Algae Probbs- Which Algae Eater

[AdAndrews]

i am having minor problems with algae on the glass, like greenish spots not too many but wondered which algae eaters are suitable for my 26 degrees celcius 54 litre 12 gal tank

thanks

 

[AdAndrews]

.

 

[waterdrop]

"otos" make good algae eaters although I suppose you might try to work out with the planted tank section which type of algae you have and technically whether otos would eat it. Its also good to learn about algae and work on it from all angles. I know otos eat the brown (diatom?) type but not sure about green spots on glass types.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Truck]

rubernose plecs or bn plecs

 

[minxfishy]

Instead of a fish solving the problem, just get a soft bristled brush and wipe it away, if its green spot, it usually comes off pretty easily. Also reduce the lights if you have them on more then 8-10hrs a day and make sure there is no direct sunlight on the tank.

 

[AdAndrews]

Instead of a fish solving the problem, just get a soft bristled brush and wipe it away, if its green spot, it usually comes off pretty easily. Also reduce the lights if you have them on more then 8-10hrs a day and make sure there is no direct sunlight on the tank.

thanks

i have my lights on for 1 hour 7-8am and then when i get back from school from 3-10pm until i go to bed, is this too long, the light in the room is not direct however i do have mirrored wardrobes- could this magnify the ammount of light in the room?

 

[waterdrop]

Nine hours of light is not too bad. You could drop another hour or two of light out during the evening if there is a middle period when you are not near the tank. But unfortunately light is probably not going to necessarily solve it, although it can't hurt to not be doing too many hours. Algae is a complex problem to explain and it won't all get resolved in this thread, perhaps its best to just be encouraged to keep reading about it and learning and be sure to actively work on cleaning your tank during weekly maintenance.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Dave Spencer]

It sounds a bit like green dust algae to me. GDA at this stage are free swimming. Clearing up the free swimming zoospores at this stage is very difficult, so here is your best plan of attack, if you are willing to see it through.

The algae should be allowed to complete its life cycle on the glass, which means that you will have to put up with glass that you will not be able to see through for three weeks or so.

As the algae turns in to its adult form a green like jelly coats the inside of the glass. Resist the temptation to clear it off, as it will soon start to fall off and recede of its own accord. I have tried this on all my new tanks that start with GDA and it works. I have tanks that have not required the glass to be wiped for months. As long as you understand the principles of what causes algae you shouldn`t see it again.

The hardest part is ignoring the horrible green, jelly-like goo on the glass for all that time. The reward is worth it, however.

P.S. I hope I have got the type of algae right. It isn`t easy to ID without a picture.

Dave.