2fishy Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 Is this toxic to plecos? and wat fish eat red algae? Or wat can i do to get rid of it? 100L community tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/algae_types.php I think someone posted this one time & I saved it to my favorites. I haven't read it in ages so not sure if it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 Are you talking about black brush algae (actually a red algae)? If so the only fish I know that eats this is the black line flying fox. Just got 3 of these, doing a great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocean4freedom Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 From what I've read, algae (is it more of a brown colour?) is generally from food waste, too little light or too much phosphates in the water. Best of my knowledge plecos shouldn't be harmed by it. But, as with all fishy things, just a keep an eye on the fish and if they start acting "off" then do a little worrying, until then, see if you can find out the source of the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fishy Posted August 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 Im posting this on behalf of someone so i havent actually seen the algae but her plecos keep dying and she thought it was the red algae but i tested her water and her pH was like 6.2 so i suggested that it may have been the pH killing them not the algae but she is planning on investing in some flying foxes to help eat the algae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 As long as the pH was steady (not going up and down all the time) then it wouldnt be the reason the plecs are dying. Alot of fish, even though they have their certain living conditions, can live in different water, as long as it is stable. So i doubt that the pH would of killed them (6.2 aint even that bad anyway REALY) Im not sure about the algae, good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 Common plecs are tolerant of a wide range of pHs. Red/brush algae usually favours tanks with a high pH. What size is the tank, how long has it been set up, what other fish are in it and are just plecs dying? If so, how long have they been in the tank before death? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fishy Posted August 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 The tank is 150l, has harlequins and neons. they are fine. the plecs are lasting a month or 2 before they die. Been set up for about a year. just never had any luck with plecos. all the ammo and nitrite levels are 0. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocean4freedom Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 Well neon's are not that hardy and if they seem to be okay... What is she feeding them and how often? Plecos need driftwood to be healthy but I'm not sure if they'd actually die without it. As above, if the ph is steady and the ammonia and nitrates are 0 then I have to admit I'm a little stumped. :roll: One thought tho - is the test kit you're using for examining the water old? If so it could be giving faulty readings. I'd replace any chemicals that are older than 1 year anyway. The refills are pretty inexpensive. Bit of mystery - I'm interested to hear what others say 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 What are the nitrAte levels? If it is just bottom dwellers dying I would suspect something in the substrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fishy Posted August 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 im not sure wat the nitrate levels are, but if the nitrite levels were high wouldnt that be worse as its more toxic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 Just trying to cover all the bases. An aquarium is said to be 'mature' when ammonia and nitrItes are 0 and nitrAtes have begun to rise. You then do water changes to keep the nitrAtes below 50mg/l although less than 25mg/l is better. The sensitivity of different species to nitrAte levels varies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 caryl- you might be onto somethign there with the substrate. sometimes those iron based ones can cause probs i think. is her substrate ok? if its anerobic (black) and letting off that nasty gas when she disturbs it (which i cant remember the name of) that might be why theyre dying off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fishy Posted August 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2006 ok i know she has a piece of driftwood in the tank, ill ask her about wat shes feeding them, and the type of subtrate shes using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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