Finding the Right Algae Eater

[Essjay]

They should be OK in your tank - though various websites say they eat anything from algae to fish food, and they should be fed not just left to find what they can.

 

[shaziasadiqah]

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They should be OK in your tank - though various websites say they eat anything from algae to fish food, and they should be fed not just left to find what they can.

Will do feed them variety of food, too. I wasn’t planning to let them starve and rely on algae only, though

Thank you.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

I might be missing something but i have tried to go easy on the light, fertilizer and even decreasing the amount of food i feed my fishes. Still, the only time my tank (kinda) algae free is when i do a water change and scrub all the algae from the glass and wipe the algae on my plants, because it is a heavily planted tank there are lots of small spaces my hands can’t get into without messing up the plants.

if anyone can advice me about how to stop or at least control algae growth in my tank i would love to try it

Yes, you can reduce algae but you can't stop them completely unless you have some algae eaters. Even with algae eaters, you may still have slight algae.
But this is normal and slight algae looks natural and is useful for any tank.

You can reduce algae by:
1)Using lower wattage light but may affect your plants if you have plants that require bright light.
2)Reducing the duration when your light is on.
3)Removing fish waste, dying plants, food waste frequently by changing water once a week and doing tank maintainence frequently or at least once a week.
4)Reduce your fertilizer. If you don't have high demanding plants, probably you don't need much fertilizer.

The Sulawesi Rabbit snails are unique. I am thinking of getting them in the future.
They look like one of the characters from the movie Guardian of Galaxy. Lol.

I am currently keeping a tank just for Sulawesi shrimps. They are the most beautiful shrimps in the world.
They come from Lake Matano, Lake Poso and Lake Malili in south Sulawesi.(the island that look like "K" shape).

But they are not cheap. Probably you can get them cheaper in Indonesia since they sell in Rupiah.
I also have a Panther crab from Sulawesi.

I have kept many species of fish but now I find that shrimps, crabs, crayfish are more interesting.

Sulawesi Shrimps and Snails - Green Chapter

Images in this article by Chris Lukhuap, used with permission. Where are they from? Cardinal Shrimp is a smaller tropical...

green-chapter-shop.myshopify.com

Sulawesi Shrimps from Lake Poso and the Malili Lake System - Macro Photography by Nicky Bay

Sulawesi shrimps are small, tropical shrimps endemic to the ancient lake systems in Sulawesi, one of the 4 Greater Sunda Islands, also the 11th largest island in the world. They are immensely popular in the shrimp-keeping hobby due to their vibrant colours and ability to thrive in warm...

www.nickybay.com

 

[Fishiemang]

Get a bristlenose.

If your current fish are of the aggressive type, you'll want a fish that can defend itself. Enter the "armored pleco". They are armored catfish essentially. They also have sharp dorsal fins. When they get sucked into another fishes mouth, they stand their "sail" up, causing pain to whatever tried to eat it. They get spat out, and usually don't need to worry after this.

Common pleco's are the same, but a whole lot bigger.

A bristlenose would live out life comfortably in there, and you'd never see algae again. You'll prolly need to supp a wafer or 2 a week.

 

[shaziasadiqah]

Yes, you can reduce algae but you can't stop them completely unless you have some algae eaters. Even with algae eaters, you may still have slight algae.
But this is normal and slight algae looks natural and is useful for any tank.

You can reduce algae by:
1)Using lower wattage light but may affect your plants if you have plants that require bright light.
2)Reducing the duration when your light is on.
3)Removing fish waste, dying plants, food waste frequently by changing water once a week and doing tank maintainence frequently or at least once a week.
4)Reduce your fertilizer. If you don't have high demanding plants, probably you don't need much fertilizer.

The Sulawesi Rabbit snails are unique. I am thinking of getting them in the future.
They look like one of the characters from the movie Guardian of Galaxy. Lol.

