Need Something to Eat Algae

[AmyD]

I have a 60litre biorb and need something small-ish to eat up some algae, any ideas?

 

[absolutangel04]

Adding a fish to eat algae isn't usually a good idea because even algae eating fish will only eat certain types of algae and a lot of them will scavenge off flakes too. Also, they will add to the bioload. If you have algae growing, I suggest you scrape it off by hand.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Adding a fish to eat algae isn't usually a good idea because even algae eating fish will only eat certain types of algae and a lot of them will scavenge off flakes too. Also, they will add to the bioload. If you have algae growing, I suggest you scrape it off by hand.

+1. Algae eaters like Plecostamus do a decent job IME, but have an undesirably large bio-load. Smaller algae eaters like the Otocinclus are far too small IME to make an impact. I would spend a few dollars on an algae magnet and an algae scrubber.

If I ever had too much algae on one of my small decorations, I put it in my RCS tank overnight. Every time, I wake up in the morning to find it shiny clean and looking like new. (I love my Red Cherry Shrimp!!)

 

[Regz8000]

Hi you have a biorb which has a under gravel filter and a small bottom so I would suggest simply using your hands

 

[HN1]

I would suggest nerite snails. They are very effective algae eaters with minimal bioload and can't breed in FW. Controlling algae is really about finding the source(s) that allow it. Too much lighting duration, excess nutrients, etc.

 

[AmyD]

Hi you have a biorb which has a under gravel filter and a small bottom so I would suggest simply using your hands

Yea i think i'll continue to just wipe it away when i do my routine water changes, the biorb is a tricky tank due to the under gravel filter and limited stocking options. God i can't wait to get a better tank with a decent filter!

 

[siva]

Manual cleaning is great, but if you want to add some more variety to your tank and like nerite snails, 2-3 of them should do well in your tank. They devour algae and do a great job detailing decor and plants. They are herbivores, where as most snails we keed are omnivores so, they really go after the algae and not fish food.

 

[FriendsNotFood]

We have two glass shrimp in our 30l biorb, they do quite a nice job of cleaning up excessive algae. And they're cute to watch, if you can find them hiding around the tank.

By putting the filter media in cut-up pairs of tights, it means a lot of the muck generated doesn't get clogged in the media, making the tank a lot easier to clean. The media seems to do a good job even in the tights, so we've kept doing it. Tank is nice and healthy, water is good, fish seem happy.

This means we can half the filter media in when we clean the tank so the shrimp have somewhere to "sit-out" the cleaning.

 

[jondamon]

Another alternative is AMANO SHRIMP.




Jon