Kladofora - spherical algae, growing at the bottom of ponds, often used to decorate aquariums. In the modern scientific community, it is also called Aegagropila linnaei. There are two types of this plant. The first type is useful, possessing excellent decorative qualities and bearing certain benefits to the reservoir in which it is located.
As a rule, a spherical cladophore in an aquarium is used as a decor. The second type is the “harmful” cladophore, which is very undesirable in aquariums. This species is a filamentous algae having a rigid structure. This allows her to successfully fix in the soil, on equipment and decorative elements of aquariums. The decorative properties of healthy algae and how to get rid of cladophores in an aquarium are described in this article.
Study history
The active distribution of this algae in the water bodies of European countries contributed to the intensive study and classification of this plant. The first scientist to describe the cladophore was the famous Swedish naturalist Karl Linney. In the mid-18th century, he presented his scientific work, in which he referred to this plant as Conferva aegagrophilia, which means "leafless alga".
Since then, in scientific terminology, the name of spherical algae has changed many times. Scientists could not come to a consensus until 2002, when biology experts decided to give the cladophore the scientific name Aegagropila linnaei in honor of the researcher who first studied this algae.
Features of cladophores
Algae has become popular in the aquarium world due to the fact that it is a wonderful decoration of the aquarium and an excellent natural filter that can clean large volumes of water. In addition, not everyone knows that it is used in industry in the production of glue, alcohol and durable paper. Today, science knows more than 400 species of algae of the cladophore family.
Kladofora gained wide popularity due to its ability to carry out mechanical and biological purification of water in the aquarium. In the natural environment, this algae grows comfortably only at the bottom of ponds, where there is limited lighting. Therefore, for normal life in a spherical cladophore aquarium, intensive lighting is not required. Cladophore is unpretentious to the characteristics of water. Acceptable will be alkaline water with little hardness. The most favorable temperature for it will be a range of 20–22 degrees Celsius, which is not consistent with the conditions of tropical fish.
Breeding and keeping a spherical cladophore in an aquarium
The plant propagates vegetatively, dividing into parts, from which new algal colonies grow. In addition, it can be separated mechanically using scissors. Then it is placed in a separate vessel with cool water, where the formation of new balls will take place. Another artificial method is to heat water to a temperature of 24–25 degrees Celsius. In this case, the cladophore itself will fall apart. To keep the cladophores in the aquarium, it remains only to collect the individual elements and place them in a separate container.
As a rule, its artificial reproduction in an aquarium does not make practical sense, since it is inexpensive and it is much easier to buy it than to breed. This is affected by its main feature - a very slow growth.
Replacing water for cladophore algae in an aquarium is no less important than for fish. This significantly reduces the amount of nitrates in the water and prevents cladophore contamination. In addition, do not forget about aeration and filtration, as well as measures that will have a beneficial effect on the spherical cladophore.
Detritus should not be abundant in the aquarium. Any “garbage” will have a detrimental effect on the algae. If it is still covered with debris and has changed in color, you just need to rinse it well and squeeze it. It will easily recover after such cleaning, but it is better to treat it with care: place in a separate container and rinse gently. An excellent solution for cleaning kladofora will be the maintenance of aquarium shrimp. They readily graze on it, eating all the settled trash.
Possible problems in the content process
Despite its unpretentiousness and the possibility of existence in a wide temperature range, the cladophore in the aquarium sometimes changes color, which is a kind of indicator of its health and successful growth. If she turned pale or completely turned white, this indicates an excess of light. The problem is well solved by moving the aquarium to a darker place.
Often the cladophore can change its spherical shape, other algae appear on it, for example, filamentous. It is carefully removed from the water, inspected, and fouling removed. Sometimes it is possible to observe the decay of cladophores. It is believed that such a process occurs in case of too high water temperature or due to the accumulation of organic matter in algae. In this case, you just need to remove its blackened parts, and young balls will subsequently grow from the remaining elements.
Unusual use of algae
Some aquarium lovers contain cladophora not only in its natural form, but also in a flat state. To do this, the ball is thoroughly washed with water, opened with scissors or an office knife. After that, it is leveled to a flat pad, which is fixed on a flat stone with a fishing line and carefully placed in the aquarium. After a while, the stone is overgrown with algae, and the fishing line is no longer visible. The final result is a pretty beautiful green island in the aquarium.
Spherical cladophore in nature
In the natural environment, it is found in the waters of the north of Iceland and Japan, adapted to the deficit of light and the flow of rivers. The growth of this algae is very slow. Over the year, the cladophore grows only 4–5 mm. The spherical shape allows you to easily move with the flow, provides continuous photosynthesis, regardless of what part it is turned towards the light. Inside the ball has the same green color, it is covered with a layer of "sleeping" chloroplasts, which go into active mode in the event of the plant decaying into parts.
Bad Filament Cladophore
This variety of kladofora is an alga with long branched threads of dark green color. It has a stiffer and stronger structure, unlike other types of fiber.
In most cases, a bad cladophore is formed in the aquarium due to someone else’s equipment or gets in with new algae and decor items. Her spores are able to survive for a long time without water and lighting. Such an alga feels comfortable both in the natural environment and in an aquarium. The main reasons for the appearance of cladophores of this species also include an insufficient number of macrocells in the aquarium. In addition, it often occurs in the stagnant corners of the aquarium.
Filamentous cladophore in an aquarium
How to deal with aggressive algae that develops so quickly in water? There are a number of effective measures for this.
The main method of struggle is its mechanical removal. It can be carried out both manually and with a special brush for cleaning aquariums. If the filamentous cladophore cannot be removed mechanically, the decorations and equipment are removed from the aquarium and soaked in white.
In addition, the owner of the aquarium should balance the balance of fertilizer supply. When the phosphate level in the water drops, the cladophore in the aquarium actively develops. One way or another, it does not tolerate competition, which means that it is necessary to improve the growth of other aquarium plants with the help of carbon dioxide, a balanced fertilizer. Also, she does not tolerate strong lighting and high temperature.
In addition, the use of algaecides also helps. This is a specialized aquarium algae control product. Three percent hydrogen peroxide can be used. It is added to the aquarium water at a ratio of 20 ml / 100 liters. Clarification of the cladophore suggests that it can be destroyed. To ensure absolute success, it is necessary to take all these measures in conjunction.