now THAT'S better =)

[BettaBoyz]

when i first got my Regent 10g, i shoved all the plants in the far back corner where the light was, otherwise they shrivelled and died. they became unruly a few weeks ago and overgrew all over that side of the tank. my solution?

i stuffed a new lightbulb in the other side (finally found one!) and replanted the vallisnera and... er... other plant. all over the back. i put in the cave (that was supposedly Pierce's until it didn't fit) and voila, instant agreement. ALL the fish went insane! the Blacks, Neons and Silver-Tipped all started exploring, Donny lit up a new side of the tank he once avoided, and the Kuhliis went nuts all over the place. of course, i found a way to control my snails other than hand-herding, thank the Aquarium Atlas! a dish is now in the bottom covered in sinking food pellets, and the snails are duking it out for best bits.

now i love this tank to DEATH, i sat staring at it for 30 minutes trying to figure out what to add. sooo...

what's the difference in Otos and Chinese Algae Eaters (physically, i know CAE's eat slime coats and eyeballs) i need an algae eater! would a black mystery/golden apple snail be better, or a young Pleco? my LPS has an exchange thing, if the fish gets too big for the tank it can be exchanged for a smaller version, then the larger will be added to the owner's personal tanks or sent back to Hagen.

other than the Algae Muncher, i'll be adding two-three more Neons, as well as two of these neat little fish i've found that are a mutation of the Zebra/Leopard Veiled Danio; it's got the Leopard pattern, but Zebra coloring, with the Veil characteristic. a very neat little fish!

=)

 

[Alien Anna]

I suspect the algae is basically due to the tank not having been set up very long and the nutrient levels getting too high (ammonia and nitrate). Now that the levels are lower you should find the algae being less of a problem, provided you keep up the regular water changes.

I would never advise anyone to buy a fish simply because it ate algae. Even a superb algae eater like an SAE won't eat anything but the freshest, sweetest algae he can find (which means he ignores all the mangy, unattractive stuff you want eaten). Fish like ottos will eat some algae, apple snails will eat some algae and shrimps will eat some algae, but I can guarantee, if your nitrates and phosphates are high, the algae will still win through!

Keep your nutrient levels down by not over-stocking (I notice you've already got quite a few fish in there), and by doing regular partial water changes. Also keep your plants healthy with the right sort of light and don't use too much fertiliser. Don't over-feed your fish because that comes out as nitrate in the end.

I don't personally feel you have room in there for a school of ottos. I suspect you're rapidly getting to the point where you seriously need to consider getting a bigger tank. I suggest you check out yard sales and the local paper.

 

[cassandra]

Alien Anna!!

That was good info, that i learned thank you it answered some of my questions!!

 

[BettaBoyz]

hmm, thanks Anna. perhaps i'll buy an Algae Scrubber, because my parameters are fine and the tanks been in motion for two months. i won't buy any algae munchers, i'll just scrub it off then =)