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Welcome everyone!

Word around the forum is that there is an unnofficial support group for algae growers.

I just wanted to provide a space for those interested in posting their experience on algae and algae-feeding organisms.

I will start:

Hi! My name is James and I have been an algae grower and consumer for the last 6 months...

My algae crew is compossed of:

-1 Farlowella mariaelenae
-2 Rineloricaria sp.
-9 Caridina japonica
-11 Otocinclus sp.

I keep my tank by a small window so these algae are always present:

-Thread algae
-Hair algae
-Green spot algae
-Brown diatoms

Hope to hear the experience of other fellow members and exchange some ideas and techniques.

All the best,

James



Attached Image:

Thread Algae

Well, I am more than happy to welcome this thread. I'm afraid to say I have more of an algae problem than a wonderful experience. My whole tank is overun by thick, slimy sheets of this dark green colored algae. It has covered everything!!! Any info on how I can get rid of it because it's driving me crazy!!!

1 Ocellaris Clown: $14.95...1 Pink Dottyback: $12.99...1 Three Striped Damsel: $4.50...1 Blue Velvet Damsel: $8.95
The Problems that come with them: Priceless

Welcome RIFIFOOL,

We have room for everyone here so pull up a chair and join the circle! Looking at your profile it seems that your tank is a saltwater tank. Even though I do not know much about saltwater tanks, I do know that too much algae in a tank with corals can block the light and hamper photosynthesis within the polyps.

That said, I may not be of much help since I have no experience what so ever on SW. Im sure though that if someone can help you they will reply to your concerns. I can only suggest, not knowing if it will work for you, to look for the source or trigger of your algae bloom. High levels of nitrates, phosphorus and or silicates being some of the promoters of such growth. Other things to consider would be the location of your tank close or near a natural light source like a window or the type or amount of light you provide. Some fish and crustaceans may help in the matter as well but I would not be able to pin point a specific species to help you in a SW set-up.

Algae for some may be a curse and to others it may be a blessing. On my behalf I promote algae to grow in my tank since its the basis of some of my fish's diet and the level grown is maintained and controled by the algae-feeding critters. To this I have to add that I never attempt to remove any algae out of my tank's substrate or plants and neither do I clean the glass to remove the growth on it. I can do this thanks to the fish and shrimp that I have in there, they create a balance between growth and consumption and manage to keep things tidy.

Hope things pan out for you and that we may help in some way to make your algae more friendly to you and others.

Thanks for your post,

James

HAHA , lol this is funny thread, but its putting a smile on my face, so I'll play.

Hi there, y'all know me.

Out of my tanks I have one thats got lots of green algae because the acaras kill just about anything that eats algae, apart from one plec thats covered in spines. The trouble is, he doesnt eat algae, and prefers wafers.Seriously, I didnt feed him for two months, and he still didnt touch the algae. He is the shawshank of plecs.

I also suffer from diatomic algae because I use quartz gravel and that means theres always a brown stain somewhere. i also have black algae in a few tanks, and some tanks have green scale algae that is so old it feels like a part of the family.

But I must confess...I...I...DONT MIND MUCH! Should I feel ashamed or is this ok?



Seriously though the black algae does get my goat, and I am rather tired of killing it with boiling water. Is there and organism on planet earth that actually eats this stuff?

Welcome Longhairedgit,

An honor to have you join us...First of all, it is ok, we all have been through that... algae is our friend and we must embrace it.

Upon the green spot algae, Ive noticed my rineloricarias eating away at the one that forms on the glass when its small. It really doesn't develop at all before it gets eaten.

The rineys would also tackle the black brush algae but amanos are good at clearing that stuff as well.

Hope it helps,

James

My name is Kitten and I have BGA. I actually don't mind algae as long as it's not profuse, but I HATE this bacteria stuff.

I have a BN plec that hides all day and doesn't seem to do much with algae. I know nothing eats BGA, but he doesn't seem to touch the regular algae, either. He doesn't eat the algae on the glass and while I know he's probably too heavy to eat off most plants, he doesn't even keep his bit of driftwood clean. Sigh.

I mean, I like the natural look of the algae and I don't automatically go on a algae-killing spree at the first sign of green stuff. There's such a thing as overkill, though.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Hi,
I'm rather a newbie at all this algae stuff, as really I just had my first main algae experience last week. So this is my story.

As a lot of you have fooled with the small spot algae on the glass, I too had small experiences with it.....very small really, just a spot here & there on the front glass on rare occasion.

But then a couple months ago I went to the lake & there it was, a perfect piece of driftwood. I brought it home & then I did what most of you would consider the unimaginable. I hosed it off & stuck it in the tank! I was brought up that way! Others around me did it too & nothing bad ever came of it. I heard it was not a good thing to do as it could result in a disastrous situation, not only for me but for my fish friends also. I threw caution to the wind & did it anyway. It may happen to other people, but it won't happen to me.

