaeophceae;
- Green algae - Chlorophceae;
- Yellow-green algae - Xantophceae;
- Red algae - Rhodophceae;
- Golden algae - Chrysophceae;
- Blue-green algae - Cynophceae;

They include the following "popular algal pests":

Brown or diatoms

photo brown, brown algae in the aquarium

These are the simplest and, if I may say so, harmless algae. They are placed at the very top of the list, as they often appear in beginners - in young aquariums. The first reason for their appearance is the lack of lighting, the second is the lack of biobalance in young aquariums - tuned.
As soon as a young aquarium is set up or lighting is added, diatoms will disappear on their own. You can remove them mechanically and with the help of snails.

Red algae or black algae

Vietnamese seaweed or deer antlers

photo of Vietnamese aquarium algae

This algae is probably written on everyone! And all the same, the ranks of the unfortunate owners of this infection in their aquarium, everything is replenished and replenished.
This algae is very tenacious and difficult to remove. Its appearance speaks primarily of the high content of dead organic matter in the aquarium, which it feeds on.
The methods of struggle are common: we carefully remove everything, siphon the soil - we remove the organic matter. We put coal and zeolite in the filter, do frequent water changes (up to 50% per week), well, we use algicides and algae eaters.

Seaweed black beard

photo seaweed black beard

Many people confuse her with "Vietnamese", because. it is similar and has the same causes of appearance. As a rule, appears in "young aquariums". The extraction methods are the same.

Artificial plants for the aquarium are used as an alternative to living ones. Such algae do not require painstaking care and are durable, and their appearance almost does not differ from living samples. This allows you to significantly save on the purchase of rare and expensive live plants, but at the same time have greenery in your aquarium. For all its merits, artificial algae have certain characteristics, and their safety is partly overgrown with various myths.

Advantages and disadvantages

Before analyzing the pros and cons of artificial aquarium plants, we will find out why flora is needed in an aquarium at all and in what cases it can (or even need to) be replaced with artificial greenery.

Why do you need plants in an aquarium

Living plants and algae in a closed aquarium water system perform 2 main functions:

1. Decorative and aesthetic: they fill the interior space of the aquarium, are used for aquascaping (aquarium design), with their help create picturesque compositions and underwater local "gardens". It is thanks to the flora that the aquarium becomes a real design object in the interior and decorates it.
2. Regulatory: plants create an ecosystem inside a closed water space, regulate the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the water, purify the water from the waste products of fish, and with a soil root system, they also prevent the formation of stagnant zones in the soil.

Did you know?The aquarium is a real miniature ecosystem model, and it is possible to trace the relationship between living organisms and their habitat. The ecosystem consists of abiotic components (temperature, light, etc.) and 3 groups of living organisms: producers (producers - algae and plants), consumers (consumers - fish) and decomposers (destroyers - fungi and bacteria, snails and catfish that process dead organic matter ). Each of the groups of organisms, in interconnection with others, participates in the cycle of substances, maintaining the balance and making the very existence of the ecosystem possible.

Among other things, live plants are not the least important for many inhabitants of the aquarium. So, some fish use algae as food, and in another case, vegetation acts as a substrate for spawning - many fish prefer to lay eggs in dense thickets of aquatic plants.
On the one hand, living plants seem indispensable in an aquarium, but on the other hand, they are not necessary in every case. Partial performance of their functions can be shifted to additional aquarium equipment. And sometimes it happens that living flora is not only not necessary, but also does more harm than good.

In such cases, live plants are replaced by artificial ones. Today they are sold in every pet store, they cost almost the same as the originals, and outwardly they practically do not differ from living flora. Many people cannot even always determine that the vegetation in the aquarium is not real.

Important! Plastic algae can completely replace the entire living flora of the aquarium, but they do not perform the function of producers in the ecosystem. Therefore, the implementation of such tasks as water purification, oxygenation, plant food for fish, will have to be taken over by a person.

Advantages of artificial algae

The main advantages of artificial plants in the aquarium environment include the following:

Did you know? Plastic algae are made from polyamide. This material is used in medicine, for example, to create artificial blood vessels, and food containers for food storage are also made from it. Therefore, it is considered completely safe and environmentally friendly.

Flaws

However, apart from a large number Advantages artificial plants have certain disadvantages:

• there is no desire to take care of living plants, but it is possible to install a powerful filter and aerator;
• in aquariums with unpretentious inhabitants, which are most often active and large fish;
• if you keep fish that love to dig the ground and eat plants;
• in quarantine aquariums.

Important!You can combine artificial and living flora in an aquarium. This will allow you to create any design at your discretion and at the same time provide aquatic inhabitants with living plants with their useful functions.

How to check the quality of artificial algae dye

Since low-quality products can release paint dangerous to aquatic organisms into water, it is recommended to check them for color fastness before use, and, therefore, for the quality of the product itself. It is very simple to do this: just place artificial algae in the Whiteness solution.

"Whiteness" is a bleach based on sodium hypochlorite. In addition to bleaching, this substance also has disinfectant, antiseptic, disinfecting properties. And it is great not only for checking the quality of aquarium decor, but also for disinfecting it.
It must be remembered that "Whiteness" destroys all living microflora - not only pathogenic, but also necessary, it can also kill fish. Therefore, it cannot be used in a populated aquarium. However, sodium hypochlorite is very unstable and decomposes quickly, so a day after use, any decorative elements, even without washing, become safe for aquatic inhabitants.