I am currently keeping a tank just for Sulawesi shrimps. They are the most beautiful shrimps in the world.
They come from Lake Matano, Lake Poso and Lake Malili in south Sulawesi.(the island that look like "K" shape).

But they are not cheap. Probably you can get them cheaper in Indonesia since they sell in Rupiah.
I also have a Panther crab from Sulawesi.

I have kept many species of fish but now I find that shrimps, crabs, crayfish are more interesting.

Sulawesi Shrimps and Snails - Green Chapter

Images in this article by Chris Lukhuap, used with permission. Where are they from? Cardinal Shrimp is a smaller tropical...

green-chapter-shop.myshopify.com

Sulawesi Shrimps from Lake Poso and the Malili Lake System - Macro Photography by Nicky Bay

Sulawesi shrimps are small, tropical shrimps endemic to the ancient lake systems in Sulawesi, one of the 4 Greater Sunda Islands, also the 11th largest island in the world. They are immensely popular in the shrimp-keeping hobby due to their vibrant colours and ability to thrive in warm...

www.nickybay.com

They are really cute looking and i always wanted to add some snails to my tank but worry that smaller ones will be eaten by my BGK.

I ordered two of Sulawesi Snails just today and waiting for them to arrive, so excited. They are also quiet expensive in Indonesia compare to Nerite Snails, but i think it's still worth it.

 

[shaziasadiqah]

Get a bristlenose.

If your current fish are of the aggressive type, you'll want a fish that can defend itself. Enter the "armored pleco". They are armored catfish essentially. They also have sharp dorsal fins. When they get sucked into another fishes mouth, they stand their "sail" up, causing pain to whatever tried to eat it. They get spat out, and usually don't need to worry after this.

Common pleco's are the same, but a whole lot bigger.

A bristlenose would live out life comfortably in there, and you'd never see algae again. You'll prolly need to supp a wafer or 2 a week.

I always wanted a pleco but knowing that my tank size is still not the proper one i think i'll wait until my next upgrade to get them joining the tank. 57gal with all my stocking is overstocked indeed and i don't want to add more bigger fish like pleco just yet.

I plan to go for a 140gal in near future, that's when i'll add pleco to the tank

 

[Lajos_Detari]

What is your 57 gallon tank dimension?
Not all Pleco will grow large.
We recommended Bristlenose Pleco to you because they don't grow very large (up to 4 - 5 inches ).

If you can get Zebra Pleco which grow to about 3inches+ is even better.
It can fit into a 30 gallons tank.
But real Zebra Pleco is expensive. They cost easily $100+ each.
Other Bristlenose Plecos are cheaper.

Hypancistrus zebra – Zebra Plec, L046, L098 — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Zebra Pleco Care - Hypancistrus Zebra

Zebra Plecostomus fish profile and care information such as tank size, tank mates, life span, diet, foods, breeding, behavior, tank setup and temperament.

www.fishlore.com

PlanetCatfish.com - Hypancistrus zebra (Loricariidae) Cat-eLog

Images are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder.

www.planetcatfish.com

 

[Lajos_Detari]

They are really cute looking and i always wanted to add some snails to my tank but worry that smaller ones will be eaten by my BGK.

I ordered two of Sulawesi Snails just today and waiting for them to arrive, so excited. They are also quiet expensive in Indonesia compare to Nerite Snails, but i think it's still worth it.

By the way, I haven't kept any Black Ghost Knife fish with snails before.

You may have to take precaution.

 

[shaziasadiqah]

What is your 57 gallon tank dimension?
Not all Pleco will grow large.
We recommended Bristlenose Pleco to you because they don't grow very large (up to 4 - 5 inches ).

If you can get Zebra Pleco which grow to about 3inches+ is even better.
It can fit into a 30 gallons tank.
But real Zebra Pleco is expensive. They cost easily $100+ each.
Other Bristlenose Plecos are cheaper.

