Tank Bed Getting Dirty :(

[fmervin]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to fishkeeping and I have a 65L (approx 17 gal) tank. I have set this up with a sand substrate (approx one inch) and some resin bogwood, real bogwood and a volcano thingy which spews bubbles The tank is nicely planted. Not too much, not too little. Lately I have noticed that the bed (surface of the sand substrate) is getting dirty. Some areas are kind of turning blackish. Also I have noticed green spots on the tank glass (algae?). I have 2 mollies and one betta and the mollies poop so much that you can see the poop on the sand bed. Just wondering if this is what is causing the sand to go blackish? Are there any scavenger fishes etc that will clear up the dirt off the tank bed? I was thinking of getting some amano shrimps to sort out the algae problem. Would they help with the dirt on the sand as well? The nitrite levels are still a bit high so I am waiting for those to come down before I get in the shrimps.

I'll post some pics as soon as I get home, stupid camera ran out of batteries (how often does that happen )

 

[DevUK]

Really you should clean your substrate every other week, or more depending on how much waste is produced by your fish to get rid of it. Best way to do this is when you do a water change, use a "gravel vac" type syphon and gently swirl about an inch above the sand to disturb any waste, which should then get sucked up and into your bucket. Another way is to get a battery power vac which doesn't syphon water but instead has a little cloth bag which collects the waste. Same swirling action though

If you leave the waste and it doesn't get eaten by anything then it can lead to a build up of nitrAtes which can cause excess algae. The black patches may well be algae growing accross the surface of the substrate.

 

[fmervin]

Thanks DevUK. That makes a whole lot of sense Just concerned though that I have quite a few ornaments and plants. Do I need to take those out when I vacuum? Taking the plants out and replanting them might be a pain

Also, is there anything I can do for the black patches of sand? Lastly, which kind of vac would you recommend? The battery powered one or the other?

Thanks again. I really do learn a lot from these forums

 

[Miss Wiggle]

lift up rocks/ornaments and vac under them (like you should with hoovering you house!) but don't uproot plants, they use the poo as fertiliser so just go carefully around them but dont worry if you don't get it all.

the black patches, are they under ornaments? the sand can get compacted which causes it to go black sometimes, once you've got rid of all the poop give the sand a stir to make sure it's not all squished up.

i just go for a regular siphon not the battery powered ones

 

[fmervin]

Thanks Miss Wiggle. I'll do that. What do I use to get rid of the algae on the glass? Will a cloth be ok? Do I need to rinse the cloth in the tank water first before I actually start the cleaning?

Lastly, do you know of any fishes, shrimps etc etc that will feed on the dirt (poo inclusive) and help me out a bit. I've seen my mollies nibbling on their own poo and then spitting it out again. Funny and disgusting at the same time. That's nature for you I guess I know the amano shrimps do feed on the left over food, algae on the sand bed and help aerate the sand. Would they also clean the algae from the glass?

 

[DevUK]

Thanks Miss Wiggle. I'll do that. What do I use to get rid of the algae on the glass? Will a cloth be ok? Do I need to rinse the cloth in the tank water first before I actually start the cleaning?

A cloth isn't really suitable I don't think. you can get magnetic scrapers which are quite good. One half is on the outside, the other inside and being magnetic, when you move the outside half, the inside follows (untill you forget and pull the outside half off and the inside half drops to the substrate ) You can also get special sponge scrapers on a "stick".

Lastly, do you know of any fishes, shrimps etc etc that will feed on the dirt (poo inclusive) and help me out a bit. I've seen my mollies nibbling on their own poo and then spitting it out again. Funny and disgusting at the same time. That's nature for you I guess I know the amano shrimps do feed on the left over food, algae on the sand bed and help aerate the sand. Would they also clean the algae from the glass?

It depends on your current stock. Need to think of compatability and also whether you have space for another few fish. You might opt for a small gang of snails, but you may end up over run in a few months.

There are various algae eating fish but be careful. Many LFS's sell some fish with the generic name "algae eater". A lot of the time they are Chinese Algae Eaters. I was sold one of these. They're great when they're young and really do eat a lot of algae. But when they mature they become aggressive and are less interested in it, prefering sinking wafers etc.

