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How to clean artificial plants from an aquarium. How do I clean my aquarium at home? Safe cleaning of aquarium plants and decorations with bleach

Algae on stones and aquarium decor are quite frequent guests and very much spoil the appearance of the aquarium. Remove algae from your aquarium decor- not a problem, they are removed quite easily. It is much more difficult, more important and more laborious to correct those factors that contributed to the growth of algae in the aquarium, so that they do not reappear.

List of necessary things:

Toothbrush or sponge
Bucket or other container
Bleach (White)

Algae on the decorations in the aquarium

Cleaning stones and decor from algae

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

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

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

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

Preventing algae in the aquarium

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

Fluorescent lamps may need to be replaced. Choose a special aquarium lamp. 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.

Perform water tests on a regular basis in order to know the values of nitrate, ammonia or other nutrients for algae. After that, you can take the appropriate action to solve the specific problem.

To be a decoration for your home or office, your aquarium needs to shine clean. And the fish in such an aquarium are better, they are more active, get sick less and live longer. Keeping an artificial reservoir clean is not so difficult, but there are still some subtleties in this business that beginners should be aware of. Consider the basic issues of cleaning an aquarium at home.

Routine cleaning of the aquarium with the replacement of part of the water is usually carried out once or twice a week, depending on its size, population density, and the presence of vegetation.

In each specific case the question of the regularity of cleaning and changing water should be decided on the basis of

the well-being of fish,
indicators of aquarium tests
and of course, appearance aquarium.

If the walls are covered with a brownish-green coating, a cloud of mud rises from the bottom at the slightest movement of the fish, then it's time to clean up, even if everything is fine with the fish.

Conversely, in a crystal-clear aquarium, the concentration of nitrogen compounds can go off scale and, accordingly, fish suffer. And this is also a reason for urgent cleaning.

What does cleaning an aquarium include?

The cleaning algorithm is usually as follows:

we clean the walls from algal bloom;
if necessary, we clean the decorations: stones, grottoes;
if there are plants in the aquarium, we carry out weeding and pruning;
siphonym soil (this procedure is not always carried out);
pour out part of the water from the aquarium - this can be done during a siphon or on purpose;
if required, we wash the filtering equipment;
pour clean water.

Before starting cleaning in the aquarium, it is imperative to turn off all electrical equipment, except for external filters.

And now about everything in more detail.

Wall cleaning

Even in the most prosperous aquarium, algal deposits form on the walls, which makes the glass cloudy and untidy. Therefore, the algae must be removed regularly. This can be done with:

with a metal blade (it can be replaced with a stationery knife blade);
magnetic scraper;
household washcloths.

First option - long-handled scraper or, to a lesser extent, a utility knife - handy and good at removing algae and other contaminants, but not suitable for plexiglass aquariums, as it can leave scratches on their walls.

Magnetic scraper indispensable for deep tanks, as well as aquariums, access to which from above is limited, or plexiglass tanks. It does not scratch the walls (except for those cases when a grain of sand or a small fragment of soil gets between its parts) and makes it possible not to lower your hands into the water. Minus - it is difficult for them to clean the corners of the aquarium and the lower edge of the glass near the ground.

The option with a household washcloth is the most economical, but not suitable for plexiglass and the least convenient, since you have to reach everywhere with your hand.

The algal bloom removed with a scraper or washcloth should not be specially caught and removed - what the fish will not have time to eat, we will remove when the water is drained.

Magnetic scraper.

Scenery cleaning

If you don't like the dark film of algae on your decorations, you can clean them too. This is done with a washcloth or stiff brush inside the aquarium or outside if the decoration is removed. No detergents or cleaning agents are used.

In order to reduce algae on the walls and decorations, you can start, they will help in the fight for cleanliness.

And if the algae grow too quickly, they are brown in color or resemble brushes in shape, then the situation in the aquarium is not entirely safe, and measures must be taken to combat these representatives of lower plants.

Vegetation processing

The task of this treatment is to remove leaves damaged by fish and snails (as well as overgrown with algae), cut off or remove overgrown shoots by the roots. Plants should not block the light of each other and interfere with the fish.

When weeding out bushes with roots, you need to act carefully to raise less turbidity.

In aquariums with shrimp, especially with whimsical species, and in general in nano aquariums, pruning and weeding should be carried out as rarely as possible and as carefully as possible so that a minimum amount of silt and plant sap gets into the water.

Soil siphon and water drain

Having cleaned the walls of the aquarium and weeded out underwater plantations, we usually raise a lot of mud and dirt into the water. Now this dirty water need to be drained. This is done using a hose or an aquarium siphon.

We drive the end of the hose or the siphon tube near the bottom, starting from the most polluted places, and drain the dirty water into a bucket or basin (it is better that they were white, then we will be able to notice in the water accidentally tightened shrimp or fish).

You can put the other end of the hose directly into the sewer hole, but this option is only possible for aquariums with large fish that will definitely not get into the siphon or hose.

At a time, usually from 15% to 50% of the water is changed, depending on the conditions of a particular aquarium. Matter

filter power,
population density,
exactingness of animals for the purity of water,
the presence of living plants or.

