Help.

[Phillip.M]

I had my 10 g tank since 2002. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, Ph level, Hardness, etc, Is all normal. Tank is heavily stocked with plants and has a air pump going on. I have like 5 guppies and 4 rasboras and 1 bamboo shrimp. The problem is That my tank has escessive algae growth. I only keep the light on 9 hours a day. I was hoping to get a fish or intervabrae to munch out all the algae since the No Algae fizz tablets wont work. What are your suggestions that i should get? Pleco? Snails? Any others? Thanks.

 

[valleyrich]

In a 10g snails would be your safest bet. Pleco would be more effective but they grow pretty quickly to 18" or more! Chinese algea eaters tend to go cannibal. My vote goes to snails or a little magnetic scrubber. If you get snails you have to really watch your plants though.

 

[Phillip.M]

I have magnetic scubbers but the glass isnt the only area that has algae on it. How much snails should i get?

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Why tackle to root of the problem rather than adding to an already pretty stocked tank?

How much do you feed? What's your NitrAte level generally? What kind of algae to you have? Look in the plant section for info on types of algae.

Too much/too little light and overfeeding can cause excess algae. A little is normal and healthy (and IMO quite attractive), a lot is not.





Oh, and some shrimp eat algae. Otos are good and small and enjoy a planted tank.

 

[Phillip.M]

my nitrate is 0, i feed 2 times a day, n' wat r oto's?

 

[england]

is the tank in the light from window.....promotes rapid growth or maybe try brisslenoses cats they get to about 4-6inchs and are very good cleaners

 

[Phillip.M]

It's near it, like on the side. Can you link me on the brisstlenoses, mabye i can purchase one online?

 

[CFC]

Only very heavily planted specialist aquariums have a nitrate of 0, if your test kit is giving a 0 nitrate reading i would suggest it it out of date (or prehaps just no good).

 

[Phillip.M]

I said it was a heavily planted tank, w/ co2 n' fertilzers.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Otos are very small plecs. Only about 1". However, please note the other things I said before jumping straight into buying fish.

2 times a day is a lot to be feeding your fish IMO. I think you might be overfeeding them, causing too much nutrients and waste in the tank. Do you take a day off from feeding?

Oh and your tank is too small for a bristlenose.

 

[Phillip.M]

Really? Some of my friends who are very advanced w/ fishes more then i am feeds them 4 times a day. Can you please link me facts about otos or link me where i can buy them online? Cause i know none of my LFS has them.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Really? Some of my friends who are very advanced w/ fishes more then i am feeds them 4 times a day. Can you please link me facts about otos or link me where i can buy them online? Cause i know none of my LFS has them.

BLOODY HELL.

Will you please address the other things I said before jumping straight into buying fish?!?!!! If you want to find out, try using that little known search engine called Google.




Oh and 4 times a day is madness unless it's very specialised fish. A fish's stomach is roughly the size of their eyeball, they do not get to swim far or hunt and don't have to generate their own heat. 4 times a day (and IMO 2) is simply not needed. Mine are fed once every 2 days and are totally fine, not to mention active in a clean tank.

 

[CFC]

I said it was a heavily planted tank, w/ co2 n' fertilzers.

no, what you said was

Phillip.M Today, 05:19 PM IP: 24.13.25.237 | Post #1|

I had my 10 g tank since 2002. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, Ph level, Hardness, etc, Is all normal. Tank is heavily stocked with plants and has a air pump going on. I have like 5 guppies and 4 rasboras and 1 bamboo shrimp. The problem is That my tank has escessive algae growth. I only keep the light on 9 hours a day. I was hoping to get a fish or intervabrae to munch out all the algae since the No Algae fizz tablets wont work. What are your suggestions that i should get? Pleco? Snails? Any others? Thanks.

An air pump will only drive CO2 out of the water by increasing surface gas exchange and adding fertilisers will only serve to feed algea unless you have the correct spectrum and volume of light on the aquarium as the plants are less able to use nutrients if the lighting isnt correct.
Finding the cause of the algea is always better than adding algea eaters which just add to the bio load and in turn add to the algea problem.

 

[Phillip.M]

Really? Some of my friends who are very advanced w/ fishes more then i am feeds them 4 times a day. Can you please link me facts about otos or link me where i can buy them online? Cause i know none of my LFS has them.

BLOODY HELL.

Will you please address the other things I said before jumping straight into buying fish?!?!!! If you want to find out, try using that little known search engine called Google.




Oh and 4 times a day is madness unless it's very specialised fish. A fish's stomach is roughly the size of their eyeball, they do not get to swim far or hunt and don't have to generate their own heat. 4 times a day (and IMO 2) is simply not needed. Mine are fed once every 2 days and are totally fine, not to mention active in a clean tank.

yea i no... i asked earlier for the links but i will just do it myself..

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I give up.