Large Alge Eating Shrimp.

[BigIan]

i`ve started injecting co2 into my tank and there been a bit of green spot alge building up and i was thinking of adding ammano shrimp the the angels would gobble them up so any other options??

i already have ottos in there

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

i`ve started injecting co2 into my tank and there been a bit of green spot alge building up and i was thinking of adding ammano shrimp the the angels would gobble them up so any other options??

i already have ottos in there

Hi Ian
What about a bristle nose plec? He keeps mine clean, and they dont grow that big either.
You are right about the shrimp being eaten buy the Angels. Mine only lasted a couple of days

 

[BigIan]

would one of those keep the alge off the leaves aswell??

plus i`m planning on turning the tank in to a hightec planted aswell so don`t want anything thats going to destroy my planting

 

[voo]

What substrates are you having in the bottom? If your are going high tec, will that involve a nutrient rich substrate covered with sand or something similar?

If so, i used to have bristlenose plecs and whilst they did a real good job of keeping the tank clean, they would flick the sand all over my tank, trying to get underneath wood etc. Luckily i had a gravel tidy to keep the 2 substrate layers separate, but they would dig right down to the gravel tidy and cover the other plants in sand.

I got rid of them in the end, they were ruining my tank

 

[BigIan]

i was going to research into substrate when we get the marine tank rnning but i was planningf either latreite and sand or flourite

 

[Themuleous]

Two things, firstly when you say green spot do you mean the small 1mm dark green spot type algae? If so its a bugger to remove, my shrimp never touch it nor do my ottos.

Second, if you're going to go the EI route I would hold off on adding more fish. Plecos are normally quite messy and you might find having one in there messes up the nutrient balance. Also, the EI should (if you can get it to work! ) rid you of the spot algae anyway.

Sam

 

[BigIan]

i`ve read the E.I article several times now and i think i`m starting to get my head around it.

just need cash for al the ferts plus extra lighting (currently at 2 wpg going to try for 3

 

[Bloo]

Well (touch wood) my large Amano's have survived just fine in my tank with 5 Angels. That said - they are not as active (and casually cruising around) as they were in my fully planted tank. So granged they are fully grown and there are plenty of hiding spaces and plants in your tank, they will probably be fine.

But no: if it's the small green spot on the glass en decor (the type you have to scrub to remove) otos or shrimp won't help here. Only elbow grease.

 

[Themuleous]

How big is the tank Ian? Dont forget to get the CO2 to a stable 30ppm before you increase the lighting.

Also, as for ferts, the dry type are much cheaper and can be bought from aquaessentials.

Sam

 

[voo]

Just adding on to what Themuleous said about plecs being messy. I had 2 britlenoses and they were extremely messy!! It was incredible the amount of mess they made. I had to clean the tank every 2-3 days else the tank looked like i hadnt cleaned it for weeks. This is with sand though, where the waste sits on top and is easily seen. I had gravel in the tank before and never noticed the amount of waste.

I have to say, since i got rid of them the tank has been a lot cleaner and it amazes me how much they pooped! I have been happier since they went - less waste and no sand all over. I did like them though, and if i was to get gravel again i think i would have one.

Just adding on to what Themuleous said about plecs being messy. I had 2 britlenoses and they were extremely messy!! It was incredible the amount of mess they made. I had to clean the tank every 2-3 days else the tank looked like i hadnt cleaned it for weeks. This is with sand though, where the waste sits on top and is easily seen. I had gravel in the tank before and never noticed the amount of waste.

I have to say, since i got rid of them the tank has been a lot cleaner and it amazes me how much they pooped! I have been happier since they went - less waste and no sand all over. I did like them though, and if i was to get gravel again i think i would have one.

They were quite clumbsy too. I often heard noises in the night as my snails got bashed against the side of the tank by the bristlenoses.

 

[BigIan]

i`m working on my co2 mixture, trying to get the co2 right,

i`m going to put a layer of laterite down before i upgrade the lighting any more i think. then going to see if i get my head arround E.I

Is it really just as simple as adding N P K and the trace elements

 

[Themuleous]

Is it really just as simple as adding N P K and the trace elements

Nothing is EVER that simple! but yes in theory it is. My biggest tip would be to work out the dosing regime relatively early on (within the first few months) and then stick to it. Messing with mine has stuffed up the tank and means I've constantly got algae. The regime may need adjusting as time goes by and the plants grow, etc, but work it out early and leave it at that. Only change it if you start getting algae.

BTW any particular reason for the laterite? There are better ones out there. If you're after a base layer, the new tropica one is and would only cost 15quid for a 90lt tank, so not nearly as expensive as complete substrates like ADA AS.

Just a thought

Sam

EDIT - you forgot the CO2!

 

[George Farmer]

The next issue of PFK should explain EI and substrates fairly well.

As mentioned green spot algae (GSA) is hard to remove and algae eaters don't tend to touch it. Potassium phosphate (KH2PO4) is effective and is part of EI if your tap levels and bio-load aren't too loaded

I've kept shrimp and Angels together successfully. I may have just been lucky though.

 

[BigIan]

i just heard that laterite was a good one. i`ll investigate into the substrate more, over the next few weeks

 

[George Farmer]

i just heard that laterite was a good one. i`ll investigate into the substrate more, over the next few weeks

Laterite is effective but only supplies iron. There are far more advanced substrates and substrate additives now available. Aqua Essentials is the only UK outlet I know of that stocks most of them.