algea control again:)

[Mary E. Hill]

I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because of the tank size,
so what would y'all recommend?

I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two african dwarf
frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter built into the hood.

I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a partial water
change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day and not on
weekends. Temp around 78-80.

I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic plant (which I'll now
get rid of).

Any advice appreciated,

Mary

[Rick]

"Mary E. Hill" > wrote in message
...
> I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because of the tank size,
> so what would y'all recommend?
>
> I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two african dwarf
> frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter built into the
hood.
>
> I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a partial water
> change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day and not on
> weekends. Temp around 78-80.
>
> I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic plant (which I'll
now
> get rid of).
>
> Any advice appreciated,
>
> Mary
>
>

a bit of algae like you describe is normal. Scrub it off with a soft pad and
if necessary periodically bleach the plastic plants.

Rick

[Mary E. Hill]

"Rick" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Mary E. Hill" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because of the tank
size,
> > so what would y'all recommend?
> >
> > I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two african dwarf
> > frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter built into the
> hood.
> >
> > I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a partial water
> > change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day and not on
> > weekends. Temp around 78-80.
> >
> > I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic plant (which I'll
> now
> > get rid of).
> >
> > Any advice appreciated,
> >
> > Mary
> >
> >
>
> a bit of algae like you describe is normal. Scrub it off with a soft pad
and
> if necessary periodically bleach the plastic plants.
>
> Rick
>
>
The 12 gal tank at home has never shown a single sign of algae like this. So
if I simply scrub it off, it won't get out of control? Really? I hope it's
that simple;)

Thanks,
Mary

[Gail Futoran]

"Mary E. Hill" > wrote in
message ...
> I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because
of the tank size,
> so what would y'all recommend?
>
> I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two
african dwarf
> frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter
built into the hood.
>
> I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a
partial water
> change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day
and not on
> weekends. Temp around 78-80.
>
> I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic
plant (which I'll now
> get rid of).
>
> Any advice appreciated,
>
> Mary

Mary - I have an Eclipse 6 with a female Betta
and 4-6 otocinclus and some number of snails,
along with Java Fern & other live plants,
driftwood, some ornaments and gravel, bringing
the actual water capacity down to what yours is,
probably. My lights stay on 12 hours daily
(on a timer).

I think you could easily add 2-4 otos and they do
a nice job with the algae (but not all kinds). I also
feed them additionally, an algae tablet every other
day, on the offhand chance they take care of too
much algae!

Otos stay small, they are herbivores and
usually don't move around much (unless you
try to find them!), so they're not going to add
much to the bioload of your tank. I do a PWC
about every two weeks, also.

They can be sensitive to changes in water so
I usually take my time about introducing them
to a tank, gradually adding tank water to their
bag over a hour period or so.

Gail

[Mary E. Hill]

"Gail Futoran" > wrote in message
...
> "Mary E. Hill" > wrote in
> message ...
> > I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because
> of the tank size,
> > so what would y'all recommend?
> >
> > I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two
> african dwarf
> > frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter
> built into the hood.
> >
> > I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a
> partial water
> > change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day
> and not on
> > weekends. Temp around 78-80.
> >
> > I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic
> plant (which I'll now
> > get rid of).
> >
> > Any advice appreciated,
> >
> > Mary
>
> Mary - I have an Eclipse 6 with a female Betta
> and 4-6 otocinclus and some number of snails,
> along with Java Fern & other live plants,
> driftwood, some ornaments and gravel, bringing
> the actual water capacity down to what yours is,
> probably. My lights stay on 12 hours daily
> (on a timer).
>
> I think you could easily add 2-4 otos and they do
> a nice job with the algae (but not all kinds). I also
> feed them additionally, an algae tablet every other
> day, on the offhand chance they take care of too
> much algae!
>
> Otos stay small, they are herbivores and
> usually don't move around much (unless you
> try to find them!), so they're not going to add
> much to the bioload of your tank. I do a PWC
> about every two weeks, also.
>
> They can be sensitive to changes in water so
> I usually take my time about introducing them
> to a tank, gradually adding tank water to their
> bag over a hour period or so.
>
> Gail
>
>

Gail, thanks for the reply! If I go to the LFS and say, "I'd like to buy 2
otos...", is there any chance they'll not know what I'm referring to
exactly? What's the exact name I should be looking for?

