Fish-in cycle...

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Nemo6292

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Messages
169
Location
Tennessee
Hey. So I'm currently doing a fish in cycle. I change 30-40% of the water daily and keep tabs on my parameters. I currently have 3 zebra danios but I am wanting to add an algae eater to keep the algae growth from becoming a problem. What would you suggest?? If it makes a difference, I'm wanting to have a coy cat in my tank later. Should I go ahead and get one now as long as I continue the water changes??
 
I suggest not adding any thing at all until after the cycle is well and truly complete. What kind of algae do you have? If it is brown dust like it is diatoms and it is not advised to add anything to eat it because it will eventually burn out and go away on its own.

Cories are scavengers. Not algae eaters. They need schools of 6 or more of their own kind.
 
Do you have an algae problem?

Usually, algae grows in a fish tank because there are nitrates (the end result of fish food from a cycled tank) available to feed them.

The first two primary defenses to reduce an algae problem is to reduce the amount of light and do pwc to reduce the nitrates.

Since you're already doing pwc daily, you are already removing much of the algae food. So I wouldn't think you were having a problem.

Additionally, some algae eaters need a "mature" tank, one that already has some established algae for him to immediately begin feeding on.
 
I would wait until the tank has completely cycled as well. Don't take any chances. And I personally love the Chinese algae eaters, sometimes called gold algae eaters. They eat all kinds of algae and that's what they do eat and eat and eat. Keeps my tanks sparkling clean :) But I wouldn't advice trying to move these guys from tank to tank. It took me over an hour to catch one the other day!! Very evasive little buggers lol
 
I would wait until the tank has completely cycled as well. Don't take any chances. And I personally love the Chinese algae eaters, sometimes called gold algae eaters. They eat all kinds of algae and that's what they do eat and eat and eat. Keeps my tanks sparkling clean :) But I wouldn't advice trying to move these guys from tank to tank. It took me over an hour to catch one the other day!! Very evasive little buggers lol

Chineese Algae eaters are miserable tho. They are notorious for latching onto other fish and eventually killing them.
 
+1 on waiting. Its not worth it, and the early algae you see in a lot of tanks goes away on its own as Mumma suggested.
 
I have Chinese algae eaters in both my tanks and they don't bother any of the other fish and I've never lost any fish because of them. The one gold algae water I've had for 3 years!! And he's still only about 2 inches long.
 
Back
Top Bottom