Two months later, out of the top of this wood grows the most beautiful algae! Lime green, really long & just flowing in the current of the filter. I admired it for a couple weeks, as it was my only "plant" in the tank. It stayed in one place & became my constant companion as I watched the aquarium, mesmerized by the beauty of this plant.

But then something told me that this beauty was deceptive & may end up spreading all over my tank & reeking havoc. So in concern for my tank I posted on FP about it. Sure enough, my concern was justified! This algae will eventually take over my tank!

Reluctant to give it up I knew it would be the right thing to do.......the only thing to do to save my tank & myself. So that day I did it. As I said farewell, as to a new friend, that was only evil in disguise, I ripped it up by the roots & threw it out. It was reluctant to leave & a few strands clung deep within the wood. Knowing that an abrupt & total annihilation of this algae was the only recourse I had, I removed the wood from the tank & let it air out. Then I sent my hubby out to finish it off.......yup, the propane blow torch! It had to be done......quickly & effectively! Always wanting to be supportive, hubby wasted no time & got the job done.

I returned the wood to the tank, hoping there would not be a return of this algae. I am watching closely so I can nip it in the bud should it attempt to return again.

So what can I say.......beauty is deceptive. And always be sure to use the correct protective measures for yourself as well as for your tank & fish by boiling all incoming decor for your tank, when you just pick it up in the wild. The situation could have been worse. I am lucky it was not.

And in conclusion, in the future I plan on getting the "right" plants for my tank by ordering from people who grow proper healthy aquarium plants. I plan on staying on the straight & narrow from now on. But if I ever get involved with algae again I know I can always come here for help & advise, & I thank you all for being here for me when I need you.

As you can see from my pics in photo booth, i too have come across to the dark side ( or should that be the "light" side ) and have embraced my algaeness.
I like the natural look of it & my plecs do eat it. If they didn't they would probably get very hungry, because my mbuna eat every thing as soon as it hits the water.
Thanks James for giving us credence......Ash

"if you're goin swimmin,watch out for the noahs"

OK ... We have been outed... the AGA has been moved kicking and screaming from the dark depths of late night chat and joined the mainstream forums...

I suppose I should make myself known as one of the more active members in the AGA meetings that have up until now been held in chat, so here it goes...

Hi, my name is Gone_Troppo... and like REDPHANTOM I have been actively trying to grow algae for the last 6 months ...

I have embraced my friend algae in all its forms, and welcome it into my home. I hope that others will share the love ...

The Crew
In the 180 gallon we have a farlowella, a hillstream loach and waterhouse snails. (We did introduce a couple of ottos at one point but in a 180 gallon tank we were having a hard time playing "spotto the otto". I haven't actually seen them for ages so have no idea if they are still lurking in there somewhere.)

farlowella]http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s250/Gone_Troppo/farlowella.jpg[/link], [link=waterhouse snail]http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s250/Gone_Troppo/waterhouse_snail_mouth_01.jpg[/link], [link=hillstream loach

Between the vegetarian inhabitants of this tank we have almost every type of algae covered... including the dreaded black fuzz which the baby waterhouse snails seem to devour with gusto.

Relatively new to the algae crew are lots of sparkling gourami fry who's first meals in the raising tank included squirts of greenwater.

fry - day 1]http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s250/Gone_Troppo/gourami_fry03-19-05-07.jpg[/link], [link=fry - day 16

The 10 gallon ninja shrimp tank is a probably the highlight of my algae consumer collection atm, being the one of the newest additions to the crew. Although the shrimp will eat a variety of things including wafers, flakes and pellets they definitely prefer fresh algae.

I was so excited when I picked up the shrimp I had ordered to find that the supplier had also included a ball of algae and pond detritus in a separate bag to help make the shrimp feel comfy in their new home. I'm hoping that it takes off so I can also try it in the 180 to see how the farlo likes this particular variety.

shrimp tank]http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s250/Gone_Troppo/shrimp_tank.jpg[/link], [link=algae & leaf litter]http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s250/Gone_Troppo/leaflitter_and_algae.jpg[/link], [link=ninja shrimp 1]http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s250/Gone_Troppo/shrimp_w_eggs12-20-05-07.jpg[/link], [link=ninja shrimp 2

I do have one small problem though... my thoughts have recently turned to setting up an african cichlid tank, with peacock cichlids (Aulonacara sp.) being central to those thoughts... I know that the peacocks will occasionally graze on algae but so far my first individual is not making much progress. I have tried putting young snails in the tank but these end up in his stomach pretty quickly... I even resorted to cleaning the glass which really irritates me... it goes against all the hard work I have put in over the last few months to culture it in other tanks.

So...I need some ideas on algea eaters that won't get massive but won't be small enough to be eaten that also enjoy slightly higher pH and hardness.

