fievels007 Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 Grrr... whenever I type a question and then go 'submit' it takes me back to the sign in bit and wipes what I have written... so frustrating! This has happened 2x now! Lucky I copied the text before trying again this time! Anyways.... We have had our tank filled now for 5 days. It has 6 plants, pebbles and a piece of wood. We want to decorate it a bit more though. The grassy looking plants have grey/green algae growing on their tips and makes them look like they are slowly rotting away and there is a green algae ever so slightly beginning to appear on the pebbles. Will the addition of some wee fishys this weekend help that minor problem? Also, we want to add some more plants and wood/rocks, should we do this the same weekend as adding our new fish? Lastly, the filter. It has four layers, the blue, green, black and the skinny white layer at the top that is turning a tad murky looking. How often do any of these need to be replaced? Do I need to rinse any of them out? Thanks for your help :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarium Dude Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Not sure about the algae, but it could be because you dont have enough light. To obtain a balanced aquarium your plants must be using all the nutriets in the water before the algae can. Once you obtain this ballance it should clear up. It would help to know what type of filter you have, but generally you can rinse the sponges in old tank water so that the bacteria colonies on the sponge are not deystroyed. If you are using a really fine media in your filter it will need to be replaced when you see fit. Do you use a gravel vac? If not buy one and use it :lol: How long has the tank been setup? What filter is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplecatfish Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Your tank won't start cycling until you add some fish. So I would suggest getting a couple of fish that eat algae as your first two e.g. Bristlenose, Otto, or Siamese Algae Eater. Then slowly add the rest of the fish over a few weeks. Plan the whole community now (plants and fish) as it helps to avoid a few of the common mistakes. It would help to know what lights you have, what's their wattage? and how long are they on for? Also what filter do you have? and what are the dimensions of the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 20, 2007 Report Share Posted January 20, 2007 Certainly add one of the fish purplecatfish has suggested. Algae can be prevented by doing regular waterchanges, however its unlikely you'll be able to keep it at bay, best to get a wee fishy who likes to eat it and clean the aquarium for you. I'm a bristlenose fan myself, they work so hard. There are lots of scientific details I could go in to, but I'll save you from that Just sounds like you need an algae eating fish. Oto, Siamese Algae Eater, Bristlenose etc good ($3-20) Golden Algae Eater and Chinese Algae Eater bad (well depends, they do eat algae, just found they like to suck on to the sides of fish too) ($5-10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGilchrist Posted January 20, 2007 Report Share Posted January 20, 2007 Add more plants anytime the sooner the better, but try and have a plan, they will grow Add fish slowly, if you already have algae and add fish, then the fish waste could equal an explosion in algae growth Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 20, 2007 Report Share Posted January 20, 2007 Wow long time no see Mark. How are you and your tanks? White substrate never stays white. You should use dark substrate as your fish will show their colours better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsarmina Posted January 20, 2007 Report Share Posted January 20, 2007 unless you have a black fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fievels007 Posted January 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2007 We went to Organisms today and bought 2 bristlenoses and 2 siamese algae eaters. They have all moved in to their new home very well and my eyes have been glued to the tank for the past few hours! Right now one of the wee bristlenoses is surfing on a grassy leaf while the other is hooning all over the show! Sure are busy little critters! The Siamese Algae Eaters are shaking their little fins all over the show too. They are getting more confident now and are venturing to the front of the tank...they spent the first hour or so peeking their noses over the bit of wood in the tank. Bought a few new plants today too. Some Jave moss, which I had attachd to the wood, some very fine grass with little 'flowers' on it and another type of grass that almost looks like normal lawn grass. Now have a total of nine great looking plants in the tank. Thanks for all of your pieces of advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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