Cladophora market

This original spherical plant is a colony of green algae and reaches 10-12 cm in diameter. This aquarium plant is an excellent natural filter, as it can pass through a considerable amount of water.
Cladophora can only contain in a coldwater aquarium where the water temperature should not exceed 18-20 ° C. In such conditions, the plant can grow evenly throughout the year. When the water temperature is above 22 ° C, it begins to grow rapidly, and in 2-3 months will be divided into separate parts. Each part may eventually form a new green ball, but the this process is very slow, sometimes it takes more than a year. It is important to keep the water of cladophora quite soft. In the water of medium hardness – 8 ° C and above – the plant will soon disintegrate.. Important that the active reaction of the water was neutral or subacid.
Alkaline water is bad for cladophora. The plant has attractive appearance only in very clean water, so regular water changes and constant filtering are very desirable. If the surface of the ball has accumulated plaque, the plant must be carefully washed in clean water.

Aquarium lighting can be mild, it is not very important. You can use both natural light and artificial light, fluorescent and incandescent lamps. For sufficiently bright light and clean water at the end of daylight in the colony accumulate oxygen, and green ball floats to the surface. Per night gained cladophora oxygen is consumed, and the ball falls to the bottom.
The nature of the soil not essential, because the plant can move freely in the water, not being attached to the substrate.
The tropical aquarium cladophora spherical, as already mentioned, soon disintegrates. Disintegrated colony can be placed in a separate container. If the water temperature is 20 ° C, and the illumination is satisfactory, obviously that in a year and a half spherical will form some new colonies.