Easy Carbo, Stag Horn And Bba!

[fishmad135]

I'll start with 3ml tomorrow then! How do you guys add it? directly to the water or do you dilute it in water and then pour it over the plants? Thanks again!

 

[Byron]

Crossocheilus siamensis is the latin name for the true SAE.

 
Mine here: https/flic.kr/p/CoKzBE

 
There is a story to this you may be interested in.  The fish in your photo is probably Crossochielus langei, which is actually the so-called "Siamese Algae Eater" in the hobby.  The following except from a profile I authored for another site should explain this:
 
The common name Siamese Algae Eater is regularly applied to several related but distinct species. The subject species [Crossocheilus langei] is the one most often encountered in the hobby as the Siamese Algae Eater [SAE] and is the best at eating black brush [aka red beard] algae. The "true" SAE is actually Crossocheilus siamensis, a species initially described by H.M. Smith in 1931 as Epalzeorhynchus siamensis and moved by Banarescu into the genus Crossocheilus in 1986, and which has probably never been seen by hobbyists since the holotype [the specimen collected and used for the description] is the only one known. To further confuse, the fish described as C. siamensis by Smith was subsequently determined to be conspecific with a prior described species, Crossocheilus oblongus, so in fact there never was a C. siamensis as a distinct species, and the name now is a synonym for C. oblongus.  The subject species was first described in 1860 by P. Bleeker, though the genus name was incorrectly given as Crossocheilos (Crossocheilichthys). 
 
Byron.

 

[StevenF]

 
 
my SAE's are a good 6 inches long now and fat as well. I'd read that they got big but I wasn't fully prepared for how big. They do okay in my 4ft (I have 3) but as I said in my OP they really need another foot. They do bicker (mostly over food) but they are a shoaling species and so your tank isn't really big enough for them.

Once I got my phosphates under control in my tank the algae stopped growing and then my Amano shrimp clean it up.  the algae had completely covered a plant and some of the leaves were dead.  After I came back from vacation the plant was gone.  Apparently the algae had killed it and then the Amano consumed the dead plant and algae that covered it.  if you don't have a tank large enough for SAEs, Amano shrimp will do it.
 

 
I have a 140litre planted tank and whilst away at university it acquired what looks like Black beard algae and stag horn algae! 
when i got home for christmas I started by systematically removing any leave with algae on and scrubbing my red moor wood however it has come back! I've had this tank up and running for over 8 years now and never had algae like this before! 

What maintenance was done when you were gone?  If someone didn't continue your regular water changes  phosphates would build up.  If the fish were fed more food than you gave them, again phosphate would build up.

 

[luca1980]

I have to agree with all the positive comments regarding SAE's. They are superheroes in my opinion and should come wearing capes! If you can track them down and your tank is big enough, they are a great addition. Very peaceful in my experience, and as Akasha said, also pretty lazy so they don't bother any of their tank mates.

 

[gmc1]

Straight into water

 

[Far_King]

 

Crossocheilus siamensis is the latin name for the true SAE.

 
Mine here: https/flic.kr/p/CoKzBE

 
There is a story to this you may be interested in.  The fish in your photo is probably Crossochielus langei, which is actually the so-called "Siamese Algae Eater" in the hobby.  The following except from a profile I authored for another site should explain this:
 
The common name Siamese Algae Eater is regularly applied to several related but distinct species. The subject species [Crossocheilus langei] is the one most often encountered in the hobby as the Siamese Algae Eater [SAE] and is the best at eating black brush [aka red beard] algae. The "true" SAE is actually Crossocheilus siamensis, a species initially described by H.M. Smith in 1931 as Epalzeorhynchus siamensis and moved by Banarescu into the genus Crossocheilus in 1986, and which has probably never been seen by hobbyists since the holotype [the specimen collected and used for the description] is the only one known. To further confuse, the fish described as C. siamensis by Smith was subsequently determined to be conspecific with a prior described species, Crossocheilus oblongus, so in fact there never was a C. siamensis as a distinct species, and the name now is a synonym for C. oblongus.  The subject species was first described in 1860 by P. Bleeker, though the genus name was incorrectly given as Crossocheilos (Crossocheilichthys). 
 