Thanks:)

Mary

[Gail Futoran]

"Mary E. Hill" > wrote

> Gail, thanks for the reply! If I go to the LFS and say,
"I'd like to buy 2
> otos...", is there any chance they'll not know what I'm
referring to
> exactly? What's the exact name I should be looking for?
>
> Thanks:)
>
> Mary

Otocinclus. I would start with 3 because otos
tend to suffer from "sudden oto death syndrome".
They are bit sensitive, like some tetras, but I've
found them so useful I just add more until I
get a (relatively) stable population. Like any
fish they'll occasionally die for no apparent
reason, but not at an unusual rate, all else
being equal.

Here's a link I found useful:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/otocinclusart.htm

I've only ever seen the common ones locally (gray
with black stripe).

And as far as "soft, acidic" water goes, the
water in my tanks is moderately hard. :)

Gail
near San Antonio TX

[Mary E. Hill]

"Gail Futoran" > wrote in message
...
> "Mary E. Hill" > wrote
>
> > Gail, thanks for the reply! If I go to the LFS and say,
> "I'd like to buy 2
> > otos...", is there any chance they'll not know what I'm
> referring to
> > exactly? What's the exact name I should be looking for?
> >
> > Thanks:)
> >
> > Mary
>
> Otocinclus. I would start with 3 because otos
> tend to suffer from "sudden oto death syndrome".
> They are bit sensitive, like some tetras, but I've
> found them so useful I just add more until I
> get a (relatively) stable population. Like any
> fish they'll occasionally die for no apparent
> reason, but not at an unusual rate, all else
> being equal.
>
> Here's a link I found useful:
> http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/otocinclusart.htm
>
> I've only ever seen the common ones locally (gray
> with black stripe).
>
> And as far as "soft, acidic" water goes, the
> water in my tanks is moderately hard. :)
>
> Gail
> near San Antonio TX
>
>

Thanks for the link. It said 1 or 2 per 10 gallons...I'm only working with a
5-gallon tank. And it already has the two African drawf frogs who like to
hang out on the bottom. Can I buy just one of these (and others pending
survival...) and have it be ok by itself?

[Rick]

"Mary E. Hill" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Rick" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Mary E. Hill" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because of the tank
> size,
> > > so what would y'all recommend?
> > >
> > > I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two african
dwarf
> > > frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter built into the
> > hood.
> > >
> > > I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a partial water
> > > change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day and not on
> > > weekends. Temp around 78-80.
> > >
> > > I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic plant (which
I'll
> > now
> > > get rid of).
> > >
> > > Any advice appreciated,
> > >
> > > Mary
> > >
> > >
> >
> > a bit of algae like you describe is normal. Scrub it off with a soft pad
> and
> > if necessary periodically bleach the plastic plants.
> >
> > Rick
> >
> >
> The 12 gal tank at home has never shown a single sign of algae like this.
So
> if I simply scrub it off, it won't get out of control? Really? I hope
it's
> that simple;)
>
> Thanks,
> Mary
>
>

does this tank get more light than the one at home?. Perhaps it is located
in an area that gets more direct outside light. Many factors can cause algae
such as too much light, overfeeding etc however I have 36 tanks and all have
live plants, some have a few plastic (in those tanks where the fish eat the
plants) and all have some form of algae. You can experiment by cutting down
the the amount of time the light is on and the amount you feed, do more
frequent small water changes etc and it may help somewhat. Otto's are
excellent algae eaters however although they do eat algae off the glass they
do not "scrub" it clean and the residue will remain and eventually have to
be removed.

Rick

[Mary E. Hill]

"Rick" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Mary E. Hill" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Rick" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > >
> > > "Mary E. Hill" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > > I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because of the tank
> > size,
> > > > so what would y'all recommend?
> > > >
> > > > I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two african
> dwarf
> > > > frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter built into
the
> > > hood.
> > > >
> > > > I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a partial
water
> > > > change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day and not
on
> > > > weekends. Temp around 78-80.
> > > >
> > > > I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic plant (which
> I'll
> > > now
> > > > get rid of).
> > > >
> > > > Any advice appreciated,
> > > >
> > > > Mary
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > a bit of algae like you describe is normal. Scrub it off with a soft
pad
> > and
> > > if necessary periodically bleach the plastic plants.
> > >
> > > Rick
> > >
> > >
> > The 12 gal tank at home has never shown a single sign of algae like
this.
> So
> > if I simply scrub it off, it won't get out of control? Really? I hope
> it's
> > that simple;)
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Mary
> >
> >
>
> does this tank get more light than the one at home?. Perhaps it is located
> in an area that gets more direct outside light. Many factors can cause
algae
> such as too much light, overfeeding etc however I have 36 tanks and all
have
> live plants, some have a few plastic (in those tanks where the fish eat
the
> plants) and all have some form of algae. You can experiment by cutting
down
> the the amount of time the light is on and the amount you feed, do more
> frequent small water changes etc and it may help somewhat. Otto's are
> excellent algae eaters however although they do eat algae off the glass
they
> do not "scrub" it clean and the residue will remain and eventually have to
> be removed.
>
> Rick
>
>

k, thanks Rick!

