Spherical Cladofora

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Cladophora is most often found in the cleanest lakes of Russia and Europe. This whimsical plant is great for growing in cold water aquariums, whose designs are instantly transformed by amazing balls of luscious green hues. It is difficult to imagine a more original design of aquariums - dense fluffy balls will not only decorate them, but will also quickly cheer you up

Getting to know the plant

Cladophora is a rather unusual and original plant, which is a green algae huddled into one colony. As a rule, these are radially located filamentous algae. On average, the diameter of such formations is twelve centimeters.

Inside the sufficiently large balls formed over the course of several years, air cavities are formed, and a dense colony of assembled algae develops as a ball shell.

Cladophora grows rather slowly. 5 - 10 mm per year - these are the approximate figures for its annual growth. If you cut the fluffy balls, you can see the zones of annual growth.

Cladophora can be safely called a unique natural filter, since it passes very solid volumes of water through itself. Also, this plant is simply irreplaceable for aquariums that contain tiny crustaceans and fish fry. The delicate filaments of the algae that form the balls are a favorite food for shrimp, and the fry feed on the infusoria and protozoa that inhabit the bodies of the balls.

How to grow

The conditions of cold water aquariums will be the most suitable for the full development of the amusing cladophora. The water temperature in them should not exceed twenty degrees. Subject to the temperature regime, the spherical beauty will develop well all year round. If the temperature exceeds the recommended values, then during a certain period the cladophore will at first develop quite rapidly, and after two or three months it will simply disintegrate into several parts that have a rather sloppy appearance and often clog the filter grates in aquariums. It is noteworthy that such units can eventually form a new colony. Nevertheless, this process is by no means quick and may take even more than a year. In water of medium and high hardness, the cladophore can also disintegrate, therefore, for its cultivation, care should be taken to ensure that the water is soft. Alkaline water will also have a detrimental effect on the development and growth of this water beauty.

Nevertheless, the cladophora is quite suitable for use in saltwater aquariums, since it is quite capable of withstanding a moderate content of salt in the water, not exceeding five percent.

The ideal option for the comfortable development of cladophora would be well-filtered and frequently changed water. Any particles settling on bizarre algae colonies should be carefully washed off with clean water, and then lightly squeeze the fluffy balls out with your hands.

Regarding lighting, it is worth noting that its intensity should be relatively small, and the nature of the light itself does not play a significant role at all. Cladofore artificial lighting can be organized by combining fluorescent lamps with conventional incandescent lamps. In good light, it is often possible to observe how colonies of unusual algae float to the surface - this is due to the oxygen accumulating inside them by the end of the day. And overnight, as oxygen is consumed, the globular formations sink to the bottom again.

Does not play an important role for the development of fancy green balls and soil, since the cladophore moves freely throughout the aquarium, without attaching itself to the substrate.

The cladophore reproduces vegetatively, through its decay or division. This aquatic inhabitant can be divided into parts mechanically, or spontaneous disintegration of fluffy balls can be achieved. For this purpose, the temperature in the aquarium is raised to 24 - 26 degrees. Subsequently, the cladophora is placed in separate containers, the temperature in which is in the range from 18 to 20 degrees, and the process of the formation of new colonies begins there. It proceeds rather slowly and on average takes from one and a half to two years.