best way to get algea off of plant leaves?

[trrogers]

OK, I am new and my tank is still cycling and some algae has formed on the leaves of a broad leaved plant and not the smaller ones...I do need more flow in the tank I know and will fix that in the next day or two and plan on getting some cherry shrimp when tank is all ready to go...it is a 12 gallon nano are there any suggestions for how many shrimp as well as if I should add a bottom feeder of some sort?? Thank you in advance!

Trish

 

[AquaJoe]

My advice would be to cover the tank with something that will block out all sources of light for the next several days. If you are cycling then this should not be an issue. I have heard that blocking out all light for up to three or four days should kill the algae. Your plants might be a bit stressed after the 'blackout' but I'm sure they will do fine. If the plant are even affected I'm sure they will make a full recovery. Most plants are pretty darn hardy

Best,
Joe

 

[mr funktastic]

what kind of algae is this? if it is green spot or black hair algae thena black out will help but if it is a brownish orange algae it is simply diatoms and will go away on its own. i am assuming this is what it is since the tank is new.

 

[Purrbox]

If you are looking to start breeding the Cherry Red Shrimp, then there are very few fish that should be considered. Most have found that Otos are safe to be kept with Cherries, but most other fish will make a snack out of the new born shrimplets. Snails like MTS, Pond, and small Ramshorns would also be a safe addition to the tank. To start a breeding colony you would want at least a dozen shrimp. This should give you a reasonably good mix of both males and females as long as you are buying from a source that sells both. Some stores only sell females since they are more brightly colored and it prevents the buyer from breeding their own.

 

[trrogers]

Thanks for all the info! Diatoms I think...I used RODI water and there is not much algea growth in tank except on the broad leaved plant....Otos was a consideration if I can find them and as far as cherries I am not really looking to breed them but if a few survive then I could keep my stock up as it seems I would have to order them .

 

[Purrbox]

If you're not looking to breed then most any small fish that wouldn't consider the adults to be a tasty meal would be fine.