Finding the Right Algae Eater

[Fishiemang]

Algae will.grown in a tank.with no light. Just won't be the kind you're used to seeing. As long as it is wet with some nutes, the stuff will form. It is present in the water you drink. The cells are everywhere it is wet. Imagine the treatment holding tanks.for most city water supplies, and the storage towers. Wells come from big caverns underground. The stuff is everywhere. When the right conditions are there, it proliferates, and you see it then.

This is why nature made little creatures that evolved to eat this stuff.

Algae is actually a powerhouse of energy as well. Lots of research in using algae as a renewable energy source.

There is nothing.wrong with creating an ecosystem. That's all this hobby is. Recreate nature in a cage of glass or acrylic.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Algae will.grown in a tank.with no light. Just won't be the kind you're used to seeing. As long as it is wet with some nutes, the stuff will form. It is present in the water you drink. The cells are everywhere it is wet. Imagine the treatment holding tanks.for most city water supplies, and the storage towers. Wells come from big caverns underground. The stuff is everywhere. When the right conditions are there, it proliferates, and you see it then.

This is why nature made little creatures that evolved to eat this stuff.

Algae is actually a powerhouse of energy as well. Lots of research in using algae as a renewable energy source.

There is nothing.wrong with creating an ecosystem. That's all this hobby is. Recreate nature in a cage of glass or acrylic.

Not exactly sure where you are getting your information... natural algae can not live in the dark, it needs light. Genetically modified algae on the other hand, can live in the dark.

Algae is caused in an aquarium by an imbalance of nutrients and lighting. If there is a high level of nitrates in the aquarium, algae will grow like crazy.

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The Plecos make more of a mess than they clean up. I occasionally see my BNP on the glass, but there is still lots of algae. For a tank that large, one BNP will not solve anything. Plecos can be awesome to have in a tank, and I find them quite interesting, but they don’t eat a lot of algae.

The OP should sort out his issues with his parameters/lighting before getting more fish.

 

[Fishiemang]

My point was this....algae is present everywhere.

I also stated that when the correct conditions are present, it will proliferate.

You cannot eliminate it from anywhere there is water. It is one of the simplest forms of life on the planet. One of the highest energy as well.

Perhaps your pleco isn't doing its job because it has plenty.of.easier meals for it to.consume, and it doesn't have to scavenge for food like it would in nature. They will eat whatever is put into the tank. Think about it like this. If I put a cooked, complete cheeseburger in front of you, and a pile of the ingredients to make it as well, which one would you consume? A normal person would grab that cooked one. It's easier. A difficult person would insist on making their own. Well...fish are easier. They will.go after the easier food to eat, ignoring what they have to work for.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

My point was this....algae is present everywhere.

I also stated that when the correct conditions are present, it will proliferate.

You cannot eliminate it from anywhere there is water. It is one of the simplest forms of life on the planet. One of the highest energy as well.

Perhaps your pleco isn't doing its job because it has plenty.of.easier meals for it to.consume, and it doesn't have to scavenge for food like it would in nature. They will eat whatever is put into the tank. Think about it like this. If I put a cooked, complete cheeseburger in front of you, and a pile of the ingredients to make it as well, which one would you consume? A normal person would grab that cooked one. It's easier. A difficult person would insist on making their own. Well...fish are easier. They will.go after the easier food to eat, ignoring what they have to work for.

Respectfully, I disagree.

Algae can't be present everywhere. As I have already said, algae needs light. You are saying that with the correct conditions, it will proliferate, which is correct. But you can't say that algae can grow in a tank that has no light. (By light, I don't know if you mean any light whatsoever, or just no light on the tank, but still have a room light turned on)

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I feed my Pleco Fluval Bug Bites Pleco Sticks 3 times a week. As I said above, I occasionally see him on the glass eating some algae, but he does not completely eradicate it from the tank. Maybe if you had a shoal of Otocinclus, they would do a better job.

Telling someone they should get a fish to solve a problem in their tank is a poor move. Plecos are awesome fish, and they are one of my favorites, but mine is just for 'decoration' (not in a bad way), not for getting rid of algae. It is the aquarists job to fix the issues in the tank, not the fish.

 

[Fishiemang]

Think of Jack Sparrow....

"If everyone is killed....who is left to tell the story"....or something like that.

Same thing for these single celled organisms. The cells (spores if you refer to a fungus like mold) can survive a lot. You'll never eliminate it from most water supplies. Also, a tank is never really dark, unless you live deep down in a.cave, devoid of light. There will always bee some.kind of light. Just like feeding fish, the slower you feed, the slower they grow.

Biology is a fun thing to study. There are critters in this world that survive the vacuum of space! They float around in the atmosphere every day all day. There are many single celled organisms that are on/in/around us every day. The reason we don't notice is our immune systems have evolved to easily deal with most.

It is these very same single cell.organisms in water that you need to boil water before using a Neti-Pot. You can drink some, but get them in your nose your dead. Others, drink them and they kill.

Short story long....