So whats your current stock?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

unfrotunately you can't get any fish to do your jobs for you, even with an army of algae eaters you'll still need to clean teh tank glass occasionally.

there are no fish/inverts commonly in the trade that are detritevores (i.e. eat poo). some fish like cories are scavengers and will get any uneaten food from the tank floor but contrary to popular belief they will not clean up the tank floor for you. they'll just in turn produce more poo for you to clean!

the best thing for cleaning algae is a washing up sponge/scourer. cheap and effective!

 

[fmervin]

Thanks DevUK

So whats your current stock?

Nothing much at the moment. Just one betta and 2 mollies (1 male and female). It's a 65Ltr (approx 17gal tank). I was keen to get in the shrimps, but the nitrites stay between 0.4 and 0.6. It's been like this for a week. Do you think it could be because of the dirt and algae? The ammonia stays a constant 0

 

[fmervin]

Thanks Miss Wiggle

unfrotunately you can't get any fish to do your jobs for you, even with an army of algae eaters you'll still need to clean teh tank glass occasionally.
there are no fish/inverts commonly in the trade that are detritevores (i.e. eat poo). some fish like cories are scavengers and will get any uneaten food from the tank floor but contrary to popular belief they will not clean up the tank floor for you. they'll just in turn produce more poo for you to clean!

That's what I guessed. Off to the lfs to purhcase a vac Do you think if I just turn over the black patches of sand it should be ok? Or do I need to hoover that layer out?

the best thing for cleaning algae is a washing up sponge/scourer. cheap and effective!

That's a good suggestion Just wondering though if I do use a scourer for cleaning the algae won't that get into the tank water? I usually do a 25% water change every week so just worried that the algae might just get released into the water.

 

[DevUK]

That's a good suggestion Just wondering though if I do use a scourer for cleaning the algae won't that get into the tank water? I usually do a 25% water change every week so just worried that the algae might just get released into the water.

Do it at the same time (just before) a water change and you should be able to syphon out a lot of the algae floating about You could safely do a larger water change, say up to 50% to get more out. Depends how bad it is

 

[moey23q]

Algae eater(s), water changes. that is all, window cleaner magnets.

 

[Christine1014]

you mentioned shrimps... you probably won't be able to keep a shrimp with a betta; the betta will eat him. Ottos much on algae nicely in a planted tank, and they're okay with bettas. Vacuuming is the only way to get the poo up though. But a tip? depending how densely planted you are, the gravel vac isn't going to get in between the plants well (maybe you can get a smaller gravel vac, but mine's about 2.5 inches in diameter). For those tight spots, disconnect the "hose" from the "vac" and just get a syphon going with the hose and use that around your plants. It creates a stronger suction so you may need to kink the hose to prevent it from sucking up too much sand (or your plants!) but it works well.

 

[indigo]

re the algae, i just bought a large snail for my 500 litre tank and he's cleaning the glass a treat!

 

[fmervin]

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies.

you mentioned shrimps... you probably won't be able to keep a shrimp with a betta; the betta will eat him. Ottos much on algae nicely in a planted tank, and they're okay with bettas.

Never knew the betta can eat the shrimp. I saw a few amano shrimps at my lfs and they look pretty large to fit in the bettas mouth. Is it that small shrimps are in danger and I should go in for bigger shrimps? I'm really keen to have shrimps. The Ottos are a great idea, I found an excellent site here http/www.fishpondinfo.com/otto.htm which recommends keeping 2 since they prefer eating algae and could starve if the tank can't provide enough. Is this true? I think 2 should fit in nicely though and also keep the algae development at a minimum

Algae eater(s), water changes. that is all, window cleaner magnets.

Moey23q, do you know which algae eaters you have? Would they be ok in a 65ltr?

 

[vinylman]

You mentioned that you have one Molly of each sex; with livebearers, I'd have a ratio of one male to three females. Otherwise you'll find the female will be worn out long before her time by the endless breeding.