Byron.
 

 
That's fascinating, and yes, I believe you are right as mine have the two pairs of barbels; not that you can see them at all in that picture.
I've never seen them listed as Crossochielus Langei in any fish shop (I know that doesn't necessarily mean a lot!), only as Crossochielus Siamensis.  I regularly see the other confusion species however.

 

 
 
my SAE's are a good 6 inches long now and fat as well. I'd read that they got big but I wasn't fully prepared for how big. They do okay in my 4ft (I have 3) but as I said in my OP they really need another foot. They do bicker (mostly over food) but they are a shoaling species and so your tank isn't really big enough for them.

Once I got my phosphates under control in my tank the algae stopped growing and then my Amano shrimp clean it up.  the algae had completely covered a plant and some of the leaves were dead.  After I came back from vacation the plant was gone.  Apparently the algae had killed it and then the Amano consumed the dead plant and algae that covered it.  if you don't have a tank large enough for SAEs, Amano shrimp will do it.
 

 
I have a 140litre planted tank and whilst away at university it acquired what looks like Black beard algae and stag horn algae! 
when i got home for christmas I started by systematically removing any leave with algae on and scrubbing my red moor wood however it has come back! I've had this tank up and running for over 8 years now and never had algae like this before! 

What maintenance was done when you were gone?  If someone didn't continue your regular water changes  phosphates would build up.  If the fish were fed more food than you gave them, again phosphate would build up.
 


 
Agreed on the Amano shrimp

 

[alexge]

I've used Flourish excel and now I'm using a no-brand liquid carbon.
They are all the same substance at different concentrations per brand (don't remember the actual name of the substance).
It is sold as liquid carbon, but AFAIK light breaks it down to carbon dioxide, otherwise (if used during lights off) it remains
in its original form and is a mild algaecide.
 
Typical dosage (depends upon brand and concentration) is anywhere between 1ml per 30 litre, to 1ml per 50 litre (check your bottle).
I've found that at normal dosage once every night eradicates most types of algae.
Twice the recommended dosage eradicates all types of algae except for BBA.
I tried up to 3x the recommended dosage, and only then did I notice BBA starting to die.
 
IMHO spot treatment kills it (using a pippete/syringe) but its futile, the spores are well established
and it will keep appearing until you:
 
(A) address the underlying problem, or
(B) eradicate it from the tank (risky business, you need a high concentration).
 
After battling BBA for nearly 3 months, I found out that the best solution was simply to reduce the hours my lights were on.
Since then I managed to get away with dosing once a week (after pwc) at twice the recommended dosage.
 
Mechanical removal of algae is done mostly for aesthetic reasons.
Actual removal requires that you fix whatever the reason is behind your breakout,
or that you eliminate its spores from your tank. However, even if you eliminate the spores (e.g., by nuking it with co2 and liquid carbon)
if you don't address the reason why you have algae, chances are it will come back sooner or later.
 
Best of luck!

 

[Akasha72]

the main problem with BBA is it emits spores so a small amount can soon end up with it blanketing the tank. It can get into your tank by adding something that's come from a tank with BBA, so if your lfs has it for instance, buying a plant from there can introduce it to your tank and given the right habitat it'll start growing and spreading.
I would recommend anyone to check out the tanks at their lfs and if there's any sign of a tank with BBA don't buy plants there. My local p@h store has a big BBA problem and I won't buy anything aquatic there even though I've already had BBA in my tank ... I just don't want to tempt fate

 

[jag51186]

I've never used Easycarbo myself, but if it is truly the same thing as Seachem Excel (Glutaraldehyde me thinks?) then I would warn you that it might kill your Vallis and Moss. I have a minor algae issue in my tank, nothing overly concerning, but I wanted it gone as we all do. So, I purchased Excel to aid in this and to help my plants grow better. I started at extremely low dosing, and started doing some research on it. There are a lot of sources that report complete melt of vallisneria plants when using liquid carbon, some survive better than others if you start off at a low dose first. I've also seen people report that their mosses did poorly when dosing Excel. So, long story short I ended up not using the Excel at all because I had just added a lot of Italian Vallisneria to my tank and didn't want it to die.
 
Just wanted to warn you.