These algae cells are present in water supplies world wide. They will go dormant in some cases, only to reactivate when conditions are favorable to life doing what it is here to do...proliferate into the future.

As for plecos....mine.do.such a good job because they have to. I feed my tanks every 3 days, sometimes 4 days. I usually supp a wafer or 2 once a week. I keep it real, just like nature does. My fish have to work for food. I've never had to clean algae off of anything. My common will come up, completely ignoring the wafers, and.go after the cichlid flakes or frozen cubes I put in quick. But otherwise, they all spend their nights cleaning....and mine do a fine job of that.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Same thing for these single celled organisms. The cells (spores if you refer to a fungus like mold) can survive a lot. You'll never eliminate it from most water supplies. Also, a tank is never really dark, unless you live deep down in a.cave, devoid of light. There will always bee some.kind of light. Just like feeding fish, the slower you feed, the slower they grow.

Are we talkin about algae or mold?

As for plecos....mine.do.such a good job because they have to. I feed my tanks every 3 days, sometimes 4 days. I usually supp a wafer or 2 once a week. I keep it real, just like nature does. My fish have to work for food. I've never had to clean algae off of anything. My common will come up, completely ignoring the wafers, and.go after the cichlid flakes or frozen cubes I put in quick. But otherwise, they all spend their nights cleaning....and mine do a fine job of that.

It's great that you want your tank to be as "natural" as possible, but that's not what most people want. I'm speaking from all of my experience, in the 2+ years I have had my BNP, I have fed him every other day.

Eventually he may get rid of all the algae, but all of that algae has to be processed and end up somewhere... namely poop, on the substrate. Plecos poop a lot, and make a big mess. Most people think it's a good idea to get a Pleco for a tank with lots of algae, because they are called "algae eaters". They don't realize that the Pleco will make a big mess, that they may not be ready for...

This is just my opinion. No disrespect to your opinions whatsoever.

 

[Fishiemang]

Now we're getting.too analytical.....

Every life form.on this planet starts out as a single cell. Mold, and algae, included.

Now, algae is a single celled organism. When you see a mat of them, they have formed a colony of single celled organisms. When they proliferate enough, you see them. Otherwise, they are microscopic. After all, they are a single cell. Life, like a mat of algae, is nothing more than a collection of cells. However, being what they are, each cell is it's own thing. They can survive by themselves.

My mold reference was simply to illustrate the same principle in say, someones house, or even in nature, that these spores will lay dormant until the correct conditions exist to grow a new fungus. Then, this fungus in turn will proliferate into the future with more spores, carried on the wind, to start their own futures when conditions are right for them to rinse/repeat.

Algae cells do this as well. They float around in.your water, picked up along the way from holding tanks and what have you. They are introduced to the tank via whatever they came from. They don't just appear from nowhere. There are many forms of algae as well. Some low light. Some intense light. Point being, they are always there. You drink them daily. You bathe in them. They exist on your skin.

 

[shaziasadiqah]

I personally wouldn’t recommend you get any fish to solve an issue in your tank, as they usually provide more problems than solutions.

How many hours a day do you leave your light on for? What brand/model is the light? Do you dose any fertilizers?



BNP’s don’t eat as much algae as commonly thought...

I leave my light 8 hours a day. The light brand is a local one, i don’t think you’ll know it but it’s Kandila S500 21,5 watt, i bought it because it’s doing great in my two other tanks and also that brand is cheap.

i plan to buy better light in the future but still saving up for that.

i just bought the Sulawesi Snails, two of them, i hope they help but beside that, i’ve always wanted to have them, too. So i don’t bought them just for the algae issue.

i use 1 pump of Tropicana for Heavy Planted Tank because my tank is heavily planted. I use 1 pump every week after 50% water change and that’s it.

the thing is my tank sit next to a window, not directly but natural light do come in enough during the day. I turn on the light at 6am and turn it off at 2pm, i use timer, too.

 

[shaziasadiqah]

Not exactly sure where you are getting your information... natural algae can not live in the dark, it needs light. Genetically modified algae on the other hand, can live in the dark.

Algae is caused in an aquarium by an imbalance of nutrients and lighting. If there is a high level of nitrates in the aquarium, algae will grow like crazy.

——-

The Plecos make more of a mess than they clean up. I occasionally see my BNP on the glass, but there is still lots of algae. For a tank that large, one BNP will not solve anything. Plecos can be awesome to have in a tank, and I find them quite interesting, but they don’t eat a lot of algae.

The OP should sort out his issues with his parameters/lighting before getting more fish.

It’s her actually

anyway, i’m still trying to balance my tank, fixing my parameters and the lighting and the ferts and everything.

i go 6 hours a day with light now and try to use the ferts once every two weeks, i hope that will help my issue.

thank you so much for everyone, you all helped me so much

 

[Lajos_Detari]

I leave my light 8 hours a day. The light brand is a local one, i don’t think you’ll know it but it’s Kandila S500 21,5 watt, i bought it because it’s doing great in my two other tanks and also that brand is cheap.

i plan to buy better light in the future but still saving up for that.

i just bought the Sulawesi Snails, two of them, i hope they help but beside that, i’ve always wanted to have them, too. So i don’t bought them just for the algae issue.

i use 1 pump of Tropicana for Heavy Planted Tank because my tank is heavily planted. I use 1 pump every week after 50% water change and that’s it.

the thing is my tank sit next to a window, not directly but natural light do come in enough during the day. I turn on the light at 6am and turn it off at 2pm, i use timer, too.