Hypancistrus zebra – Zebra Plec, L046, L098 — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Zebra Pleco Care - Hypancistrus Zebra

Zebra Plecostomus fish profile and care information such as tank size, tank mates, life span, diet, foods, breeding, behavior, tank setup and temperament.

www.fishlore.com

PlanetCatfish.com - Hypancistrus zebra (Loricariidae) Cat-eLog

Images are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder.

www.planetcatfish.com

It's a custom one 60x60x60cm i don't know around 23.6 in inches i guess. i want to make it tall for the angels and wide for the BGK. not the proper tank for them, i know, but again, i'll upgrade it to something bigger.

Woow that is an expensive pleco indeed.
I'll do more research on smaller Plecos.

 

[shaziasadiqah]

By the way, I haven't kept any Black Ghost Knife fish with snails before.

You may have to take precaution.

The Sulawesi Snails just arrived, they are already half the size of my Black Ghost Knife right now. I'll watch them carefully to make sure they are safe.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

It's a custom one 60x60x60cm i don't know around 23.6 in inches i guess. i want to make it tall for the angels and wide for the BGK. not the proper tank for them, i know, but again, i'll upgrade it to something bigger.

Woow that is an expensive pleco indeed.
I'll do more research on smaller Plecos.

Your tank is tall and wide but not long.
Anyway, it's still good enough for a Bristlenose Pleco but might be crowded with your BGK.

Two BGK probably may need at least 120cm x 60cm or bigger tank when they are fully grown.

Black Ghost Knifefish - Care, Diet & Breeding - Aquarium Info

The Black Ghost Knife Fish is a tropical freshwater aquarium fish originating from South America. This covers Black Ghost Knifefish diet, care and breeding.

blog.aquariuminfo.org

Black Ghost Knife Fish 101: Care, Tank Mates, And More

The black ghost knife fish is one of the most unique freshwater species that we’ve ever seen. Click here to learn how to care for them.

www.aquariumsource.com

 

[shaziasadiqah]

Your tank is tall and wide but not long.
Anyway, it's still good enough for a Bristlenose Pleco but might be crowded with your BGK.

Two BGK probably may need at least 120cm x 60cm or bigger tank when they are fully grown.

Black Ghost Knifefish - Care, Diet & Breeding - Aquarium Info

The Black Ghost Knife Fish is a tropical freshwater aquarium fish originating from South America. This covers Black Ghost Knifefish diet, care and breeding.

blog.aquariuminfo.org

Black Ghost Knife Fish 101: Care, Tank Mates, And More

The black ghost knife fish is one of the most unique freshwater species that we’ve ever seen. Click here to learn how to care for them.

www.aquariumsource.com

Yup, i plan to get a 150x60x60 in like 6 months. In that tank i think everybody will be way happier.

 

[Fishiemang]

You can get bristlenose plecos. They grow to about 4 inches. You could put a.few in there, no need tho. You can get a common pleco in a 140 gallon no problem. They grow up to 15-18 inches.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I personally wouldn’t recommend you get any fish to solve an issue in your tank, as they usually provide more problems than solutions.

How many hours a day do you leave your light on for? What brand/model is the light? Do you dose any fertilizers?

You can get bristlenose plecos. They grow to about 4 inches. You could put a.few in there, no need tho. You can get a common pleco in a 140 gallon no problem. They grow up to 15-18 inches.

BNP’s don’t eat as much algae as commonly thought...

 

[Fishiemang]

I have 4. They actually never stop eating it. One in my 38...Lamont....never stops.cleaning. This was the one that turned me on to Temmenekii plecos. These guys are actually ferocious when it comes to algae. My glass and plants are mostly clear all the time. Got another in my 10 gallon, Timmy, and that lil fella is cleanimg the tank right now like a madman. Another in my 30, Brushy Bill, amd that dude is out all night spit shining the glass and ornaments. I think he gets real mad when the lights come on. He the most timid.