Growing Algae
It's actually gotten a bit ridiculous the lengths I've gone to to culture and introduce algae to my tanks:

The lighting on tanks have a dual purpose in our household.. to aid plant health and more importantly to assist in growing algae on plants and hardscape.

I routinely use "algae rocks" in the tanks which I swap out every few days. These are river stones that sit in a container of tankwater in the sun to grow lots of yummy green algea. They are are a huge hit with the farlowella who will completely clean a stone in a matter of hours.
(I'm ashamed to say that I did not top off the container with fresh water over the last couple of days and they have dried out ... the farlo is going to be so cranky it will be at least a few days before he gets any fresh rocks)

dried out algae rocks (You get the idea)

The greenwater for the fry and the starter culture for the algae rocks comes from a bucket of water that has been sitting outside for long enough to get a distinct pea soup look.

greenwater bucket

And finally, when I shop for plants, not only do I look for the healthy, vigorous plants I also look for those that have a nice sprinkling of algae on the leaves... we added a beautiful large amazon sword recently that was chosen partially because of the nice hair algae growth on the leaves. Unfortunately the algae didn't get a chance to take hold in the tank... it was eaten before it could spread.

So there you go... my affair with algae in all the gory detail...

Phew... It feels so much better to get to get that out in the open.

All you other closet algae growers out there it's time to stand up and be counted !!!

G_T

Edit: picture links added


Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

My Algae crew are a BN, some Otos & a few Amano Shrimps.

The Algae is under control (at least i hope so), with only some small spots on the tank glass & Anubias plants.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

I suppose I should mention that in terms of tankspace 90% of my algae is completely under control, I have a fleet of ottos, 12 fully mature SAE's, and maybe 40 plus amano shrimp, and 6 assorted plecs. Oddly enough despite one cichlid tank containing no algae eaters the rainbow cichlids have taken to cleaning all the plants, presumably some misplaced preperation for egg laying,and the firemouths turn over so much gravel it cant take on the ground. but hey , if it works dont knock it!.

LHG, take a look at this article from The Cichlid Room. Herotilapia multispinosa is a Cichlid adapted for algal grazing. Note the features of the typical wild habitat of this species (from the article):

Precisely because they are shallow and nutrient-rich, primary productivity in such habitats is high. A copious supply of vegetable matter in the form of diatoms, flocculent macrophyte detritus and filamentous algae is available to any fish with the necessary equipment to harvest and process it.

[Edited for minor typos]

So the plant cleaning is probably for the purposes of dietary supplementation as well as cleaning of spawning sites.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks Cal, thats a cracking little article, and explains perfectly the behaviour and habits of the species, and it ties in with everything Ive seen so far. Mine are in breeding condition (breeding colour has been achieved, and as you know things are hotting up in the uk at the mo), theres no conflict with the hemichromis whatsoever, (must be placating them with non-competitive communication) and the incessent algae eating is doing the plants a world of good. In fact they are doing it so consistantly and so thoroughly that I dont really need another algae eater in that tank.

Rineloricaria are specialized microfauna browsers, so they do not feed on the algae per se.

Hello my name is Ryan and I have been an algae grower for the last 6 months.

My algae crew contains: 2 ottos

I am planning on getting about 4 more, and some flag fish to get rid of this horendous mess all over my plants and driftwood. But as of right now the two little guys are doing all they can.

I have hair algae, BBA, diatoms, greenspot,slime, and maybe even some unseen speices!

Hope I can get rid of it soon, but until then I am glad there is a support group tp help me through the tough times lol

My name is Logan, I am an Algae grower and I have MTS. and I need more algae!

LOL

My algae Crew is one CAE in the 55 and 3 Oto's in the ten I have set up. I am about to start growing more algae in a seperate tank to feed them. Most likely I will use a 1.5 acrylic I have sitting in a corner.

Can anybody give me advice on growing it. What I am plannning on doing, is filling it with aquarium water a few large rocks and letting it sit in the sun. Anything else I can do to help it out?

mts.gif" border="0"> I vote do you?
My Tanks at Photobucket

Oh, the old Otocinclus Pet Rock method.

Well, you can use just about anything as the solid substrate for the algae to grow on - rocks, small bits of bogwood (these are especially good for Loricariid catfishes of all kinds, and not just the wood munchers either), garish plastic aquarium ornaments (can't think of a better use for some of the tacky items I've seen on sale!), even sheets of Perspex.

Old aquarium water, sunshine, and time, they're the basic ingredients. In decent summer sunshine you should have a nice crop of green fur in no time.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I have now aquired 6 more ottos to fight my algae problem. Hopefully they will work also.

I too became and AGA member. I had a nice green tank earlier this month before i obliterated it with some scraping and a cleaning of my tank. I have yet to have a good cleaning crew in my new planted tank and one of my plants is growing algae back again. However my BN is doing an okay job of cleaning my main 30 Gal. Good on him i say!


Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html