Things You'll Need
- Fork
- Scissors
- Bleach
- Bowl
- Toothbrush
Instructions
Manual Removal
Remove as much of the staghorn algae as you can manually. Grab a few strands with your fingers and exert gentle pressure. Be careful not to uproot any plants attached to the algae.
Place a fork into the brush of the staghorn algae. Spin the fork around the strands to tangle it into the algae. Keep spinning the fork to wrap the algae around the fork. Remove the fork from the water. Discard the algae and repeat this process if necessary.
Trim the algae-covered leaves of your plants using scissors. Cut only the infected leaves to prevent too much damage to your plants. Discard the removed leaves.
Chemical Removal
Prepare a bleach solution consisting of warm water and bleach in a large bowl. Combine one cup of bleach for every five cups of water.
Gently remove any algae-covered plants or rocks from the aquarium.
Brush the affected plant or rock using a toothbrush to remove the staghorn algae.
Dip the affected plant or rock into the bleach solution for three to five seconds.
Place the plant or rock back into the aquarium.