Biotop for mbunas

[proteque]

Hey

I am about to change my "allmost biotop" to biotop. I now have some java-fern (is that the name? long grass) to prevent algae.

How do you cope with the algaeproblem when having noe plants at all?

 

[wrs]

most mbuna eat algea.

and I think that that plant is valls from the pics in your sig.

 

[proteque]

oooh ignore all the pics in my sign and on my homepage. they are many years old hehe

Well the fish eat some algae. but what about algae on the sand? Thats what ugly. algae on stones is really only decorative.

 

[vantgE]

You have to learn to love it, I keep a nice coat of it on all my rocks and scrape the glass, and I don't have a huge problem even though the tank is directly infront of the window. If it's away from the sun you might not have a problem anyways plus like wrs said mbuna will eat some of the algae for you, if there is to much you can scrape it off or cut down on your feedings a for a couple days

 

[freddyk]

A nice mbuna biotope includes a nice carpet of algae on the rocks - I wouldn't try to prevent it. Stir up the sand regularly and scrub the sides. If it's really out of control take a look at the lighting, you may have too much. Take a look at the fish stock, the water changes may not be coping with it.

algae on stones is really only decorative.

Grazing algae is a very natural behavior for most mbuna, so I'd say providing this makes it more then decorative.

 

[proteque]

okay. as I said I hasnt removed the plants yet. just trying to be preventive. U have algae on the rocks now. but not in the sand. I have very finegrained sand so algae there would look terrible and makes big flakes of it.

Thanx for the advice

 

[vantgE]

Stir your sand up to prevent it from growing there

 

[Angry_Platy]

Reduced lighting and when it gows on the roks it looks kinda cool

I never have algae on the glass either....