Uh oh.. algae...

[sarahsunshine]

OK, so now I have algae....
I was warned!

Situation:
Light: 1.75wpg
Aq size: 20g high
Filter: Eheim 2213
Inhabitants: 5 Khuli, 6 neon tetras, 6 Harlequin rasboras (all young and small)

Future hopes:
Plants: Java Fern, Anubia (first time plant)
Fish: dwarf gourami, algae eaters - 3 of panda cory?, oto?, other suggestion?

Question:
1. Will the introduction of a Java Fern and an Anubia likely outcompete the algae currently growing on the driftwood and rocks?
2. Are oto and panda corys suitable algae eaters - or algae eaters at all (I'm not sure about panda corys)?
3. How many hours at 1.75wpg of light is too much - i.e. propmotes algae growth?

Is there something else I should know/do?

 

[WhiteDevil]

Cordoras are not total algae eaters, they will eat it but prefer meaty foods.
Otos are great cleaners

no more then 12 hours of light per day, I give mine 12 a day when I work when I am off they get 10 a day.

Algae growth I am unsure of I got it but noticed it didnt grow new when I used ferts. I got more ferts coming in the mail. I cant stand algae on the glass, anywhere else (cept on me plants) I could care less, I like the natural look, but I to am interested in the answer to the 2nd part of question #3

 

[Brad S]

Question:
1. Will the introduction of a Java Fern and an Anubia likely outcompete the algae currently growing on the driftwood and rocks?
2. Are oto and panda corys suitable algae eaters - or algae eaters at all (I'm not sure about panda corys)?
3. How many hours at 1.75wpg of light is too much - i.e. propmotes algae growth?

Is there something else I should know/do?[/QUOTE]

Well, the more plants you have, the less algae. Unfortunately, you're pretty much going to have a little no matter what you do. Cutting back on the light if you can might help some. You said you have 12 hrs of light at 1.75 wpg? This is not an outrageous amount by any means however, less might help. Mine are on for a total of 8 hrs a day. Of course I don't have any live plants so I only have to consider the fish and my viewing pleasure. Actually, I'm not sure the fish really care. lol

An Otto and/or cory would make an excellent addition. Ottos are great cleaners. Myself, I've got a regular pleco and he keeps my tank clean as a whistle so, maybe a BN Pleco? One that stays smaller because with your tank size, any of the bigger ones will outgrow it real fast. I suppose you could adopt him out when he gets too big though.

1.75 wpg is already a minimal light level for low light plants so much less is not advisable. How long... I'd say 8-10 hrs is absolute minimum. Plants gotta have light so keep an eye on them. With the lower light they may not grow like crazy but they'll probably do OK. Especially the Java Fern. Tough stuff that.

Anything else... Don't forget to use ferts and have fun. And change that water. Algae LOVES dirty water.

Almost forgot. No direct sunlight! You won't be able to see inside the tank you'll have so much algae!

 

[sarahsunshine]

I cant stand algae on the glass, anywhere else (cept on me plants) I could care less, I like the natural look, but I to am interested in the answer to the 2nd part of question #3

I’m with you on that! I don’t mind algae, I just don’t want it taking over!

Brad –

Thanks for the response. I think I’ve got almost all that under control already. I’m planning to get some more bottom feeders, preferably that eat algae, and trying to figure out what my options are. What does BN stand for (i.e. BN Pleco)?

In terms of ferts, what would you suggest? I got to the LFS and just stare at the assortment with no knowledge whatsoever, then leave with nothing – not wanting to get the wrong stuff!

Oh, and my tank is pretty clean (and has no direct sunlight). With only ½ size Harlequins and Neons, it doesn’t get dirty very fast!

 

[mfdrookie516]

bn= bristlenose pleco... they stay small... i like my rubber lipped pleco, though i rarely see him, he is a cool little dude... as far as ferts go, you can get the flourish comprehensive, which should give you about everything you need, unless you wanna go with ei dosing (estimative index), which basically puts too much of your fertilizer in, which is good for preventing algae, then you do a 50% pwc at the end of the week so they dont build up...

 

[Brad S]

You're welcome. Glad I could help. mfdrookie516's got it right on. bn pleco= bristlenose pleco. And flourish comprehensive is a good fertilizer. Oh, you probably already know this but just in case. Never use anything like Miracle Grow or other garden variety plant foods. Read this about it.

Special warning!

Some people have asked about using common household fertilizers like miracle-gro in their planted aquarium. This is a bad idea, since most terrestial plant fertilziers contain high levels of phosphates. In additon, many of them contain their nitrogen in the form of urea, which is essentially ammonia. And in a tank that contains fish, urea or ammonia is toxic. I've tested miracle-grow in an uninhabited 10g tank, and adding just 5ml of the liquid to the 10g resulting in ammonia levels off the chart for my ammonia test. The same hold true for many hydroponics fertilziers. I would suggest that you never add any fertilziers to your tank unless you are sure you know what it contains.

So there you go. No Miracle grow! One last thing about pleco's and the like. You have to feed them too. Some people think that all they need for food is the algae in their tanks. Which is why some of the poor guys starve to death. They will eat some of the algae yes but you'll need to supplement their diet with things like veggies, (good for all fish) algae waffers, etc. Ask your lfs about the care and feeding of pleco's.

Have fun. Then have some more!

 

[mfdrookie516]

. Ask your lfs about the care and feeding of pleco's.

honestly i have to disagree with this statement (but i agree with the rest )... almost guarantee that most lfs employees will say they dont need food lol.. just throw some zucchini and/or algae wafers in there from time to time..

 

[Brad S]

honestly i have to disagree with this statement (but i agree with the rest )... almost guarantee that most lfs employees will say they don't need food lol.. just throw some zucchini and/or algae wafers in there from time to time..

Yeah, you're right again. Forget the lfs. They never seem to know nothin'. Ask the veggie guy at your local grocery store. (Just kidding) Zucchini's, cucumber's, algae wafers, etc. That's the ticket. Thanks!

 

[sarahsunshine]

Thanks guys!

One BN pleco is now making his (or her) happy home in my tank (DH preferred the look of the pleco over the otos!

He's been munching away happily all over, loving the driftwood, and showing off his mouth on the glass. I love that! I never realized that there was the beginnings of algae on the glass, but it's certainly cleaner after he's been there.

I think I might call him Hoover...

I was also sure to give him a quarter of an algae wafer in case he was starving. It was gone an hour later so I gave him another 1/4.

 

[jsoong]

Sarah, you don't have any plants yet, true? Then, you don't need much light except to see the fish with ... cutting it back to 6hr might knock the algae back. once you get plants, 8-12 hrs is needed.

A planted tank need a balance of nutrients (ferts) to avoid algae. For a low light setup, you prob don't need much. You might want to wait a bit to see how the plants grow before adding ferts. <BTW, I use solid ferts, rather more economical than liquid ferts like the Flourish, esp. for a big tank .... I found hydroponics fert. from Rona a couple year back in the pond section, also used to buy from a hydroponics store at ~84 Ave & 99 St years back.>

Java ferns & Anubias are too slow growing to out compete algae. You need some fast stem plants to do the job. I have hornwort that is growing like weeds. Going to be doing a major trimming this WE. If you like some, PM me & I'll save you some.

 

[Brad S]

I think I might call him Hoover...

Hoover... I love it. Have fun with your new buddy.