View Full Version : Algae eater for 7g
hineigger
11-10-2003, 2:51 PM
Hi,
Here in Tucson, AZ we have some bad water that causes mass brown algae whenever water is added to tank...
My 250g pond is being kept spotless by plecos, but my mother's 7g bowfront I bought her is being over-ridden by not only brown algae, but this weird green algae that is actually 3-D.
Im not sure how to describe it.. Most algae, in a sense, is flat. But this algae isnt just growing on the surface of something, its growing OUT, almost like a flower blooming or something.
Admittedly, its REALLY pretty stuff...
What can I get for a 7g that will eat brown algae, and maybe this weird stuff? The 2 goldfish in the tank are really thriving.
dethjam316
11-10-2003, 9:52 PM
im not an expert on algae-eating fish, but since no one else has answered...i'd suggest you get a few otos. they're happy in groups, but you're tank is small. perhaps you could keep 3 in such a tank. that said, 7g is way too small for even 1 goldfish. i'm not even sure your goldfish won't want to eat the otos, really. my advice is get the goldfish out of there and start from scratch. you can do some cool things with a 7g tank, but there are limits.
Sum-X
11-10-2003, 10:21 PM
I agree with dethjam, you're sort of limited with a 7 gallon, but not extremely. Goldfish are bought because of the variety, and of how many there are, and how cheap they are. But If I were you, I'd put in maybe 2 - 4 guppies, and about 2 - 3 otos. That should get you going for a bit.
Locust
11-11-2003, 6:06 AM
With a 7 gallon tank your best bet would be to get some Amano shrimp (around 5-10). They have very little impact on the bioload, and they should eat not only the brown but also the green (sounds like it might be hair algae?).
An otto or two would do a good job on the brown algae, but would leave the green stuff alone.
rainbowprizimz
11-11-2003, 9:48 AM
I've personally never owned an alge eater, but I have heard in a few cases that oto's tend to "latch on" to bigger tankmates, which in turn eventually kills the larger fish. Whether this is true or not is beyond me. Just something that I have heard.
NJ Devils Fan
11-11-2003, 9:56 AM
I would also gowith some shrimp for the reasons locust mentioned. I wouldn't get any otos because 7 gallons isn't much room.
Shrimp and oto's are great little algae eaters but you really need to go trade in the goldfish. Even if the goldfish aren't very big, they'll likely eat any shrimp and eventually the oto's 'cause big fish eat little fish. Also, if you get rid of the goldfish, your algae problem will likely greatly improve.
I think shrimp and snails are great for small, desktop tanks...especially in relation to the relatively small bioload they add to the tank.
Wazzucycler
11-11-2003, 10:17 PM
Maybe consider doing water changes with some distilled water? A 7 gallon is pretty small so the cost of doing your water changes would be cheap. This wont really help you until you get the algae under control though.
Jeff
dethjam316
11-11-2003, 10:21 PM
Originally posted by rainbowprizimz
I've personally never owned an alge eater, but I have heard in a few cases that oto's tend to "latch on" to bigger tankmates, which in turn eventually kills the larger fish. Whether this is true or not is beyond me. Just something that I have heard. i have never heard this of otos; however, it is a common claim that chinese algae eaters do this as they get older. i've never seen it, but it has been written all over the web.
tanker
11-11-2003, 10:37 PM
Originally posted by dethjam316
i have never heard this of otos; however, it is a common claim that chinese algae eaters do this as they get older. i've never seen it, but it has been written all over the web.
It is true, C-algae eaters do this all the time, and they very aggressive too. Go with the shrimps or otto's. If you must keep goldfishes (just one in a 7gal) then you need to do some (lots) of water changes and us distilled or RO water. Algae is growing because there are too much nutrients.
valerie
11-12-2003, 2:14 AM
otos will eat the brown algae but won't eat the hair algae. I would suggest amano shrimp but i have never really seen mine put much of a dent in my algae. You probably need a small aarmy of them.
Since it is only a 7g i would jsut clean it by hand and then use Ro water or distilled to keep it under control.
hineigger
11-12-2003, 2:23 AM
Interesting...
Well, first Ill have to put the goldfish into my pond with the koi. Ill try the shrimp then, with some neons maybe.. Or something to look pretty.
I can clean the glass by hand buts its a heavily planted tank and the brown algae appears on everything, I cant clean everything like I can clean glass.
Thanks for the suggestions.
LMOUTHBASS
11-12-2003, 4:25 PM
goldfish dont mix -first of all ottos are tropical so they will like warmer water than goldfish - then i have heard it is true that the ottos may latch onto the goldfish to suck off the slime coating - i have witnessed my ottos on occasion try to suck onto a bigger fish for a sec but nothing serious the fish just shakes the otts off n then is left alone