There is a combination of conditions that cause blanket weed to form in fish tanks. Whatever causes your blanket weed, it can be a real pain to deal with.
How to get rid of blanket weed in fish tank
There are a couple steps you can take to get rid of blanket weed in fish tanks. First, you should try your best to remove all of it from your tank at once.
Try to remove every last piece, as the smallest pieces can replicate by the thousands if it is left in the tank.
The next thing you should do is add C02 to the fish tank.
Adding C02 to Fish Tank to get rid of Blanket Weed
This C02 booster is available on Amazon for only $10, and does a great job of controlling blanket weed in fish tanks.
You should add CO2 slowly to your fish tank because it can affect the ph level of the water. You also want to increase your water flow to disrupt the growth of blanket weed. This helps nutrients and C02 to reach all areas of the fish tank.
After you perform all these steps, and you notice that the blanket weed is still growing in your fish tank, you should gradually add more C02. If you don’t have any live plants in your fish tank, you should remove any light from the tank, as light can cause blanket weed to grow.
Continue to remove the blanket weed whenever you see it appear in your fish tank. The earlier you remove it the better.
How does blanket weed form in fish tank?
The main cause of blanket weed in a fish tank is a build up of nutrients. This is usually caused by left over food decomposing or excessive algae growth.
A weak filter and low water movement can also contribute to blanket weed.
Blanket weed continues to grow because of excessive light, as it fuels the weed to grow by the process of photosynthesis. This can also lead to a clear, jelly like substance on top of your fish tank water.
How to stop the growth of blanket weed in fish tank
As I mentioned earlier, sunlight is one of the main drivers of blanket weed. Therefore, you should never keep your light on longer than 8 hours a day. This will definitely help stunt the growth of the blanket weed. Additionally, you should continue to do 25% water changes once or twice a week.
If none of these solutions work, you should try feeding your fish less, as build up of fish waste can actually cause the blanket weed to grow and spread.
Lastly, if the blanket weed refuses to go away, you might just have to restart your tank. This consists of removing everything from the tank, cleaning it with bleach, and then adding fresh water.
