Brackish Algae Problem

[jonny5]

i got a bit of an algae problem in my tank. I have brown diatoms(which wipe off easy from glass), small green very adhesive green algae on glass (hard to get off.
Some type of brownish fluffy alage sometimes in water column and on rocks and filters. I also have a darker green(maybe black beard) growning on practilly all my plants.

So i have giant vals in there and they were growing fast but nwo they have slowed down and algae is taking control (i think my dragon gobies constantly digging up the vals doesnt help).

Is there anythign i can do, i drop the salinity to near zero and some algae type dies and another tankes over, i pump it back to 1.005sg slowly and then some algae dies and another type takes over.

I have nerite snails but im gonna get alot more and whats everyones take on these guys? http/www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/211067/product.web the freshwater algae grazing goby, listed as a sicydium species. Since most gobies are marine or reproduce in brackish im gonna assume these freshwater species can take light brack but wondering if anyone has any more information on them and if they are actually good at algae control.

 

[myenigmaself]

I hit the glass with a razor blade every month or so. Frequent water changes to remove nutrients the algae use to grow is said to help, but I've had no luck. Instead I've let the dark green stuff take over for a "natural look." I do have snails (pond and malaysian trumpet) in my sump that keep things pretty clean down there, but I have puffers in my main tank so snails aren't an option. Best of luck to you, and let us know if you find a solution.

 

[nmonks]

Do try lowering the salinity a bit. Remember, hydrometers are approximate at best, and because specific gravity is related to temperature, it's very easy to think you have a certain salinity because your SG reading is one number, the actual salinity might be very different. Aim for 3 g/l salinity, which at 25 C should be about SG 1.001. See if your Vallisneria perk up and your algae dies back. In a planted brackish tank you really shouldn't need above 5 g/l (a good 15% normal salinity) which at 25 C should be about 1.002. There tends to be an inverse relationship between plant growth and algae growth -- when plants are stressed and growing slowly, algae often do rather better than otherwise.

Some of the Stiphodon-type things will tolerate low-end brackish, 5 g/l for example. But it isn't their preference, and they do of course have particular needs in terms of water current (lots), temperature (low), and diet (basically green algae and not much else). As generic algae eaters they're fairly useless and often starve to death in community tanks.

Cheers, Neale

I hit the glass with a razor blade every month or so. Frequent water changes to remove nutrients the algae use to grow is said to help, but I've had no luck. Instead I've let the dark green stuff take over for a "natural look." I do have snails (pond and malaysian trumpet) in my sump that keep things pretty clean down there, but I have puffers in my main tank so snails aren't an option. Best of luck to you, and let us know if you find a solution.

 

[jonny5]

ah ic, ya the only thing that makes the tank look bad is algae on the plants, on glass it can be scraped off, on rock the brown stuff looks nasty but the dark green fluffy makes it looks nice; but it makes the plants looks sickely.

I am really trying to keep salinity more around 1.005 for my archers, monos and dragon gobies. The plants are more of an afterthought or an oh that would be nice. When i first cycled the tank it was at 1.007-008sg and the val where actually still living and sending out a shoot or two but pumping the salnity up will only let the higher salnitity algae take over and ill still have an algae problem wont i?

i will have to increase water changes and glass scrapping and hope for best but i do a nitrate tests every so often and it is always at zero. I will be changing out to black sand and different rocks soon, so that will be a good opportunity to cleanse the system and drop the salnity for a week or two and let some plants take hold. Right now giant val, java fern and bocopa moneria, and i might throw in that one crypt that can handle salt well, i forget its name.


Oh one more thing, will putting egg crates in the bottom of the tank hurt my dragon gobies and one horse faced loach.
I know if i use the crates my rocks will be sturdier and less easily dislodged by my gobies and thier digging, plus it can gives the plants a better hold. However, im not going to do it if they can get scrapped or injured by trying to either dig or hide in the substrate and then hit the crates.

 

[nmonks]

15% normal seawater salinity, about 5 grammes marine salt mix per litre, should be ample for archers and dragon gobies; monos should do okay as well, if the hardness is high and water quality excellent.

What's the egg crate for?

Cheers, Neale

 

[jonny5]

15% normal seawater salinity, about 5 grammes marine salt mix per litre, should be ample for archers and dragon gobies; monos should do okay as well, if the hardness is high and water quality excellent.

What's the egg crate for?

Cheers, Neale

well my dragon gobies have dug so much that they have uprooted my rocks and some rock are now basiclly on the glass itself. I take em out and move sand underneath and after some time the gobies do it again.
I have read that useing egg crates works because the rocks will rest on the crate itself not the sand, so the rocks are more sturdy.

also a question about mono argentus, mine are still juvenille, less than a year old. But eventually they have to be in half or full sea water yes? or will they live a happy life as long as there is 20% sea water and hard alkaline water?

 

[nmonks]

Monos can live indefinitely in brackish water; they don't need to be kept in seawater, though they enjoy being kept that way. They aren't really suitable for planted tanks because their preferred minimum salinity is a bit higher than most plants like, i.e., they do best kept above 25% normal seawater salinity, or about 8-9 g/litre. But they can be kept at lower salinities if the hardness (especially carbonate hardness) is sufficiently high.

You could certainly use egg crate this way. Violet gobies do need burrows -- in the wild they spend part of each day in a burrow when the tide is out -- and will dig if you don't provide one. Try using black PVC tubing, perhaps siliconed to a bunch of rocks and/or oyster shells to make it look more natural.

Cheers, Neale

 

[jonny5]

Monos can live indefinitely in brackish water; they don't need to be kept in seawater, though they enjoy being kept that way. They aren't really suitable for planted tanks because their preferred minimum salinity is a bit higher than most plants like, i.e., they do best kept above 25% normal seawater salinity, or about 8-9 g/litre. But they can be kept at lower salinities if the hardness (especially carbonate hardness) is sufficiently high.

You could certainly use egg crate this way. Violet gobies do need burrows -- in the wild they spend part of each day in a burrow when the tide is out -- and will dig if you don't provide one. Try using black PVC tubing, perhaps siliconed to a bunch of rocks and/or oyster shells to make it look more natural.

Cheers, Neale

ah ok, sounds like a cool idea. Thanks for all your help neal