Tank Algae Cleaners

[LoneFish]

Something about my house sets off algae i am having bad problems in my pond and tank and not sure what to do for both.
In tank
1 Gold Gourami
1 Gold Dojo Loach
3 Buenos Ares Tetras
4 Zebra Danios
In Pond
1 Red Eared Slider
2 6" Koi
12ish 5" Comets
40ish 3" Rosy Reds (big breeders)
I have heard about snails over reproducing i have also heard of plecos but they would grow to big for my 33gal tank and it is too cold where i am for 1 to live outside. I was hoping there was some kind of fish or invert that would eat the algae, I really dont want to use algae removal products because i hear they destroy oxygen levels. Please Help

 

[Esoteric Backbone]

Something about my house sets off algae i am having bad problems in my pond and tank and not sure what to do for both.
In tank
1 Gold Gourami
1 Gold Dojo Loach
3 Buenos Ares Tetras
4 Zebra Danios
In Pond
1 Red Eared Slider
2 6" Koi
12ish 5" Comets
40ish 3" Rosy Reds (big breeders)
I have heard about snails over reproducing i have also heard of plecos but they would grow to big for my 33gal tank and it is too cold where i am for 1 to live outside. I was hoping there was some kind of fish or invert that would eat the algae, I really dont want to use algae removal products because i hear they destroy oxygen levels. Please Help

Depending on what snail you get they won't overpopulate your tank. Pond Snails will overpopulate in no time, Nerite Snails would be a good choice for your aquarium because:

• They stay small, smaller then a dime
• They don't reproduce in FW
• They don't harm plants

But the Loach may snack on them.

There are plecos that don't get huge like a Bristle Nose Pleco, Clown Pleco, Bulldog Pleco, and Green Dragon Plecos. Which all stay under 5 inches. But they have a big bio load.

Amano Shrimp, I have heard, are great algae eaters.

Flying Foxes are a really hard working algae eater, but they do get to be a pretty good sized fish, I believe around 5 inches.

Oto's are also a great algae eater, and they stay small aswell.

Pond:

•Ultraviolet sterilizers: work by damaging the DNA of the algae in a perfectly safe way and they are also effective in getting rid of other micro-organisms and pond bacteria resulting in a crystal-clear pond.

•Approved algaecides: a chemical solution to the problem of algae. However, they can also harm aquatic plants and wildlife so it is not the best solution if you’re a keen wildlife gardener looking to attract wildlife to your pond.

•Barley straw and barley straw extract: also effective in keeping the water clear and your pond odor-free.

Also:

•Pond dyes
•Magnetic systems
•Ozone and chlorine treatments.

You can introduce fish which thrive on algae as part of their diet and, given that many brands of fish feed contain nitrates and phosphates which algae also thrives on, one of the methods you should adopt in feeding fish is to give them a little less of the fish feed itself and let them supplement their diet by feeding on algae.

 

[LoneFish]

Hey thanks for the help

After reading your post i added some algacide (algae killer) does not seem to bother the plants or fish put waterfall on high to raise oxygen levels. i thought koi ate algae but they like eating my lillies instead i will try looking at those plecos you said mabye i can find one in a local store, i would prefer a shrimp but ghost shrimp are the only ones i have seen for sale.

 

[adadkins1]

I agree with Grimm, bristlenose plecos will do a number on algae problems.

 

[LoneFish]

Should i listen to the petsmart guy?

The guy at pet smart said that the bristle nose plec would get 1' long he also said i have no more room in my tank to fit any other fish
Was it even close to a valid coment?

 

[uh.oh...]

ignore all petsmart comments!

 

[roydooms]

Albino bristlenose pleco's max size is 5-6".

I would also like to add that some nerite snails grow about the size of a quarter like zebra, olive nerite(1"), red spot nerite snail, etc..

 

[warthog76za]

My Amano shrimp and even my Panda Cory, do one heck of a job cleaning the tank from algae, even the outside of my filter gets a once over by the shrimps, which means I only clean the inside of the filter.

I have some pond snails which help and to keep them in check I also have Assassin snails....every now and then on the bottom of my tank one can see the Assassins were hard at work

 

[rich311k]

I would find the cause and eliminate the problem, almost always is too much light. I find an old credit card and a little elbow grease works much better than any fish.

 

[roydooms]

Types of algae: causes and cure

http://gwapa.org/wordpress/articles/algae-in-the-planted-aquarium/

 

[LoneFish]

i know the algae comes from to much light the tank is right next to a window, i do not hve room to move the tank until i have finished my basement, less light. If any of you know where i could order a few ammanos that would be a real help if not i will stop by petsmart again tommorow and pick up the bristle nose

 

[LoneFish]

Thanks for all the advice

 

[roydooms]

You can PM severum mama or HN1 for the amanos. They have great quality livestock. I bought mine from them.

This is their website... It works better if you just PM them. Good luck!

http://forsythaquatics.com/

 

[Esoteric Backbone]

Thanks for all the advice

No problem! Its a pleasure!

 

[rich311k]

I would cover the sides of the tank exposed to the light. Might as well limit the problem as much as possible.

 

[LoneFish]

Hey it is me again i went to pet smart to get a pleco, they were sold out instead i bought a gold algae eater it is slightly agressive but does not seem to relentlesly chase fish. As to covering the sides of the tank to stop algae thats not a bad idea.

 

[alLexX]

Hey it is me again i went to pet smart to get a pleco, they were sold out instead i bought a gold algae eater it is slightly agressive but does not seem to relentlesly chase fish. As to covering the sides of the tank to stop algae thats not a bad idea.

golden algae eatre=bad,there a colour variation of the chinese agae eater,they get really big and really aggressive

 

[Ickletas]

+1 Mine is about 3-4" atm , (I inherited him with the tank) and he is already a bit of a tyrant. Luckily I had a word at my amazing lfs and they will re-home him for me. Also they are not really the greatest algae eater of all time either, especially when they mature. There is a school of thought that says they in fact don't eat algae at all they just suck it for nutrients.

 

[LoneFish]

?????????????????????

Agressive mine seems the opposite of agressive the day i put him in he had a tough guy act then saw my big gold gourami and swam straight to the corner of the tank and hid.
I have even seen my dojo laying on top of the algae eater when it rests on the bottom the algae eater is under an 1" so mabye it is to small to be aggresive yet.

 

[LoneFish]

Also

also in have been doing research on my gold dojo is it in a to small tank the description said i only needed a 10 gal. But i have been reading they can get up to 2 feet