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: algea control again:)
>From: "Mary E. Hill"
>Date: 6/14/2004 7:03 AM Central Daylight Time
>Message-id: >
>
>I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because of the tank size,
>so what would y'all recommend?
>
>I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two african dwarf
>frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter built into the hood.
>
>I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a partial water
>change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day and not on
>weekends. Temp around 78-80.
>
>I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic plant (which I'll now
>get rid of).
>
>Any advice appreciated,
>
>Mary
>

Hi Mary.
If the tank is glass, use any algae scrubber on the tank and the plastic plants
as well.
If it's anacrylic tank, (plastic) take a white paper towel and wipe if off.
Remove the plant to clean with a regular algae scrubber.
I like to buy a cheapo toothbrush and use it for "fish only" cleaning. No, that
doesn't mean I'm brushing their teeth, lol, it means they're great for cleaning
in little hard to reach places (such as cleaning algae off plastic plants and
scrubbing decorating rocks, etc.
* don't ever use a regular (made for glass) algae scrubber or one not clearly
marked for use on acrylics, on an acrylic tank. If you do, it will scratch
badly.

[NetMax]

"Mary E. Hill" > wrote in message
...
> I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because of the tank
size,
> so what would y'all recommend?
>
> I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two african dwarf
> frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter built into the
hood.
>
> I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a partial water
> change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day and not on
> weekends. Temp around 78-80.
>
> I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic plant (which I'll
now
> get rid of).
>
> Any advice appreciated,
>
> Mary


Nerita snails (African striped snail) eat algae, stay small and don't
seem to reproduce in aquariums.
http://members.aol.com/Mkohl2/Neritidae.html
http://perso.infonie.be/pomacea/neritina_natalensis_uk.htm
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Dick]

On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 08:03:17 -0400, "Mary E. Hill"
> wrote:

>I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because of the tank size,
>so what would y'all recommend?
>
>I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two african dwarf
>frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter built into the hood.
>
>I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a partial water
>change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day and not on
>weekends. Temp around 78-80.
>
>I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic plant (which I'll now
>get rid of).
>
>Any advice appreciated,
>
>Mary
>
The thread started by "KC" caught my eye as she has no algae problems
even with 15 hours of light. I need to clean spots of green algae
around once a month. The unique thing she is doing is changing 20% of
her water daily. She does it after work and says it helps her relax.

I would do more frequent water changes. One gallon every other day.
I only do weekly 20% changes, but 5 gallon tanks don't give much room
for the natural controls.

Plant growth including algaes needs nutrients provided by your fish as
a result of the nutrients you give your fish and light. Too much
growth means too much light and/or nutrients. You can add live
plants to consume more nutrients/waste from your fish, and you can cut
back on the food you give your fish. The hours of light are already
short so no option there. I am assuming no direct outside light is
reaching your tank. Outside light will bring on algae on the glass
facing the light.

dick

[Mary E. Hill]

"NetMax" > wrote in message
.. .
> "Mary E. Hill" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because of the tank
> size,
> > so what would y'all recommend?
> >
> > I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two african dwarf
> > frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter built into the
> hood.
> >
> > I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a partial water
> > change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day and not on
> > weekends. Temp around 78-80.
> >
> > I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic plant (which I'll
> now
> > get rid of).
> >
> > Any advice appreciated,
> >
> > Mary
>
>
> Nerita snails (African striped snail) eat algae, stay small and don't
> seem to reproduce in aquariums.
> http://members.aol.com/Mkohl2/Neritidae.html
> http://perso.infonie.be/pomacea/neritina_natalensis_uk.htm
> --
> www.NetMax.tk
>
>

These snails sound like a good solution - reproduction masses has stopped me
before. But, I can't seem to find them for sale anywhere. I'll have to keep
checking.

