Clean up crew

[Galvin88]

Hey guys,
So I have abit of green algae going on in my tank at the moment.
It builds on the glass and is starting over the rocks.
I am unsure if I can get a clean up crew as I have 3 botia dario loaches (not sure what they are like at clean up), and one red tail shark as my bottom dwellers.

It's more the red tail that's giving me concern as they grow to be territorial.
Is there any fish that are good as a clean up crew that can handle there self with the red tail.

My Tank is 63 gallons (48x20x15)

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

Hey guys,
So I have abit of green algae going on in my tank at the moment.
It builds on the glass and is starting over the rocks.
I am unsure if I can get a clean up crew as I have 3 botia dario loaches (not sure what they are like at clean up), and one red tail shark as my bottom dwellers.

It's more the red tail that's giving me concern as they grow to be territorial.
Is there any fish that are good as a clean up crew that can handle there self with the red tail.

My Tank is 63 gallons (48x20x15)

Don't go by my advice alone, but I'd say a bristlenose pleco or rubberlip pleco (if you can find the latter).

Right now my cleanup crew consists of: 1 sailfin plec, 1 common plec (bear with me), a vampire shrimp, 3 bronze corys and 3 albino corys, and my tank is looking near enough pristine with 0.25ppm nitrite and 0.00ppm ammonia respectively... Buuut, I'm also very overstocked, so using this as a blueprint is definitely not a good idea.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Hmm...perhaps solving the problem at the source is better than adding something else.
Algae 'woes' are most often too many nutrients or too much light. Maybe you're overfeeding resulting in excess nutrients. Perhaps you don't have [enough] fast growing plants to out compete algae for nutrients. Maybe you need to step up your volume and/or frequency of partial water changes to remove more nutrient rich (e.g. polluted) water. Or finally, maybe you need a bit less light intensity or duration.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Most of the typical 'cleaning crew' wouldn't work with your current stock, I'm sorry. Cories would be at risk from the red tail and loaches, and wouldn't clean algae from glass either. Snails are out as botia love to eat snails. Shrimp would be decimated. Otos would be bullied and stressed.

As well as trying to sort the problem from the source, you're the best clean up crew there is! Scrape the tank walls clean with a razor blade or commercial algae scraper, and get a stiff brush only for fish tank use to scrub rocks in old tank water. Do this just before/during a water change, to remove as much of the free floating algae as possible

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Don’t get a Pleco to get rid of algae.

Shrimp won’t do the job either. They may eat some of it, but they won’t completely eradicate it from your tank. Snails wouldn’t be the best choice either.

As @AbbeysDad said, it’s better/best to pinpoint what the issue is, rather than getting more livestock.

 

[Galvin88]

Thanks guys
I wouldn't say I'm over feeding, I think I underfeed more than anything as I worry I might over feed if I don't.
I don't mind the cleaning I do that anyway with my weekly water change,.
it was more for the sand and rocks I wanted them for.
My lights are on 100% brightness for about 7 hours then the rest is sunrise and sunset. For a couple hours each.
Plants I have about 7 plants but 3 varients, but I couldn't not tell you what they are as I'm not great with plant names.

That's annoying but thanks anyway, just have to stick to cleaning it off everytime,

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thanks guys
I wouldn't say I'm over feeding, I think I underfeed more than anything as I worry I might over feed if I don't.
I don't mind the cleaning I do that anyway with my weekly water change,.
it was more for the sand and rocks I wanted them for.
My lights are on 100% brightness for about 7 hours then the rest is sunrise and sunset. For a couple hours each.
Plants I have about 7 plants but 3 varients, but I couldn't not tell you what they are as I'm not great with plant names.

That's annoying but thanks anyway, just have to stick to cleaning it off everytime,

If you post photos of the plants, someone here is bound to be able to ID them for you, if you'd like

 

[Galvin88]

If you post photos of the plants, someone here is bound to be able to ID them for you, if you'd like

They are my plants, obviously the very dark green ones on the left corner behined the plant is fake

 

[seangee]

That tank looks quite bright, and the light substrate intensifies that. I would start by switching your 100% period to around 60%. None of your fish like bright lights and I don't see any plants that need it. If neccessary you can then tweak the intensity. None of my tanks run at 100% and one is as low as 45%.

 

[Galvin88]

I think it could be the photo because 45% looks very dull but on the photo it looks bright.

Just looked at my times, and I have 100% from 1pm till 4pm

 

[Colin_T]

Plants on left are Hygrophila polyspema.
Plants in middle and right (fluffy ones) is Ambulia.
Small clump of plant on right, unknown and need some more pictures of it.

If you put some floating plants in the tank they will reduce algae on the glass and rocks. Or take cuttings from the current plants (Ambulia and H. polysperma) and spread them around.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Plants on left are Hygrophila polyspema.
Plants in middle and right (fluffy ones) is Ambulia.
Small clump of plant on right, unknown and need some more pictures of it.

If you put some floating plants in the tank they will reduce algae on the glass and rocks. Or take cuttings from the current plants (Ambulia and H. polysperma) and spread them around.

I think the smaller shrubby one on the right might be a lobelia? Looks similar to one I have anyway, but I'm not 100%

Edit: OP, the one attached to the log is a Java Fern, looks like a narrow leaf variety. Should produce baby plants at some point, you can also trim the tubule stem part to cut it into two plants once it's larger. Make sure not to plant the rhizome under substrate though, or that'll rot and kill the plant. Attaching it to hardscape the way you have is perfect. Or you can plant just the roots in the substrate if you want, as some as the rhizome isn't buried.

 

[seangee]

I think it could be the photo because 45% looks very dull but on the photo it looks bright.

Just looked at my times, and I have 100% from 1pm till 4pm

I only suggested what I would do - what you choose to do is entirely up to you.
FWIW the pic below is my tank that runs at 45% for 9 hours with a 15 minute sunrise and sunset. I can't remember when last I cleaned the glass, in my case cleaning means wiping with a sponge. The big clump of plants on the right are Hygrophila polysperma. These started life as 6 tiny plants which I spread in the way @Colin_T describes.

 

[Galvin88]

I only suggested what I would do - what you choose to do is entirely up to you.
FWIW the pic below is my tank that runs at 45% for 9 hours with a 15 minute sunrise and sunset. I can't remember when last I cleaned the glass, in my case cleaning means wiping with a sponge. The big clump of plants on the right are Hygrophila polysperma. These started life as 6 tiny plants which I spread in the way @Colin_T describes.

I think my Hygrophila polyspema where dying, when I bought them I didn't use any fertz, so they went yellow/brown and floppy. I think I have managed to revive them with fertz hopefully.
Mine just seem to grow up and not out like yours

 

[seangee]

Mine just seem to grow up and not out like yours

Just cut the tops off. That will make them bush out and give you cuttings to replant