I need an algae eater for Mbuna tank

[Daven]

What do you guys all use for lights in your tanks without plants? I want them to show off the colours of my fish, but maybe I need to step down the output a bit to help. Plus I haven't gotten around to building a nice looking housing yet so the shop light sitting on top looks pretty ghetto lol


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[ImACoolguy]

I just use basic LED for my Cichlid tank. Normal Marineland, it's a 36" that came with my 75g

About any normal LED, non plant related, and T8 bulbs will give you want you are looking for without algae.


Caleb

 

[CoronaBlue]

Current LED lights on my 125.

 

[Daven]

I have two 48" t8 bulbs and thought that was going to be too much for my build. Do you think id be better off with the LEDs without sacrificing fish colour? I wasnt sure if they would be bright in a deep tank since ive never really seen them

 

[TMRC Exotics]

I don't think light intensity is the issue, now with t8's. Sorry if I missed it but possibly diatoms? Also personally I find pellets produce less waste than flakes, I have nothing scientific to back it, just my humble opinion.

 

[ImACoolguy]

I don't think light intensity is the issue, now with t8's. Sorry if I missed it but possibly diatoms? Also personally I find pellets produce less waste than flakes, I have nothing scientific to back it, just my humble opinion.

Agreed. Pellets you can feed 1 by one of need be and have no leftover, flakes are just a mess


Caleb

 

[Daven]

Well my tank is MUCH brighter than my old ones lol. I know i have diatoms, and this time around (cleaned the first bunch off in water change before last) the algea is looking more green in areas. So i gave up cleaning it off since it kinda blends the decor together anyways, but i know if the usual algea start coming, i wont be able to clean it so easily if need be. Im thinking maybe i will pony up and buy an actual lamp for it if i can find one recomended for good fish colours. Maybe its just from the pool filter sand leaching a bit, perhaps i didnt clean it well enough to get the dust out.

And i kind of agree with the flakes being messier in my tank too. I have to put food into the HOB filter output to shoot some past the Aceis and to the yellow labs, and it seem to spread everywhere in no time at all lol

So back to the original question... There is really no algae eaters that would work reliably with my mbuna?

 

[Molson_28]

Does the synodonis catfish eat algae? Because they're amazing with cichlids. They're from the same lakes


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[TMRC Exotics]

There is absolutely no need for any type of algae eater in any tank. 1) most fish don't actually eat algae in any effective manner
2) the presence of algae in this amount is indicative of a separate issue. Be it too much light (hours) too much intensity or diatoms fed off silicates.

Synos are unnecessary in any mbuna setup.

 

[Molson_28]

Ya they are known for eating the cichlid fry. Cool fish though if u wanna just have em to add something different to the tank. They can stand up to cichlids no problem. And they look really awesome


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