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Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a tank mate that I could get to try to bannish my algae problem.
I have i think 3 types of algae that im battling against at the mo, one is a short green, one is a more slimy brown and one is long fast growing and has a blue tinge to it.
I clean all the tank once a week and by the time it comes to doing it again its back to the way it was!!
There seems to be alot of people raving on about the bristle nose plec, me not being the biggest fan of plecs (Sorry plec fans) maybe i need to be converted.
Would this plec or any other fish beable to help me tackle this veggie problem???
I have 4 clown loaches, 5 neon dwarf rainbows and 2 cories already in the tank.
Tank is 120lts.

Thanks for any advice

Claire

I've never been one to rely on algae eaters to get rid of algae. Not all algae eaters will eat all algae species, and there are various ranges of how effective they are at eating various species. Though having something else work to get rid of algae seems to be a bright and happy thought to many aquarists, sometimes they are not exactly as effective as the aquarist might want them to be. Since I don't rely on plecs for eating algae, it's a pleasant surprise when they actually do.

One wonders what is the cause of all the algae. Perhaps through analysis we can find a way to lower the amount of algae you have to manageable levels. What are your tank parameters (temp, pH, nitrate level, etc.)? How long do you leave the lights on? Is the tank in direct sunlight or does it ever receive direct sunlight for a part of the day? How much do you feed to your fish, and do they eat it all up quickly? Do you have an air pump? How fast does your filter circulate water (here in America filters are marked or named by the gallons per hour they circulate)?

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

I'm with metagon. I would try to identify the causes of each type and see if you can solve the problem, before adding any more fish. I don't think there is a "eat all" algae eater. So, if you chose one, you would probably still have some algae left, that it won't touch.

Here is a good site for identifying algae and finding out the causes. Check it out.

This site has good descriptions of the different types, but no pictures.

I think there is a better site with more pictures....I don't know what it is though. Maybe someone else does.

*Kristin*

Nerite snails IME have been some of the most effective algae eaters for my tanks. They'll eat almost any kind, and they'll do it fairly quickly. Two in a 10 gallon with have it clean of algae in two weeks.
But the others are right, too... you need to figure out what is causing the algae problem to keep it from coming back again and again.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

I will have to test my water next week as I use my boyfriends testing kit (fully cleaned before use, dont worry ) and I cant get it until Sunday.
I have a water treatment but I have never used it as I was worried about my clown loaches with it. Its called eSHa PROTALON 707 has anyone had any dealings with this?... oh thats handy no instructions in the box....guess i wont be using that then!

The only reason I was thinking of getting an algae eater is I am thinking about getting some polka dot loaches aka white cloud loach and thought I may as well introduce them all at the same time.
Has anyone had any dealings with above loach? it says on their profile they are very peaceful... is this really the case?

thanks

I have never heard of that treatment. I also haven't had any experience with polka dot loaches.

Your clowns will get too big for your tank...it is about a 31g tank US. I know clowns grow really slow, but a 55g US tank would be better for 4...atleast for a few years. They will soon outgrow your tank.

I would add a few more cories before adding more loaches. Cories like groups of around 5 or more. Also, you could add more rainbows...they would appreciate a larger school.

Snails are good algae eaters...like illustrae mentioned. I have snails in all my tanks (not by choice) and they seem to keep the algae down...along with my ottos. Snails also wouldn't add much to the bioload of your tank. I personally would up the schooling/shoaling fish instead of adding loaches or an algae eater.

*Kristin*

I think you will find that if you added the snails the clown cloaches would eat them.
Polka Dot Loaches are cool i have 3 in a 320gallon (UK) tank they are peaceful and social.
They also rarely hide and are always swimming around the tank.
Algae is prevented by good water quality and also from direct sunlight from outside window etc...
Hope this help Claire

I think you will find that if you added the snails the clown cloaches would eat them

Oops...forgot about the snail eating fishies.

I think I would go with the polka dot loaches instead of the clowns. They don't get too big for that size tank. I'm sure you are pretty attached to the clowns though...but think about their needs.

*Kristin*

Thanks for everyones help, the links were really helpful and I have found ot which algae i have.... its blue green AHHHHHHHHHHH
I have added another filter and moved them up to the top to increase the water movement and I got a plug timer so that i can have the light come on later in the day when Im at work to decrease the hours of light. Also I done a 20% water change last night and will do another one tomorrow and get as much out of the tank as I can.

Hmmm if i did give up my clown loaches how many other fish could I get in my tank, I would need at least 3 polka dot loaches and if I get 4 more cories and 4 more rainbows would that not be too much?

Thanks again for your help

I would add:

3 more rainbows
2 cories (to give them a good group)
3 polka dot loaches

I think the bottom load is a little heavy with the cories and the loaches...but you could get away with it. I would do weekly water changes of around 50% to be safe.


What kind of cories are they by the way? The bottom load may be really heavy if you have a larger type of cory.


*Kristin*

I have schwartzi cories and they are quite small I have had them about 2 years and they are only about 1 1/2"
I was going to get 2 pairs of boesmarni rainbows to add to my neon ones would that be ok?

Ok Weekly 50% changes it is... fingers crossed.

The profiles for Schwartzi cories says they max out at about 2 inches or so....so that's fine. I would be more worried if you had some of the bigger cories, such as bronze or albino.

I would add the same type of rainbows to the group you already have. It may look a little chaotic in the tank with two different types, in small groups.

I would also worry that the boesemani rainbows get around 3 1/2 inches long. I guess it would be fine...but personally, I'd add the same type to have a bigger school.

*Kristin*

If you're willing to do a little more work, you could get some ottos. Ottos are kind of picky about water quality, but they are rather active for a bottom feeder.

Most ottos are actually quite hardy in regards to water quality issues---if you don't believe me, check out the conditions they're forced to live through over the dry spells in their native waters. I'd say of all otocinclus deaths within the first two weeks, only 30 or so percent are generally attributable to considerable aquarist error. Most just enter a state of shock induced fasting that they might have already been in at the dealer's place, and die off as they refuse to eat.

Thanks for everyones help, I have increased the water movement on the surface and included another filter.
I have been changing the water more and manually getting rid of the algae every other day to get on top of it.
It seems to be doing the trick.
Just noticed the spelling mistake on the topic... whooppps ** Munching **

Thanks again