Anyone else have this problem? I have a planted 40 gallon, and over the last couple weeks I've had algae starting to get out of hand. I figured I'd buy an algae eater and let him take care of it. Instead it just hangs off the glass, but ONLY on the parts that are already clean. I watched it for about 20 minutes, the guy literally avoided any part of the glass or tank that had any algae on them. Anyone know how I can encourage him to eat?
lazy algae eaters?
- Thread starter Accipiter
- Start date
" algae eaters" is a really wide term...what do you have? a common pleco?..pics?
plecos rarely eat algae and the poop more than they "clean" anything.... bristle nose plecos do a good job but they are about the only one.
really the best thing for algae is you..reduce the light and cut back on feeding and do more water changes to deal with the algae
plecos rarely eat algae and the poop more than they "clean" anything.... bristle nose plecos do a good job but they are about the only one.
really the best thing for algae is you..reduce the light and cut back on feeding and do more water changes to deal with the algae
Usually, when a tank starts to grow algae, it is a sign that something is out of whack. You have a planted tank, so the plants should be using up the nutrients in the tank. But, there are clearly some nutrients left over for algae. Usually to control algae, people cut back on the amount of light, but you may not be able to because of the plants. Doing more water changes to get rid of the nutrients the plants aren't using would help. Finding a way for the plants to make better use of the nutrients (by adding CO2 or something) could also help. (but research that and do it right, so you don't poison your fish with it). Just throwing in an algae eater and hoping they will eat the algae doesn't usually work. Most really don't eat much algae, and need to be fed, and create waste (more nutrients) which grows more algae. There are a few types which will eat lots of algae (ottos, BN plecos and Rubber lips come to mind), but many don't. So, usually figuring out why the algae is there and fixing the problem is a better plan of action.
Emily
Emily
yup sounds like photo period is a good place to start.
FYI, CAE's(chinese algae eaters) are usually not so good at eating algae and it is often the younger ones that do eat algae.. they prefer the food most other fish prefer and eventually grow up into aggressive tankmates.
algae eaters is a broad term, there are a few that are good at it.. BN's good but will not consume all algaes, oto's the same (actually much more active and consumers of algaes for their size) but also will not eat all algaes
FYI, CAE's(chinese algae eaters) are usually not so good at eating algae and it is often the younger ones that do eat algae.. they prefer the food most other fish prefer and eventually grow up into aggressive tankmates.
algae eaters is a broad term, there are a few that are good at it.. BN's good but will not consume all algaes, oto's the same (actually much more active and consumers of algaes for their size) but also will not eat all algaes
I go with bn plecos...they destroy any algae on any surface in my tank. That is just my experience, and I'm not trying to sandbag you, Star.
LOL, sandbag me...lol
I have a ton of BN's and in the tank with all the babies..there's no algae..but inch for inch, IME, Oto's will beat out a BN's
Wow a 14 or 15 hour photoperiod s way to long! Tone that down to ten, twelve max. And as much as I do like bn plecos for some moderate algae control, I do agree that otos especially in a group are much more effective
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Curse the market
chinese algae eaters eat regular food when young and when they get older they eat the slime coating off of other fish
simply put they are only named that because it sells fish
do "heavy" research on any fish you plan to buy
now get rid of that useless parasite and do some research on these already suggested fish
Bristlenose plecostomus
otocinclus catfish
siamese algae eaters
chinese algae eaters eat regular food when young and when they get older they eat the slime coating off of other fish
simply put they are only named that because it sells fish
do "heavy" research on any fish you plan to buy
now get rid of that useless parasite and do some research on these already suggested fish
Bristlenose plecostomus
otocinclus catfish
siamese algae eaters