Your light with 21.5W for a 2 ft tank (60 cm) is considered quite strong. But if you have demanding plants, you will need the light. Some plants may not survive if the wattage is too low.

I'm using a 6W plant for my 2 ft tank but I am keeping only Java Moss and Anacharis Elodea. So, its ok for my tank.
My light is very low in power.
My tank is also facing the window but the sunlight is indirect and I also use solar film for my windows to reduce the sun light.
My Starlight Pleco cleans most of the algae. My shrimps also eat a little of the algae.(very little).

You can also cover your window with solar film or sun shield if require.

 

[shaziasadiqah]

Your light with 21.5W for a 2 ft tank (60 cm) is considered quite strong. But if you have demanding plants, you will need the light. Lower wattage may kill some plants.

I'm using a 6W plant for my 2 ft tank but I am keeping only Java Moss and Anacharis Elodea. So, its ok for my tank.
My light is very low in power.
My tank is also facing the window but the sunlight is indirect and I also use solar film for my windows to reduce the sun light.
My Starlight Pleco cleans most of the algae. My shrimps also eat a little of the algae.(very little).

You can also cover your window with solar film or sun shield if require.

I’m sorry i was mistaken about the light. It’s actually a 10watt, the 21.5 watt is the newer version and i have the older version.

i check the water and parameter is good i can even managed to high up the PH a bit since my PH level is so low. I use that ginger like stone that said will help to raise the PH. And it’s been 2 weeks without water change and algae seems to slow down. I plan to do 50% water change today.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

I’m sorry i was mistaken about the light. It’s actually a 10watt, the 21.5 watt is the newer version and i have the older version.

i check the water and parameter is good i can even managed to high up the PH a bit since my PH level is so low. I use that ginger like stone that said will help to raise the PH. And it’s been 2 weeks without water change and algae seems to slow down. I plan to do 50% water change today.

10W is ok but if you find that some plants that require brighter light are not doing well, then you will need higher wattage light.
If all your plants are doing fine, then probably you dont need a higher wattage light.
Higher wattage light will promote more algae and consume more electricity.

Its better not to use stone or rock that can increase your water pH.
Some people use coral chips but if you don't monitor your water pH, GH and KH, they may increase too much and become unsuitable for some of your fish.
Keep fish that are suitable for your tap water pH and GH(water hardness).
Then you don't need to adjust your water pH.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

I’m sorry i was mistaken about the light. It’s actually a 10watt, the 21.5 watt is the newer version and i have the older version.

i check the water and parameter is good i can even managed to high up the PH a bit since my PH level is so low. I use that ginger like stone that said will help to raise the PH. And it’s been 2 weeks without water change and algae seems to slow down. I plan to do 50% water change today.

10W is ok but if you find that some plants that require brighter light are not doing well, then you will need higher wattage light.
If all your plants are doing fine, then probably you dont need a higher wattage light.
Higher wattage light will promote more algae and consume more electricity.

Its better not to use stone or rock that can increase your water pH.
Some people use coral chips but if you don't monitor your water pH, GH and KH, they may increase too much and become unsuitable for some of your fish.
Keep fish that are suitable for your tap water pH and GH(water hardness).
Then you don't need to adjust your water pH.

But if you are monitoring your pH with a pH meter, then it might be ok.
Usually rock or stone tht increases the pH will also increase the GH.

Here are some information about GH.

One moment, please...

Frequently asked questions on lowering hardness

Some fish prefer soft water, and others benefit from softer water for breeding. But how do you make hard water soft, and how do you interpret hardness levels? Matt Clarke explains.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

 

[shaziasadiqah]

10W is ok but if you find that some plants that require brighter light are not doing well, then you will need higher wattage light.
If all your plants are doing fine, then probably you dont need a higher wattage light.
Higher wattage light will promote more algae and consume more electricity.

Its better not to use stone or rock that can increase your water pH.
Some people use coral chips but if you don't monitor your water pH, GH and KH, they may increase too much and become unsuitable for some of your fish.
Keep fish that are suitable for your tap water pH and GH(water hardness).
Then you don't need to adjust your water pH.

But if you are monitoring your pH with a pH meter, then it might be ok.
Usually rock or stone tht increases the pH will also increase the GH.

Here are some information about GH.

One moment, please...

Frequently asked questions on lowering hardness

Some fish prefer soft water, and others benefit from softer water for breeding. But how do you make hard water soft, and how do you interpret hardness levels? Matt Clarke explains.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

I do test my water like a freak, like every other day kind of freak lol
But, i'll take out the stones and maybe just leave a little in the like one or two (those are small stones).

Thank you very much