Question
I have set up a new aquarium. I laid aquarium soil as the base with gravel on top. After 1-2 weeks, the white coloured stones are discolouring. Is it algae growth? I’m thinking of replacing the white stones with large ones.
Answer
There is two main causes for the discoloration of aquarium gravel.
#1 algae both green and brown algae.
#2 bacteria film,mainly nitrifying bacteria they are often light brown.
The discoloration of your gravel is a sign of a healthy tank,we all want our tank to look beautiful but it takes a lot of work to keep it that way.
Regular cleaning is the only way to keep the gravel and other surfaces in your tank look beatiful but the discoloration of the gravel canot be stopped.
You will need to change the gravel from time to time or you can remove the gravel from your tank and use hydrogenperoxide to remove the discoloration,a lot of work and little effect and you need to dry the gravel fully before adding it back to your tank.
Keeping the nitrogen low will help against algae growth and vacuuming the gravel will keep the bacteria film away/less visible.
Answered By - trond hansen