To check the decor for color quality, you need to do the following:

1. Make a 10% solution. To do this, stir "Whiteness" in clean water in a ratio of 1:9.
2. Calculate the required volume of the solution so that the water completely covers all the decorative elements.
3. Soak all plastic plants in the solution for 15 minutes. If the products are of poor quality, the paint will discolor during this time. If the quality is good, then the color will remain the same.
4. After 15 minutes, if the appearance of the decorations remains the same, place them in a container with warm water for another 15 minutes.
5. After that, thoroughly rinse the products under clean, running warm water.

If you rinse for half an hour, then you can be completely sure of the complete cleaning of algae from "Whiteness". In extreme cases, processed items can be left in the air for at least a day, after which they will again become suitable for placement in an aquarium.

Important!Bleach is suitable not only for the treatment of artificial plants, but also for the disinfection of the aquarium tank itself, all internal appliances and any decor. However, if any elements have a porous structure, then it is necessary to clean them of sodium hypochlorite especially carefully, since the substance clogs into the pores, after which it can get into the water and poison the inhabitants.

DIY artificial plants for an aquarium

Of course, you cannot create exact copies of real plants with your own hands, since this requires special equipment and materials. However, you can make an interesting hand-made, which, although it will not have a direct resemblance to living representatives of the flora, can look interesting in the aquarium space.

For example, you can make algae from green yarn. It swims beautifully in the water, looks fluffy, does not damage the fish and is great for spawning, as the eggs are easily attached between the fibers of the threads.

To create artificial algae, you will need:

• a skein of high-quality green wool yarn;
• a square piece of hard cardboard measuring 20 × 20;
• scissors;
• a small piece of foam as a float;
• medium size decorative rock as a weighting agent.

Algae with your own hands is ready. Now it only needs to be submerged in water. Since wool yarn does not sink well, dip it in water and squeeze, squeezing air bubbles out of the thread structure. In this way, the water will penetrate the yarn faster, and it will sink into the water faster. If this is not done, the threads themselves will get wet for a long time.
Such a product can be used both in spawning and in a regular aquarium.

Aquarium Design Rules

In order for artificial plants to look organic in the aquarium, they must be placed taking into account some rules:

1. Equipment disguise. Such products are well suited to hide equipment that violates natural look underwater landscape. To do this, it is necessary to use tall and long specimens, placing them next to the devices so that the thick leaves hide the equipment from the eyes.
2. The back wall of the aquarium is best made neutral or dark, then attention will not switch from the plant composition to the background. The color depends on what color the plants will be. If the composition is replete with different colors, then a light, neutral background will look more advantageous, and a dark one will do if the plants are predominantly monochromatic, for example, light green.


3. The soil is also best to choose a neutral shade - light gray or beige. Small pebbles or sand are fine. You can also use soft shells.
4. If the soil is poured in layers with a thickness decreasing backwards, then an impression of perspective can be achieved. Closest to the front wall, a more impressive layer of soil is poured, and towards the back wall, the layer thickness can decrease by 2-3 times.
5. Approximately in the middle of the tank, in its central part, at the bottom, spray stones (aeration stones) can be placed that emit air bubbles. These bubbles will enliven the underwater world, draw attention to the design elements and enrich the aquatic organisms with oxygen.
6. In the center of the aquarium, medium-sized plants, such as the Amazon, are usually placed.
   Ideally, if the height of the plant reaches about 1/3 of the capacity. This algae will be the basis of the composition, so you should pay attention to the choice of plant, its size and color. Most tall plants best placed at the back, close to the background.
7. To focus on the central plant of the composition, snags, stones, shells should be placed next to it. Using plastic products of a different type (for example, a sunken galleon) is not recommended, as they will destroy the whole organic design. Around this area, you can "plant" small algae and small bushes that will not block the visibility of the central part.


8. Near the front wall, you can leave an empty space or "plant" it with small specimens. It is important that they do not distract attention to themselves and make the rest of the aquarium space visible. More dense thickets may be near the side walls and in the background.
9. To make your aquarium design more interesting, do not use plants of only one type, color and size. But do not try to "shove" into the aquarium all the variety of plastic products that are found in pet stores. It is best to opt for 3 types of plants, 2 of which will be similar in color, and the color of the third will be different. Each species may have its own size.


10. When placing plants, do not strive for geometric accuracy. Try to avoid straight lines, correct quantitative ratios, do not plant products in one row. In nature, there is always a slight negligence.
11. You can also experiment with lighting. Artificial flora does not need bright light; moreover, under too bright and prolonged lighting, the products will begin to fade faster. Therefore, you can limit yourself to only the light that the underwater inhabitant needs, and not all fish need daylight. In addition to brightness, you can also experiment with the color shade of lighting - blue, pink, greenish.

How to clean artificial plants in an aquarium

The aquarium environment contains its own ecosystem, and over time, artificial plants begin to become covered with small-celled algae. Products from this, of course, do not deteriorate, but lose their aesthetic appeal. Therefore, plastic copies must be cleaned periodically. Cleaning can be done in two ways.