algae eater for plant cleaning

[fishman888888]

I cant have the siamese algae eater (flying foxes) because of my leopard ctenopomas
....probly going to have to get a few smaller plecos.

I know my guy has blue panaque, L134, adonis, bushy nose, clown and rubberlip...and a few more

What smaller plecos are the best at cleaning plants?

My anubias and java fern get algae wayy worse than the other plants -that seem unaffected..

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated... please let me know your experiences with these fish

 

[Brookster123]

Otos and Amano shrimp have proved to be the best in keeping plants clean ime. . You really try to narrow down the cause of the algae in order to keep it under control, how long your lights on?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[bettaowner]

How big is the tank and what does the algae look like?

 

[fishman888888]

The java ferns are getting covered in brown algae...is that diatoms or w/e you call it?
Only the ones attached to my giant.piece of driftwood that are closer to the surface

The anubias look like they sorta just collect a little layer of debris...like dust almost...i just massage their leaves to get it off

My java ferns have little runners growing on all their tips and my anubias all have new root growth and leaves...they seem to be doing good

I have the lights on a timer... they run 8 hours right now....but were on way longer before i set the timer up...so they were brown before i made the change, but the situation didnt get any better with reduced lighting time

I have a 125 gallon tank with co2

And 27 plants in total now.... its barebottom btw, i pot the plants

 

[fishman888888]

I was given differing instructions on co2 injection

My fish guy that i go to leaves his co2 on 24/7 @ less than 1bps...

His tank is amazing.... the plants in those tanks are insanely huge and its completely carpeted with dhg and some other plants

Would co2 on all day be harmful?

 

[PJFISH]

I was given differing instructions on co2 injection

My fish guy that i go to leaves his co2 on 24/7 @ less than 1bps...

His tank is amazing.... the plants in those tanks are insanely huge and its completely carpeted with dhg and some other plants

Would co2 on all day be harmful?

Leaving the co2 on when the lights are off won't hurt them, but plants don't take in co2 when it's dark. So it would be wasted at that time. Also if the levels got too high it will choke the fish.

 

[Mebbid]

Siamese algae eaters and flying foxes are actually two different fish. The true Siamese algae eaters get to be 6" long and are the ones that are best for algae consumption. They should work with your other fish.

 

[fishman888888]

Mine were labelled as flying foxes...they're not fairing so well against the ctenos...

Pleco wise...any suggestions?

 

[Mebbid]

Mine were labelled as flying foxes...they're not fairing so well against the ctenos...

Pleco wise...any suggestions?

They are commonly mixed up because they look a lot alike but they aren't comparable.

As far as taking care of algae, treating the symptoms rather than slapping a bandaid on it is the best way to take care of things.

Algae grows on plants that have stunted growth as well as growing in tanks that have an imbalance between light, carbon, and fertilizers.

What is your light fixture?
What size is your tank?
What fertilizers are you using?
What is your carbon source?

 

[fishman888888]

Light fixture is a coralife 36" with 2 t5ho 6700k light strips
-Lights are on 8 hrs/day

Tank is 125 gal

I only dose flourish phosphate ...every water change 2 x 50%/week

Co2 10lb cannister .. i had it @ 2 bps

Ive since reduced it and want to try leaving it on 24/7 ...

 

[fishman888888]

Picture of my tank at the moment

 

[Mebbid]

Light fixture is a coralife 36" with 2 t5ho 6700k light strips
-Lights are on 8 hrs/day

Tank is 125 gal

I only dose flourish phosphate ...every water change 2 x 50%/week

Co2 10lb cannister .. i had it @ 2 bps

Ive since reduced it and want to try leaving it on 24/7 ...

Like was stated earlier, CO2 is only used during the day. You could potentially gas your fish to death while running it at night so it's best to turn it off at night.

Why only a 36" fixture on a tank that size?

 

[astreck]

I highly recommend Otos, get 6-10 of them. They are tiny but have a mighty appetite. They will clean your glass and plant leaves tirelessly. Right now petsmart has them on sale for $1 each.

 

[fishman888888]

Like was stated earlier, CO2 is only used during the day. You could potentially gas your fish to death while running it at night so it's best to turn it off at night.

Why only a 36" fixture on a tank that size?

Alright. Can i plug it into the same timer as my lights and.run it only 8 hours?

