Algae removal

[Fishandreptilelove]

Hello,
I have a freshly cycled tank, it’s a 50 gal and planned for livebearers. It’s planted but is having a pretty rough algae problem with both diatomic algae and green thread algae. Since the tank is freshly cycled and I want plenty of room for the livebearers I’m looking for either a single fish that will eat both algae types and be ok with the livebearers(guppies included) or multiple low bioload fish/invertebrates.

 

[Sploke]

Depending on what kind of livebearers you were after, mollies will sometimes eat green hair algae. If you were not planning on mollies, this may not be a good idea because some livebearers will cross-breed with them. Otocinclus are a relatively easy to find option for the diatoms, but once they are gone you will have to supplement their diet. Otos are great community fish and will do fine with livebearers.

The better option for controlling algae is fixing the problem. If the tank is new, it may just be a temporary nutrient imbalance that will settle out once everything is a little more established. If you can test for N/P/K levels we can help identify what is out of whack. In the meantime, keep up with water changes and manual removal and let the plants get off and running and eventually they should be able to outcompete the algae.

 

[the loach]

It's normal for new tanks to have algae. Diatoms and green hair algae aren't a bad sign at all. Does it have live plants, if so which and how many lumens does the lighting produce?

 

[Fishandreptilelove]

It has ludwigia, ammannia Gracilis (I think is how you spell it) anacharis, Amazon sword, bacopa, moss balls, and an AR.

 

[Fishandreptilelove]

It has ludwigia, ammannia Gracilis (I think is how you spell it) anacharis, Amazon sword, bacopa, moss balls, and an AR.

And I do not know the lumens produced.

 

[fishorama]

How long are your lights on? Cut back to 6 hours/day max. Diatoms (brown alga) is often present in new tanks for 2 or 3 months, it goes away. Hair alga is pretty easy to remove using a toothbrush, chopstick etc...but it will come back if you don't change lighting, ferts, food, or at least something. It's not often a problem in established, balanced tanks.