Algae discs

[Tempestuousfury]

I've been putting algae discs in my two tanks for quite some time and don't know if they are broken down or eaten. I have an algae eater in one, and a plectosomus and 2 silver dollars (they keep grabbing the discs from the plecty) in the other.

Any ideas...?

 

[BlackWolf0503]

When I add algae discs the will either sit & start growing things or get eaten. The back of the package on mine says that any uneaten portion should be removed within 12-24 hours.

 

[teknikz]

mine disappears but im sure it gets eaten......cory's like them....mind u all my fish do

 

[gi4get]

i've been breaking the discs into small pieces and then presoaking them in a little tank water so they're ready to eat once i drop them in. i have an otto, three cardinals, a guppy, and two dwarf gouramis. before the otto can find the disc pieces, the others eat most of it. if the discs you're feeding aren't being eaten, try breaking them up into smaller peices and feeding only some of the whole disc.

 

[gourami fan]

Mine break down but also get eaten it is a combo. of both.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

All of the previous posts have mentioned feeding the discs to all fish, but the disc pieces would be eaten b/f my plectosomus could get to it. I have to figure out a way to keep the silver dollars from taking it away from the plecty. Do you guys know of any other products for bottom feeders that won't be eaten by other fish?

 

[Lateral Line]

A common trick you might want to try is to put the sinkers in after the lights have been out a while. Many bottom feeders will happily grub around in the dark.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

I was thinking about that, but my plecty is active during the day, so I thought he'd be "sleeping" during that time. I could try that though....

Thanks.

 

[guppymonkey]

Plecs are nocturnal so even if the fish is moving around during the day it is a lot more active at night. If its not getting enough algae growing in the tank (and unless you have a lot of light there usually isn't an algae problem) then it might be starving!

 

[silverdollar]

I had the same problem with my silver dollars stealing all of my plec's algae discs so I went out and bought a cave with openings on the top. I use a 15" clear tube and drop the discs right into the cave so the dollars can't get them. Here's my plec and his happy little home.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

I tried the same thing, but the cave had holes on the side and was utterly useless. But that is sage advice.

I've got two 15 watt incandescent bulbs for the 10 gallon and no algae at all. There are certainly enough nutrients for the algae to feed on (b/c of overfeeding and the algae discs) but there is no growth. I read somewhere that i should grow algae on rocks and put them in.
This failed b/c:
The rocks were too slippery and the algae came off b/f I moved it
There is no light here b/c it's really overcast (I could try a light bulb...)
I don't have rocks that are suitable for growing algae, and I don't want to place rocks in there from outside.

Any help?