Aqua Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 I've just noticed in my tropical tank, that there's a feathery kind of growth on my tank... It's quite hard to see, I only noticed it 'cause I was hunting around to find snails (I seem to have an recent immigration to my tank). Actually, now that I think about it, I don't even know what kind of snails they are either! The biggest one is about 5mm from widest point to point. The shell seems almost see-through, but not quite. I noticed that I had one, then there were three, and now there's about 10 :lol: Maybe they were all in there, but just too small for me to see! :roll: Back to the algae, it's kind-of light brown, maybe 1 - 2mm in length, and it's attached to the glass in my tank, mostly on the front face, but there is some on the side faces, but considerably less. Any ideas? :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeves Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 hmmm Ive got some of that too... I think its got something to do with the amount of light the tank is recieveing as well as the water. When I had my smaller 100 litre tank going I found that once I actaully did proper weekly water changes and the plants grew out some more the amount of algae diminished. I guess now that Im using a five footer (tank) Im gonna have to get more plants to out compete the algae for light. I found that it was not so bad (the algae) after using rain water for a few weeks now. Must remember to get trace elements and epsom salts for plant food as was recommended somewhere else in the forum... :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 6, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 The tank doesn't receive any direct sunlight, gets plenty of indirect though, as the sun seems to like peeking into my bedroom :lol: yeah, I've been a bit lax on the old water changes recently, didn't want to interrupt the treatment for Ich... I'll get onto that as soon as I get home from work today Would the snails be any good for getting rid of the algae?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety Posted March 7, 2003 Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 Snails won't help with algae. I used to like em until I discovered they are a host for some parasites. (I can't get rid of them unless I strip down my entire tank, I've tried huge copper doses and they keep coming back...grrr) Get some bristlenose plecos (baby ones are nice and cheap enough), they'll clean the glass a treat and don't get too big. SAE's (Siamese Algae Eaters) clean algae from plants, but if you don't have a large tank don't get em because they won't get enough to eat, then rely on you for food, and forget about algae after a while :lol: Sorry about the corys..... my tests have come back and my community tank is all bad. I wouldn't want to risk passing on any sick fish I might have to kill all my fish yet..... I hate being sold sick fish !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 Sorry to hear that peety - maybe I'll pay Hollywoods a visit next weekend (Payday YAY)... Bristlenose Plecos aye? These aren't the pleco's that most "office tanks" have in them are they? I saw one of those at Hollywoods and it was MONSTROUS... I'm talking a good foot long, and the guy said it was only about a quarter of its full size... I don't want one of those monsters in my tank!! So I should go on a genocide against snails in my tanks? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueram Posted March 7, 2003 Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 Hi guys, You might want to try three clown loaches as they are the best snail eaters I now, but they aren't cheap. They are such funny fish - worth every cent if you ask me. Regards Blueram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 I'd love clown loaches! But I've been told they're best in groups >5, and that equates to about $60... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 7, 2003 Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 Many people confuse the huge plecostomus with the bristlenose catfish. They look very similar when small but bristlenoses, Ancistrus sp. only grow to 10cm whereas the plecs grow up to 60cm! Brown algae usually means too little light, rather than too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 Do you know what kind of price the bristlenose retails at? I'm on a reasonably tight budget until next week, and I'm going to Hollywoods today to go and claim my filter wool, as they forgot to include it with my new tank I bought last w/end! :lol: Will the bristlenose get on well with my peppered cat? And, would a clown loach be friends with the peppered cat? They're kind of the same 'type' of fish, aren't they?? I'm going to take a couple of snails with me to Hollywoods to see what they say I should do about them actually... Hopefully they're easy to get rid of if they're not going to be any help to me :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 8, 2003 Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 HAIR ALGAE. This is VERY common. Its not an 'intoduced' algae, it will be in all our tanks. 