In order to find out how often and in what volume replacements should be made, it is best to use nitrate tests - the content of this substance in the aquarium should not exceed 20-30 mg / l for undemanding fish and 5-10 mg / l for fastidious and loving clean water. Such concentration must be achieved with the help of substitutions.

There is no need to completely replace the water! This will no longer be a cleaning, but a restart of the aquarium. Such a procedure is carried out only in the most extreme cases, for example, after an epidemic.

It is impossible to put fish in the aquarium immediately after the general cleaning. You will need to give the system a few weeks to mature, as with a new aquarium.

If necessary, during routine cleaning, you can siphon the soil to remove excess organic contamination.

In aquariums with large fish and without live plants, it is recommended to do this at least weekly, but the more plants and the lower the density of the fish population, the less often the need for this procedure arises.

As a rule, the soil in herbalists and shrimp plants is not siphoned at all, so as not to damage the roots of plants, not to reduce the nutritional and biofiltration properties of the soil, and not to injure small animals.

Cleaning the filters

When cleaning the filter, it is important to remove mechanical impurities from it without damaging the colony of microorganisms that live in sponges or other porous fillers and participate in biofiltration.

Therefore, wash the filter filling carefully, without undue enthusiasm, using only the water drained from the aquarium. It is better, of course, to take relatively clean water without turbidity, and not the one that was drained when siphoning the soil.

Internal filters with sponges are washed once every one to two weeks, depending on the rate of their contamination (the fact that the filter is soiled can be seen by the weakening of its jet). The sponges of the internal filters, which have several compartments for different fillers, and the prefilters of the external canisters are washed with approximately the same frequency.

Porous material for biofiltration (ceramic rings, balls, etc.) is washed much less often, once every two to three months, if necessary, carrying out a partial replacement of this filler.

The rotary filter head can be washed with plain water without detergents using a cotton swab.

Water filling

The aquarium is poured with water that has been settled for at least a day at the same temperature as the drained one. Water is filled with a hose, ladle or watering can, depending on the size of the aquarium.

It is poured not on the ground, which can be washed out by a jet, but on a saucer or, for example, a grotto.

After that, they turn on the filter and the rest of the equipment, check its operation and the well-being of the fish. After a while, when a little cloudiness settles (and it occurs almost inevitably), your aquarium will shine clean.

Such a clean aquarium will delight not only you, but also the fish, which will feel comfortable. And this is the guarantee of their health, longevity and lively, interesting behavior.

Video: stages of cleaning an aquarium with examples.

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

Looking ahead, never try to scrub algae with soap and water or highly toxic cleaning agents.

By placing artificial plants in the aquarium, after such cleaning, you can see the quick death of all your fish. I strongly doubt that this is exactly what you are trying to achieve.

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

A normally functioning aquarium is home to beneficial bacteria, and cleaning everything out of the aquarium environment can destroy or severely weaken a colony of these bacteria.

If possible, try to rinse 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 for cleaning aquarium artificial plants.

How to clean artificial aquarium plants ?!

With boiling water

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

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

Boiling water cleaning recipe

Boil water
Putting the plants in boiling water
We are waiting for 10-15 minutes
We clean with a scraper from algae
Putting back into the aquarium

Sometimes it is okay to use a bleach solution, as only it, in rare cases, can help get rid of algae on plants.

Keep in mind, however, that bleach can discolor some or all of your plants and cause significant harm to your fish if you don't wash it off completely. Honestly, the discoloration effect can only be seen when cleaning really penny aquarium products.

Quality plastic aquarium plants are coated with a special varnish that can withstand the effects of bleach.

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

Safe cleaning of aquarium plants and decorations with bleach

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

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

Cleaning silk artificial aquarium plants

First you need to rinse thoroughly in hot water... Boiling water is not necessary at all.

Then you 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 scrub the algae. When you are sure that you have cleaned out all the algae, then all that remains is to rinse the product under hot running water.

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

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

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

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

The most common problems.

Cloudy water... The water loses its transparency and becomes whitish. 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 cloudy. This continues for two to three days. With proper feeding of fish and optimal temperature conditions the next stage in the formation of the underwater world begins - a biological balance between unicellular organisms and more highly organized ones. The ciliates disappear.
Rotting in the ground... After a while, the soil may become covered with a dark film and periodically release bubbles. There is rotting of organic residues that got into the ground initially or with the process of feeding the fish. To prevent this, it is better to underfeed pets than overfeed. Snails are an additional means of combating organic matter in the soil.
Change the color of the water to green or brown... This is due to the development of algae in the water: green, blue-green or brown.
Plaque formation on the walls... Plaque can also be green or brown.

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

Brown bloom 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, our closed underwater world contains all types of microorganisms, bacteria and algae.

Imbalance leads to the rapid development of an 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 brown algae problem has been resolved. Most often this occurs due to their replacement with green algae, as more highly organized.

The most famous of the school biology course is euglena green. It is this algae that is the main reason for the greening of the water. Plaque is formed by green algae of other species - the filaments of edogonium and xenoccus.

