[jbrianchamberlin]

Had the tank running for a couple weeks now and I'm starting to see some algae spots on the sides of the tank. I know this is normal but what should I be doing at this point? I had to give away my chinese algae eaters since I wasn't aware of their mature behavior. Is it time to get something else? Should I clean the algae when doing a water change? Is the presents of algae a good or bad thing?

 

[JIM]

Algae to some extent is in all tanks, and usually is a sign of nutrients and light, the two things algae need to grow. I dont mind it unless it starts to overgrow the tanks. If its offensive to you, get a few snails, etc. to keep it cleaned up. What i usually do is just use my magnet glass cleaner to scrub it off the viewing area of the glass, and let the filter get it.

 

[jbrianchamberlin]

Also just noticed a scratch on my tank.. damn it. =)

 

[Shotgun]

BN (bristle nose) plecos are great. They dont get too big unlike the common plecos which can get up to 18''.

 

[jbrianchamberlin]

yeah but I've got plants...thought they were bad for plants.

 

[ladyonyx]

I'd recommend a few good-sized snails; that should do the trick. Or you could just take a minute and scrub it off yourself. Either way...

 

[jbrianchamberlin]

Yeah...thought about the snails but then people told me that snails are bad for plants. So now I don't know which direction to go. I'm going to need something that picks at the algae. I'm seeing the little hair algae growing on my java moss too.

 

[beaslbob]

Sounds like the live plants are not taking care of all the nutrients. You could try reducing light duration until the plants still grow but the algae doesn't.

I usually kill the lights until the algae dies off on my planted tanks.

then adjust lighting and feeding as necessary to insure the algae stays away.


my .02

 

[jprime84]

I heard once you put snails in your tank you cant get rid of them easily. I also heard that otos (Otocinclus aka Dwarf Sucker Catfish) eat the algae and are small little fish.

 

[beaslbob]

I heard once you put snails in your tank you cant get rid of them easily. I also heard that otos (Otocinclus aka Dwarf Sucker Catfish) eat the algae and are small little fish.

My planted tanks usually have a huge snail bloom after a month or two. Yet a year later there are only 1/2 dozen or so left. So I don't worry about snails.


my .02

 

[ladyonyx]

I've never really had an issue with snails either. My plants look good and like beaslbob said, there is typically a big jump in your snail population initially and then it dies back after they reach the carrying capacity of the tank. I like having snails around; they keep my tanks free of algae. Plus, I have a dwarf pufferfish tank, and they looooove baby snails

 

[jbrianchamberlin]

Is it normal to start getting algae spots on plants? I've noticed I'm starting to get some.

 

[beaslbob]

Is it normal to start getting algae spots on plants? I've noticed I'm starting to get some.

It is very common. Normal would depend on techniques.

I would try cutting your lighting and feeding in half and see if the algae goes away after a week or so.

my .02

 

[Dmaaaaax]

When asking questions like this it is good to mention stuff like lights, hrs on, nutrients (if any), CO2 (if any), tank size, fish, type of algae (if you can tell), and plants that are suffering.

The reason is that some algae grow when there is too much of a particular nutrient, but some grow when there is a defiency or imbalance.

Snails vary, I use green nerite snails which are larger than typical snails. They lay eggs in your tank that can be scraped off glass with a razor blade (along with algae), but the eggs will not hatch in fresh water. I would also recommend a fleet of otos depending on your tank size and other fish. Then there are scavengers that break down waste faster like shrimp and cory cats that can help.