Algae in my cichlid tank

[Knewm32]

So I've been having some algae steadily growing in my cichlid tank. My local shop suggested Chinese algae eaters, as they are fast and nimble enough to avoid harm from the cichlid. I was also advised by my brother who is a cichlid fanatic that a Pleco may work. Needless to say, I wouldn't be asking for advice if this worked. The cichlids got the better of my 2 CAE and my Pleco. Any suggestions on an algae fighting tank mate? For my substrate cleaners/scavengers I already have two pictus cats who have adapted quite nicely to their new brackish environment.

 

[Mogurako]

Less light and more water changes = less algae and no need for an algae eating fish.

Also what's this about brackish water?!

 

[Lady_Alia]

You could get a larger pleco. When they were able to kill a pleco it was cuz the pleco was too small.
Decreasing light never worked for me. Just sayin....

 

[Mogurako]

You could get a larger pleco. When they were able to kill a pleco it was cuz the pleco was too small.
Decreasing light never worked for me. Just sayin....

Less nutrients in the water and decreased amounts of light should work. Any time I notice to much algae all I have to do is a couple big water changes and leave the lights on less, problem solved.

 

[Lady_Alia]

That's great that it worked for you, but it didn't for me. I even covered my tank for days and it had no affect at all. (my algae was suspended in the water column) I ended up getting a uv and it worked fabulously!!!

 

[oppie]

I have a 150 gallon with 35 mixed Africans I use snails they do rather well at keeping the algee clean you just have to make sure you keep your water level high enough so they don't breed like crazy

 

[Jess1ca]

I have a 150 gallon with 35 mixed Africans I use snails they do rather well at keeping the algee ck

Snails did not work with my Cichlids. My fish nipped their antennas off and just ping ponged them around the tank I had to remove them. I have a almost 2in. Abn pleco currently residing and thriving in mine. He has a great hiding spot in the scape and only comes out at night.

 

[Lady_Alia]

My snails were a cichlid snack :'-(

 

[Jess1ca]

My snails were a cichlid snack :'-(

Mine woulda been had they been smaller, lol, they are Apple snails and are HUGE. I had to move em in with the shrimps.

 

[Mogurako]

There's some imbalance in the tank that is causing the algae to grow out of control. It's better to figure that out than buy fish/snails to fix it.

 

[rotorhead22]

As Mog stated, water quality (High nitrates) can be a major contributor to uncontrolled Algae growth. A BN is not the answer to your problem.

I do have a 2" BN Pleco and he helps keeps everything clean. I like some algae on the rocks for a more natural look and so my Mbuna can graze on it; I have lots of trouble getting any to grow even with 10 - 12 hrs of light. I do frequent PWC. The BN keeps my Holey Rock white and spotless.

 

[Xand3r]

You can get fish, snails, or any other algae eater and it won't make a difference until you identify the cause of the problem and fix it. As someone mentioned before, an imbalance of nutrients a long with extended photo periods (10+ hrs of light) might be the cause of your problem.

What I would is
first Identify the kind of algae you have in your tank (if your tank is less than a year old diatoms are something common). This will help you fight the problem
the second step is to get a timer for your lights (8-10 Hrs)
Avoid overfeeding your fish, nitrogenous waste can cause algae blooms, but even if you have low NO3, NO2, and NH3 (nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia) levels you can still get algae. High amounts of phosphorous (phosphates and others) can also cause algae blooms.
And finally, I would clean the glass and decorations and then do a PWC to remove spores and other organisms floating in the water.
You may have to repeat the last step several times.



I hope that helps

P.S. I have noticed that brackish environments are most likely to get some sort of brown algae.