otos

[cbster]

i have a 6 week old tank it is a 55 gal. which has been fishless cycled. and i have 6 plants, 2 angels, 2 fire belly dwarf gouromias, 2 clown loaches, 3 cory cats, and i just put a co2 reacter in which isn't doing anything that i can see. but the brown algae just started growing a couple days ago and now it is growing like crazy. so i put 3 oto's in the tank will this be enough. the tank reading are ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 0-5, ph 7.4, gh 9, is there anything else i can do about the brown algae. thanks

[rich]

id say 3 should be enough. i have 3 in my 29 and they cleared up the diatomic algae in about 3 days.

[djlen]

I like 1 oto for every ten gallons, but that's just me. They seem to love each others company.
How much light?
What is your kH?
What type of reactor?
What type of filtration?
What type plants did you get?
If you don't know your kH you should consider buying a test kit. When injecting CO2 the amount of absorption is determined by the ratio of kH to pH.

Len

[as40]

I had (have?) the same problem occuring with algea in my new planted tank setup. It will grow uncontrollably fast, it seems, in just a short matter of time without something to keep it in check. For me, I was out of town and had no fish in the tank (just plants) so I had a happy surprise waiting to greet me when I got back. :sick:
I just purchased 3 oto's last night, actually, and this morning I saw them hard at work chipping away at the algea. They are increadible cbster, and I have a feeling they will aid greatly in at least some of the problem. You and I will have to watch and see.
I also have 2 clown loaches to help control the snail population in my tank. Don't know if you've got any snails or not.
The only advice I can offer, in my limited experience in this field, is what others have told me and what I have found in my research:
Plant as heavily as you can from the get-go! I made the mistake of not doing this at first, then I went out to the LFS and purchased three times the plants I initially had in the tank. Extra plants = extra nutrients being taken from the water = more competition and less chances for the algea, or so I've been told.
Also, be careful to rinse and inspect your plants before introducing them to the tank. I didn't do this either, and they often have algea on them that gets introduced to the tank (or snails).
Don't know... Hope I'm helping. Maybe check out these sites, they've helped me a bit:
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/
http://www.aquatic-plants.org/main.html

Hope those help. Good luck!