[goldenmacman]

My 29g oceanic biocube has a little extra amount of algae and i was wondering if 2 cleaner shrimp will do the job of controlling the algae... please reply asap!

 

[reefaddict]

Hi, cleaner shrimp won't control algae I'm afraid. They're called cleaner shrimps not because they clean up your tank but because they clean parasites off fish and eat them. If you have excessive algae growth you should be looking at what's causing it.

What are your nitrate and phosphate levels? Are you using reverse osmosis water? What colour is the algae? How long has the tank been running?

Sorry for all the questions, but the info is helpful in providing answers.

Have you got any type of clean up crew in at the moment? eg. snails, dwarf hermit crabs etc?

Mark

 

[goldenmacman]

Well, the algae is bright green, and a dark brownish colour, i thought that cleaner shrimp eat algae.. i think ill get some for my fish then, lol... im not running reverse osmosis and both phosphate and nitrate lvls are normal, and right now i have around 15 snails and 20+ hermit crabs, and 5+ emerald crabs and 1 arrow crab and then i have these pinkish looking slug things that have little appendages that come from there body, i have no clue what they are... but if you have any other q's ask, i need to control this problem.. i run the lights about 11 hours a day

 

[reefaddict]

Thanks for the reply.

If you do think you have an algae problem it's probably due to too many nutrients in the water. When you say phosphate and nitrate levels are normal, what does that mean? What are the test kit readings?

Nuisance algae will feed off po4 and no3, keeping both levels as close to zero will help eliminate algae problems. Using RO water can help achieve this by removing it from the source water.

By the sound of things you have plenty of clean up crew, maybe add a couple of true turbo snails, these eat algae at a much faster rate than standard astrae snails.

The pinkishs things sound like bristleworms which are a useful free member of the cleanup crew, and a favourite food of the arrow crab.

Also think about reducing the number of hours you have the lights on for, 8-9 hours is plenty enough imo.

cheers,

Mark

 

[goldenmacman]

thanks for the info, but what excatly is RO?, if you could explain the process i could maybe invest in that...

 

[goldenmacman]

Have you ever heard of a galapgous cleaner shrimp?, is it a good one to get for the sake of the fish? Below is a link
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/pro...LBJRUZAXLQGbsGDszpX7884yhIR1owyGw~VqSOGrIF4LW

 

[reefaddict]

Sorry, RO = Reverse Osmosis water.

 

[atlantic reefer]

I agree with what ReefAddict said.
But it would help to know what the exact levels of the PO4 and NO3 (phos and trates) are. When you get the reading it may say zero or be fairly low - this is because the nuisance algaes are eating them up at a fast enough rate that they won't read.

Where is the algae growing? On the glass, rocks, or sand? Some of the phos and trates can come from the rocks and sand.

Also how much/how often are feeding? If you are overfeeding then the extra food can lead to algae growth.

Oh and the link you posted gives me an internal server error.

 

[goldenmacman]

i might be over feeding, the algae is growing everywhere... I know its Reverse Osmosis, but what is it??... when you go here go to the bottom and its the 2nd last one
AdvancedSearchResult - Aquarium Supplies, Pet Supplies and Pond Supplies by That Fish Place - That Pet Place

Galapagos Cleaner Shrimp | Shrimp | Corals & Invertebrates | Aquarium Livestock - ThatPetPlace.com
Maybe the second one will work

 

[reefaddict]

i might be over feeding, the algae is growing everywhere... I know its Reverse Osmosis, but what is it??...

Apologies again.

Reverse Osmosis is the finest filtration available. The RO process works by separating contaminants from water by forcing the water through a semi-permeable membrane. This membrane acts as a physical barrier to almost all molecules with a molecular weight greater than 200grams/mole.

For example, the membrane may allow passage of water molecules, but blocks molecules of dissolved salt. Unwanted molecules are retained by the membrane while the ultra-pure water continues on for use or further treatment.

Further treatment is can be running the purified water through a deionised resin chamber, usually the final stage of the filtration system.

Basically you are left with the purest water you can get. A small 50gallon per day unit can cost as little as $130 here in the UK, not sure how much they go for in the US, but worth every penny. Reefers are water keepers, get that right and the corals and fish will thrive.

Mark

 

[atlantic reefer]

the galapagos cleaner looks like a cousin of the atlantic peppermint shrimp. They are more scavengers eating left over food. I don't believe they will help with algae although i am not sure.

RO is water that has been filtered (depending on how many stages) through a fine filter membrane, a carbon block, a sediment cartridge (i believe), and depending on the unit a DI (de-ionization) sector. Plain RO water is usually around 95-99% pure water and RO/DI water is usually around 98% - 99% pure water. The pure water means there are no extra heavy metals, minerals, or any other additives to the water.

I hope this helps

 

[goldenmacman]

thanks, one more q... what type of cleaner shrimp should i get to help clean my fish?, NOT my algae

 

[atlantic reefer]

Reef addict and I posted at the same time, a decent RO system is around $100 - $200+ depending on the number of stages and brand. Like RA said, they are worth every penny.

 

[reefaddict]

I've seen them occasionally for sale over here, not as nice looking as a regular cleaner shrimp but they will clean off parasites. I've noticed that in my tank the only fish the shrimps bother with are the larger ones, the smaller fish like clowns, wrasse etc don't bother going to the shrimp at all.

Mark

 

[atlantic reefer]

For cleaning the fish I like the Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp - Saltwater Aquarium Shrimps for Marine Reef Aquariums: Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp

 

[goldenmacman]

ok say i get this RO how do i install and how do i use it?
Standard Reverse Osmosis Systems - 4 stage 50 gallon per day reverse osmosis filtration system D&T Aquarium Supplies Aquarium supplies for reef, saltwater, freshwater and ponds at discounted prices.

 

[atlantic reefer]

most that i have seen they are connected under or next to a sink - i do not know how to exactly install it as i get mine for free at the lfs i work at.

 

[reefaddict]

Very simple to plumb in and use. As said on that system, it comes with a self piercing valve that you just clamp onto the cold water feed. Doing it this way it will be plumbed in permanently, but you can buy faucet adapters to enable you to use the unit as and when you need. RO units produce a lot of waste water so you also need somewhere for the waste to drain to. I have my unit permanently plumbed in with the RO dripping into a 26 litre bucket. I use an auto shut off kit (which is basically a ball valve like in a WC) When the bucket is full, the RO unit shuts off.

Mark

 

[goldenmacman]

right now i have a biocube, so where would i put it, i dont have a sump, and what cold water feed?.. i dont understand at all, could you FULLY explain the whoel process to me... sorry for this inconvinience

 

[atlantic reefer]

if im not mistaken, what he means by cold water feed is the cold water pipe on your sink