Algae problem... should I get Ottos ?

[swanandmokashi]

I am having some algae especially against the aquarium wall. I thought the snail would take care of it but it is not -- I am trying to figure out the correct amount of food so its not exess so as to avoid the algae. I will be adding more plants next week as well so that will help too.

But also should i add like 3 Ottos as well ? Will it be ok with the current bio-load? I think they should be fine with the current inhabitants

 

[Scottm]

bioload I think would be ok. Adding live stock though is always a touchy thing. Its hard to say if they'll consume more algae then they'll contribute. I would say fix your nutrient problem first.

 

[Tiffi]

If it's green spot algae they won't eat it anyway, it's too hard to get off the glass .

 

[patagonia]

i dont think the otos will help much...i have 4 and im currently battling all types of algae...they only ate the brown algae when my tank was relatively new but now they dont seem to like the other types...or a more accurate statement would be they dont seem to be able to remove it from the glass or plants...id suggest you try to balance the nutrients in your tank first and go from there...i got my otos because i love them and i always wanted them not because i wanted to fix my algae problem...they are lovely little creatures...

 

[Tiffi]

Yeah, my husband calls them "sharkies", cuz they look a little like those when they swim .

 

[travis simonson]

Green spot algae can often be combatted by increasing PO4 levels in your water column to the ~1.5 ppm range. I know you're running a low-light, non-CO2 tank but you might try slowly increasing PO4 by .2-.4 ppm per week to see if the spot algae abates. Just do it slowly using something like Seachem Phosphorous and make sure you don't overdose it. If you decide to try it I would love to hear your results

 

[patagonia]

what would happen if you overdose it? and the PO4 increase has to be slow huh? good that i found this thread cuz i was about to bump mine up from 0.5ppm to 1ppm...just like that...

 

[swanandmokashi]

Will Seachem Flourish help improve PO4 levels ?
That is what I have right now and am planning on using it,