1st to make sure we are talking about the same stuff, is it black/brown. less the 3mm long, and looks fluffy? Its also as hard as nails to remove and NOTHING you have will eat it? Most likley its RED HAIR ALGAE (i know its not red). VERY common, VERY easy to control. I have 2 freshwater tanks with NONE of it, 1 had it for a month (small amounts) which I have forced into recessions and now is not visiable anywhere. Here is what causes it - Bad water conditions. Most notibily High NITRATES and lots of nutrients in the water (over crowded tank?, dieing plant etc). NITRATES are easy to combat, best method is BETTER bilogical filtration, lighter bio-load, less feeding, more water changes etc. Co2! Co2 is a seceret weapon against algae. Not sure why but if you have a tank without C02 and LOTS of algae, and you introduce a C02 reactor of somesort, the Algae will go. I PROMISE. To anyone out there NOT using Co2, you really should. I can't stress how big a difference it has made to my display tank. Once you have it there is no going back. Yes its semi expesnive, but it now lives on my 'ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT; list with a heater, flilter and light. Light! By increasing the light on the tank, you will promote green alage growth which is good. Its about the most efficiant form of algae, so if its growing other algae can't compete, and die off. What eats green algae? What doesn't.... Also if you want to intoduce fish that EAT you HAIR ALGAE, the simease flying fox (NOT the normal flying fox) will do it. Not well but its the only fish that will. You will want a school of 4+ of them, and I think they are about $10 ea. But none of the above will work until you get the Nitrates down. Good luck! Pies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 Well, I got myself a couple of bristlenosed cats One is quite happy to run around the front of the tank, but the other has disappeared... I think it's probably hiding under a plant somewhere One thing though... My Siamese Fighter doesn't seem to much apperciate the new arrivals... He's taken quite an offense, actually... He's harrassing one of the bristlenoses quite a bit... Will he calm down? I thought maybe it's just the introduction of a fish that's smaller than he is, in his 'territory', and that hopefully he'll just back off soon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 8, 2003 Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 We have bristle nose catfish breeding NON STOP. Would give away for pickup or if purchaser organised freight (freight of LIVE FISH is expesnive). $60.00 is not too bad for 5x clown loaches. and they are about the coolist freshwater fish (imho). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 Where you located @ Pies? I agree with the clown loaches being damned cool... I'm just not sure how many more fish I could get into my tank lol I've got a 56L tank (24" x 12" x 12"), with a Millenium 1000 wet/dry trickle filter, reasonably planted, with 1 Siamese Fighter, 11 Neon Tetras, 1 Peppered Cat, and 2 Bristlenose Cats. How much more do you think I could get in there? I WANT A BIGGER TANK!!!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 8, 2003 Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 I'm in Wellington... As for number of fish in the tank, there is all sorts of math you can do. But here is my tanke on it, this is based on my own 400ltr planted Co2 tank and all other tanks I've ever had: Are this fish happy? Don't stick more fish in a tank if the current inhabitants are unhappy or already crampt for space/free swiming areas or hidey holes. Are your Nitrates detectible? My large tank has NO nitrates, so I would feel happy adding more fish. That being said I have 1x 1500ltr/hr 1x 1200ltr/hr canister filters on there, Co2 & 5x 4ft 6500k lights. My tank has: 10 Bristle Nose cats 20+ Cardinal Tetra 5+ Rummy nose (want more) 10+ Harliquin 2x Pearl Gouramis 4x Feather Fin cats (all for sale) 4x Bolivian RAM 2+ Khuli Loach (should be 6 but havn't seen any for ages) 4x Clowns loach 3x 12 bar loaches 2x assorted loach? 10+ Corydoras Cats (skunk, banjo, juli) 5x Odessa Barb 1x Nanacara (would move to other tank if I could catch it) 5x Ghost Cats 2x horse face loach I am sure there is some other stuff in there. Ohhhh and BTW I personally find that the larger tanks are much easer to maintain. For my tank I clean 1 filter 1 time a month, water change 20% every 2-3 weeks (tap water with ager), clean glass of green algae every week or 2. I also have to clean the cover glass 1x per month, and clean the filter intakes (get clogged with Java Fern runners) about 1x ever 2 weeks. I replace the fluro tubes 1x every 9 months on a 3 month cycle. GET THE BIGGER TANK! hehehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 I would if I could dude, but I don't have the funds, and I'm already getting strange looks/comments from my flatmate & my friends... I can just see myslf getting the nickname 'fishman' before too long!!! :lol: I almost agree with them though, it *is* turning into an obsession... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 8, 2003 Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 With a bit of luck the fighter will calm down but I am not surprised the bristlenose is hiding! They are nocturnal anyway and more active at night. Mine are startled easily. Keep an eye on the fighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 8, 2003 Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 My bristle noses are often about. I lightly feed my fish so food will FORCE them out, even the Feather Fins Upside Downs come out now (its take 6 months). I good trick to get the bristle noses out is to feed zuchini (sp?). One Zuchine disk with some lead to get it to sink. The Bristle noses RACE for it! I've never had much luck with Simease Fighters personally. They seam to have a SHORT lifespan with me, so I havn't had one in years. Don't panic about them. Remember that every time you intorduce a new fish the tank will re-cycle, and on a small tank it will be more pronounced. So keep up the water changes, maybee do 1 week every week for the next month, may help with the settling down issue (and take care of the nasty algae prob you have). Pies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 8, 2003 Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 All my bristlenoses turned their noses up at zuchini but LOVE cucumber. Suits me as it is a lot cheaper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 8, 2003 Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 Yeah i've often woundered about cucumber, i'll buy some tommorow in the groceries and see how they like it. Any thoughts on fresh food (MUST be low poultant) I can feed my other fishies (Odessa barbs, loaches, cardinals etc?) for a treat? I have some frozen food, and they get mosquito larvae sometimes, other than that its flake/tetra bits & sinking shrimp pelets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 8, 2003 Report Share Posted March 8, 2003 I gather most fruits and veggies are fine. Tough ones like cabbage need to be dropped into boiling water to soften them though and peas have to be popped out of their shells. Just make sure they have been well washed to get rid of any residual sprays (or get organic) and only feed a little bit. Remove any uneaten food as quickly as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 I have 3 young bristlenose and 2 full grown. The full grown rip my plants to bits so I have to replace some every month or so. The biggest is definately over 10 cm !! more like 15 or 20!!. I had some standard plecos but they got way too big !! I use no C02 and haven't cleaned the glass of my tank in about 3 or 4 months... (hardly needs it)(but I have UV !!!). My tank is not what I would call well lit or heavily planted, but medium I guess. I have clowns and striata loaches as well. I agree they are cool. I think only one clown left (he hardly ever comes out during the day) but they get really huge too !! My last one is about 8-10 cm, but i've seen them in shops at about 15 cm +.... Nice sounding tank Pies wow good number of fish and variety much more than me and I have 500 ltr tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 re your algae eater. I have a siamese algaeeater and he would not tolerate any other bottom feeder type cat fish. Hazzled the bronze corydoras andpeppered catfish. Otherwise he was an angel and certainly put paid to any algae. Never hassled any other fish. The bristle noses and clown loaches get along fine together. how are you going with a) your algae prob - so right about the nitrates being parrt of reason b) your algae eater (if a chinese one your only solution to save your other fish is to take it back to the store). I have read that the chinese algae eaters are fine when small however as they grow they attack the other fish for their slime coats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 Thats an interesting comment about the algae eaters. My tank has 5 Sieamease Alge Eaters & 1x Siemase flying fox. 4x Clown Loach, and about 9-10 Corydoras cats + a million other fish, and havn't witnessed any problems with them. Jane has some small ones in her tank and Corydoras cats, will have to keep an eye on them. Pies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 the algae has disappeared!! it's amazing - So happy Now all I need to do is get a coldwater bristlenose - as my coldwater minnow tank has got algae as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 Hi there Pies. the siamese algae eaters are ok normally. I think I just got a territorial one. However the chinese algae eaters are well known to have a taste for other fish once they grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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