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

main reason rapid development green algae - excessive lighting... Avoid direct sunlight on the aquarium. The distance to the window must be at least 1.5 meters. Select artificial light bulbs at the rate of 0.5 W / L with a duration of no more than 8 hours a day. At higher pH levels in the aquarium, green algae also grow less rapidly.
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 a last resort. 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.
Biological cleaning method... This is the most desirable method. Many species of aquarium fish feed on algae. Almost all viviparous - guppies, swordtails, platies and mollies. Karasiki, goldfish, veil-tails, telescopes also diversify their diet with greens. Experts say that the better aquarium plants grow, the less algae multiply. A variety of snails will be of great help in cleaning the walls and water. They eat the remains of the remaining food, some filter water through themselves, thus feeding on unicellular algae. Ampularia love to gnaw algae off glass. But, as in everything, you need to observe the measure. Daphnia and Cyclops can quickly clear the entire volume, but they themselves are tasty prey for fish.
Salting water. In this article, we are looking at freshwater aquariums. Green algae do not grow into the sea walls, there are their own problems. If acidification of the water is impossible due to the content of certain types of fish, you can try to salt the water, no more than 1 g / l. The salt will delay the development of green algae in the water.
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. Kabomba and hornwort will shed their foliage immediately after applying these medicines. Streptomycin and Penicillin are less harsh. Plants and fish will not be affected. The applied dose of Streptomycin is 0.3 mg / l for 48 hours, then the water should be changed. The safest chemical to disinfect an aquarium is 3% hydrogen peroxide. Concentration from 2 to 6 mg / l with enhanced aeration. No water change required.

The easiest way to keep your tank clean is to organize it right 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 your aquarium.

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 during sanitary work or during spawning. The ideal aquarium is an aquarium with a volume of at least 100 liters. Only in such a body of water can life self-organize.
The population of the aquarium with fish should be at the rate of 1 medium-sized fish per 5 liters of water, preferably a little more liquid. Planting should also be taken into account. Plants absorb the waste products of fish and snails from the water, saturate the water with oxygen by processing carbon dioxide in the process of photosynthesis. But in dark time During the day, plants consume oxygen themselves, 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 a rarity. An excessive number of 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.
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 contamination of the aquarium with euglena in the summer, when it multiplies intensively in ponds and lakes.
Feeding your fish should be very moderate. Dry food should be consumed in 10-15 minutes. Preference, of course, is 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 add food for future use.
Illumination. Place the aquarium out of direct sunlight, but with sufficient light. A distance of 1.5 m from the window would be ideal. It is better to organize solar lighting in the morning hours, and the duration of lighting 8-10 hours a day is sufficient. The lack of sunlight can be compensated for 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. Colour correct water, if you collect a glass from the aquarium, yellowish. This is the so-called Fish condition water.

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

Artificial plants in the aquarium, when skillfully placed, create a unique aesthetic appearance. However, like everything within this small world, they are susceptible to algae growth. To get rid of this, you need a lot of patience and knowledge below:

The appearance of algae in the aquarium indicates a deterioration in the biological balance. You need to think after what your actions they began to appear. If the cause is identified, simply going back to the original steps in maintaining the aquarium is enough.

In the best way Cleaning artificial plants has always been considered natural, as not causing any damage to the plants themselves or to the inhabitants of the aquarium. To do this, there is nothing better than to have herbivorous fish such as mollies, swordtails, guppies and platies in your world. It is also a good idea to acquire Otocinclus catfish, but keep in mind that they are good when young and have no other food source than algae.

Aquarium snails can be of great help in cleaning up artificial algae. To do this, you need to choose sufficiently voracious small breeds. For example, the popular Ampularia, when they reach medium size, switch exclusively to fish food that has fallen on the ground. The only condition is that the number of snails in the population must be constantly monitored, since they, with the availability of food and suitable conditions, begin to multiply very quickly.

As a rule, artificial algae for an aquarium has a complex structure, with hard-to-reach places for snails and fish. Over time, they can acquire a completely non-aesthetic appearance - bright, cleaned out by fish and snails, leaves and dark areas in the cracks of their attachment to the trunk. In this case, there is nothing better than to attract household chemicals to help. To do this, you need to purchase a chlorine-containing bleach of the "Whiteness" type and dilute it in a non-food container at a ratio of 1 part of bleach to 10 parts of water; in especially severe cases, a ratio of 1 part of the product to 3 parts of water is acceptable. After everything is ready, you need to get all the artificial plants contaminated with algae from the aquarium and place it for a while in the resulting solution.

1 hour is enough. Then you need to rinse the artificial plants in the same solution using a brush or, in extreme cases, a hard sponge, until the algae completely disappears from them. It should be emphasized that all work with bleach should be done only with rubber gloves. After rinsing in a bleach solution, the plants should be rinsed thoroughly in a jet running water under the tap. After that, it is necessary to dry them within a day, so that all substances harmful to fish are guaranteed to disappear from them. Then return them to their original places in the aquarium. After completing the measures described above, your aquarium will regain its beautiful and unique look.