And im still new to the planting side of things, i suppose buying another 36" and having them across the entire length would brighten things up, i have a lot of room on the sides for more plants...thank you for the suggestion

When i move in 6 months im going to have to add substrate... if a tank is completely carpeted in plants do you still have to gravel vac? How would you? Thats my ultimate goal....sort of a debris free tank that only requires water changes and trimming/planting

If possible...
what substrate should be used to create the best carpet

 

[fishman888888]

I highly recommend Otos, get 6-10 of them. They are tiny but have a mighty appetite. They will clean your glass and plant leaves tirelessly. Right now petsmart has them on sale for $1 each.

Otos got eaten...flying foxes eaten as well....

When the otos were on.the tank walls they were easy pickings for the ctenos

Need pleco suggestions, but thanks for the ideas

 

[astreck]

From what I understand, plecos eat algae, but they aren't dedicated algae eaters. I have no experience with the kind of fish that you are keeping (ctenos or plecos), but maybe get some larger snails?

Also, I've heard a few success stories of killing algae with flourish excel.

 

[PJFISH]

Otos got eaten...flying foxes eaten as well....



When the otos were on.the tank walls they were easy pickings for the ctenos



Need pleco suggestions, but thanks for the ideas

I keep a bushy nose Pleco and yes they do eat algae on glass and plants. They don't get too large, about 6 inches max, I agree with the others though. Something in the water chemistry is out if whack. For me in was phosphate, watch for that because even with a Pleco you'll still get algae like I do.

 

[Mebbid]

Alright. Can i plug it into the same timer as my lights and.run it only 8 hours?

And im still new to the planting side of things, i suppose buying another 36" and having them across the entire length would brighten things up, i have a lot of room on the sides for more plants...thank you for the suggestion

When i move in 6 months im going to have to add substrate... if a tank is completely carpeted in plants do you still have to gravel vac? How would you? Thats my ultimate goal....sort of a debris free tank that only requires water changes and trimming/planting

If possible...
what substrate should be used to create the best carpet

It depends on the system you get but yes, many can be controlled with a timer.

Even with a second fixture, you are still going to be at low light on your tank. A 125 is a big tank and will require a serious lighting system to move it beyond anything but low light plants. I would suggest taking a look at LED units from Build My LED Custom LED Lights for DIY Horticulture Aquarium Hobby Lighting

Most people that have planted tanks use sand. Pool filter sand is probably the most common since it's cheap and looks nice. No you don't gravel vac a planted tank.

The flourish phosphate you're using just isn't enough. If you really want to move into medium / high light on a tank that size you'll need to start with daily dosing comprehensive dry ferts using either PPS Pro or EI methods. Check Green Leaf Aquariums for fertilizer packs..

Otos got eaten...flying foxes eaten as well....

When the otos were on.the tank walls they were easy pickings for the ctenos

Need pleco suggestions, but thanks for the ideas

Sorry to say, plecos aren't going to come close to solving your algae problems.

 

[Mama Karoti]

Bristlenose pleco. I realized how much algae he was eating after I lost him. They only get to be four and a half inches long and are good algae eaters. Won't help with algae on fine-leaves plants though. They need driftwood.

That being said, rather than getting another pleco, I have taken on the task of trying to tackle the source of the problem. I believe I have figured it out. For whatever reason, I have a macro deficiency and am dosing the correct Ferts to balance it. The plants have perked up remarkably in the first week of doing this. Too soon to judge effect on algae growth.

 

[fishman888888]

It depends on the system you get but yes, many can be controlled with a timer.

Even with a second fixture, you are still going to be at low light on your tank. A 125 is a big tank and will require a serious lighting system to move it beyond anything but low light plants. I would suggest taking a look at LED units from Build My LED Custom LED Lights for DIY Horticulture Aquarium Hobby Lighting

Most people that have planted tanks use sand. Pool filter sand is probably the most common since it's cheap and looks nice. No you don't gravel vac a planted tank.

The flourish phosphate you're using just isn't enough. If you really want to move into medium / high light on a tank that size you'll need to start with daily dosing comprehensive dry ferts using either PPS Pro or EI methods. Check Green Leaf Aquariums for fertilizer packs..



Sorry to say, plecos aren't going to come close to solving your algae problems.

So t5hos are considered low light?
... what length should my fixture be for a 125 gal?

And you recommend leds?

Is the pps pro / ei method reasonably priced?

My plants seem like theyre doing good..minus the algae on the java ferns...