Serious Algae Cleanup Crew Needed - Ideas?

jere1558

jere1558

AC Members
Dec 14, 2006
354
1
0
Pennsylvania
55 long
Rena XP3
2 heaters (tank 80 degrees)
Moderately Planted
Nova Extreme T5x2 Lighting
1 medium and 1 large driftwood
Water Params - A=0, nI=0, nA=0, pH=7.8
2 Red Sea CO2 Turbos
Gravel Substrate
Weekly 50% +/- water changes
2 Adult Pearl Gourami
2 Juvie Dwarf Gourami
5 Red Eye Neon
Numerous common snails
Several Trumpet snails

Photo attached

Tank sits at a south facing location with a windowed door. Even with the abundance of snails, I have algae. The small piece of driftwood had a coating the snails cleared a couple of days ago that is back.

I need a cleanup crew. Something that will do the job and be low maintenance. Suggestions?

tank.jpg
 
IMO, the best thing to do is to move the tank out of the window and use an algae scraper. Adding more live plants would help, too. I'm not a big fan of adding fish just to eat algae.

That said, you could look at bristlenose plecos.
 
or you could get a group of oto cats as they are smaller than the bristlenose so they might be able to get into smaller spaces
 
doreenjoy said:
IMO, the best thing to do is to move the tank out of the window and use an algae scraper. Adding more live plants would help, too. I'm not a big fan of adding fish just to eat algae.

That said, you could look at bristlenose plecos.
Click to expand...
:iagree: Still algae scraper for me.
 
If the plants don't have adequate nutrients nitrate, phosphate, potassium, traces, then you'll have an algae problem, no matter how many algae eaters you have. Algae eaters help with small amounts of nuisance algae.
 
If you get an actual algae problem, nerites will do the job.
 
If this is a planted tank and the nitrates are reading 0 then there is your problem. That is what is out of balance. The plants need nitrates in the water and this way they will out compete the algae for nutrients. I would possibly add some hornwort or anacharis so they will suck this up and that will keep your algae at bay. If you still want something for the rest of the little algae cleanups then maybe you can consider a bristlenose pleco. They are always busy and very peaceful. They will not outgrow your tank since they max out in the 4-5 inch range.

Marinemom
 
alge scraper, dish brush and more plants... hornwort is great and you can cut it down to size without worrying about killing it once it gets yer alge in check
 
Amono (Japonica) Shrimp, Cherry Shrimp.
 
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