Anti-algae cleaning glove for aquariums

A magnet works well on large flat surfaces and stops a few centimetres short of the seams. A blade gets into the corner but puts the silicone seal at risk. The glove does both: you run it flat along the glass, then push a finger into the corner without any risk of damage. Your fingertips also pick up what the eye has not yet spotted, that slightly rough film that heralds the green haze of the following week, and you remove it before it takes hold.

The glove is also useful for cleaning décor, roots, stones, plant leaves, and technical components including pumps. This last point is particularly relevant to an aquaponic setup, as a strainer, standpipe, or pump body can be cleaned by hand, in the water, without dismantling and without chemicals. The topic of biofilm is covered in detail in maintaining a growing tower, where it comes up with every season.

Rinse the glove under lukewarm water after each use and leave it to dry out of direct sunlight. That is all the maintenance it needs, and it will stand up to this hundreds of times over. Do not put it in the washing machine or use detergent, as residues will find their way back into your water on the next use. A glove that starts shedding fibres should be discarded, a stray metal fibre in a tank is not something to take lightly. If algae returns more quickly than before despite regular cleaning, the cause is more likely in the water than on the glass, and a phosphate test is the first thing to reach for.