What type of algae is this?

[CozyCat]

Hello!

Going through the algae waves in my new tank, has been set up for a couple months now. All running smoothly and my cories and 3 guppy gals are doing great.

There are a couple types of algae growing on the moss and wood I have in the tank, and I was wondering if anybody knows what kind they are?

One looks like thread or hair algae, and the other is tiny and almost white. Photo attached is the algae on some moss.

I have some rams-horn snails in the tank, though I am considering getting a bristlenose pleco to help control the booming algae around the place.

Looking forward to reading your comments

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Hello! It's kind of hard to distinguish what's moss and what's algae in the picture. Looks like thread algae to me. Most critters won't eat it. Remove it manually if it gets bad.

 

[CozyCat]

Yeah, it was hard to get a good picture of it through the swarming fish thinking they're about to be fed
Went to my LFS and had a chat to the staff there, ended up getting a bristlenose pleco

 

[FishHobby99]

I hate red ramhorn snails! I bought a batch on eBay & they multiply nonstop. I am forever vacuuming the substrate. Looking like I may have to replace it. I kept one adult snail because I do like their appearance & it turns out they can mate with themselves! So that one had to go too. I’m sticking with Nerites from now on.

 

[CozyCat]

I hate red ramhorn snails! I bought a batch on eBay & they multiply nonstop. I am forever vacuuming the substrate. Looking like I may have to replace it. I kept one adult snail because I do like their appearance & it turns out they can mate with themselves! So that one had to go too. I’m sticking with Nerites from now on.

They do multiply quickly, I put a couple in this tank from another and within a month there's snails everywhere like a snail explosion went off.
I don't mind them, but I have started picking them out each time I'm doing maintenance. Share them around the other tanks.

I have one little nerite roaming around, it's quite cute

 

[FishHobby99]

They do multiply quickly, I put a couple in this tank from another and within a month there's snails everywhere like a snail explosion went off.
I don't mind them, but I have started picking them out each time I'm doing maintenance. Share them around the other tanks.

I have one little nerite roaming around, it's quite cute

My major concern is all those snails will produce lots of poops & muck up the water.

 

[gwharton]

I reckon I have about 400, (no exaggeration, they're everywhere) either alive, dead or growing mini Ramshorns in my 120L. I'm trying to starve the population down to manageable numbers but my fish think their stomachs have been cut off.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I reckon I have about 400, (no exaggeration, they're everywhere) either alive, dead or growing mini Ramshorns in my 120L. I'm trying to starve the population down to manageable numbers but my fish think their stomachs have been cut off.
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Hi! This is a fairly old thread that's actually about algae. You might get more help with your snails if you start a new thread about them.

 

[CozyCat]

I reckon I have about 400, (no exaggeration, they're everywhere) either alive, dead or growing mini Ramshorns in my 120L. I'm trying to starve the population down to manageable numbers but my fish think their stomachs have been cut off.
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Hi!
I resorted to picking them out with a set of long aquascaping tweezers. I'd have a cup with water and some moss in it next to the tank I would drop the snails in as I picked them out.

Took about a month to pick most of them out (left the nice looking big ones). I could have used a snail trap but was worried my baby guppies would also get trapped. They're not very bright

 

[drlyleech]

Snail issues? Had the same problem when I bought plants online. Buy a clown loach or equivalent. They eat snails. My tanks population went way down in a week. Hope that helps

 

[CozyCat]

Snail issues? Had the same problem when I bought plants online. Buy a clown loach or equivalent. They eat snails. My tanks population went way down in a week. Hope that helps

Clown loaches get quite large don't they?

 

[Colin_T]

Clown loaches get quite large don't they?

10-12 inches long but it takes a couple of years to get there and they need a huge tank (8-10 foot long plus) when mature.

 

[Essjay]

And they need to be in a group. Buying a single clown loach to remove snails is not good.

 

[Lynnzer]

I tried pea puffers. They do a great job but when the snails are gone they'll need to taken back to the LFS as they'll eat other fish given half a chance. They just sidle up smooth as butter on toast then make a sudden snapping lunge. The number of fish with tails half eaten was ridiculous. But for snails.....can't praise them enough

 

[drlyleech]

It's all relative to the size of the tank. I have always only had one clown loaches in my tank. Why is that not good?? Who made that rule? If your worried about size. I had a yoyo loach that feasted on snails as well. They only get to 2.5 to 3 Inches at best.