Thanks:)

[Mary E. Hill]

"Dick" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 08:03:17 -0400, "Mary E. Hill"
> > wrote:
>
> >I don't think I should get any live algea eaters because of the tank
size,
> >so what would y'all recommend?
> >
> >I've got the 5 gal hex in the office with a betta and two african dwarf
> >frogs. It's the eclipse system with the light & filter built into the
hood.
> >
> >I've got about 2 inches of gravel in the bottom and do a partial water
> >change every other week. The light is on 8-9 hours per day and not on
> >weekends. Temp around 78-80.
> >
> >I'm seeing just a bit on the glass and on the plastic plant (which I'll
now
> >get rid of).
> >
> >Any advice appreciated,
> >
> >Mary
> >
> The thread started by "KC" caught my eye as she has no algae problems
> even with 15 hours of light. I need to clean spots of green algae
> around once a month. The unique thing she is doing is changing 20% of
> her water daily. She does it after work and says it helps her relax.
>
> I would do more frequent water changes. One gallon every other day.
> I only do weekly 20% changes, but 5 gallon tanks don't give much room
> for the natural controls.
>
> Plant growth including algaes needs nutrients provided by your fish as
> a result of the nutrients you give your fish and light. Too much
> growth means too much light and/or nutrients. You can add live
> plants to consume more nutrients/waste from your fish, and you can cut
> back on the food you give your fish. The hours of light are already
> short so no option there. I am assuming no direct outside light is
> reaching your tank. Outside light will bring on algae on the glass
> facing the light.
>
> dick
>
>
>

The tank does get sunlight for a portion of the day. More frequent water
changes just isn't an option - I can only do it when the office is closed
(so weekends). That's why I chose a betta who could handle living even
without a filter - I thought using a filter would allow less frequent water
changes.

Ah well, scrub brush, here I come...

[Gail Futoran]

"Mary E. Hill" > wrote
[snip]
> Thanks for the link.

You're welcome!

It said 1 or 2 per 10 gallons...I'm only working with a
> 5-gallon tank. And it already has the two African drawf
frogs who like to
> hang out on the bottom. Can I buy just one of these (and
others pending
> survival...) and have it be ok by itself?

I'm probably overstocked, but I test the water
regularly and so far haven't had any problems
with 4-5 otos and a female Betta in one 6 gallon
Eclipse tank (with gravel & decorations, it
probably has less than 5 actually gallons water).

I tend to think if critters are smaller and slower
moving (like otos & ADFs) they're going to
make less impact on water parameters than
larger, faster, and/or "fatter" critters. I.e., you
can put five 1" slim-bodied fish in a tank that
you wouldn't put one chubby 5" fish in!

Otos tend to like company, so I personally
wouldn't have fewer than two in one tank,
but maybe others here have more wisdom in
that area.

Gail

[Gail Futoran]

"NetMax" > wrote

> Nerita snails (African striped snail) eat algae, stay
small and don't
> seem to reproduce in aquariums.
> http://members.aol.com/Mkohl2/Neritidae.html
> http://perso.infonie.be/pomacea/neritina_natalensis_uk.htm
> --
> www.NetMax.tk

Arghhhh... I'm finally integrating loaches into all
my tanks (10G or larger) to deal with snails and
now you tell me there's a really useful snail???? :)
I don't suppose the above are loach-resistant?

Oh well, there's always the next tank upgrade
to plan...

Gail

[NetMax]

"Gail Futoran" > wrote in message
...
> "NetMax" > wrote
>
> > Nerita snails (African striped snail) eat algae, stay
> small and don't
> > seem to reproduce in aquariums.
> > http://members.aol.com/Mkohl2/Neritidae.html
> > http://perso.infonie.be/pomacea/neritina_natalensis_uk.htm
> > --
> > www.NetMax.tk
>
> Arghhhh... I'm finally integrating loaches into all
> my tanks (10G or larger) to deal with snails and
> now you tell me there's a really useful snail???? :)
> I don't suppose the above are loach-resistant?
>
> Oh well, there's always the next tank upgrade
> to plan...
>
> Gail


As a matter of fact, other regular buyers of Neritas are those with
African cichlids. The Neritas prefer harder water, no plants = lots of
algae, and they don't venture out of their shells, making them relatively
cichlid-proof. I would not be surprised if they are loach-proof as well,
though it might be a hostile environment to start with.
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Gail Futoran]

"NetMax" > wrote
[snip]
> As a matter of fact, other regular buyers of Neritas are
those with
> African cichlids. The Neritas prefer harder water, no
plants = lots of
> algae, and they don't venture out of their shells, making
them relatively
> cichlid-proof. I would not be surprised if they are
loach-proof as well,
> though it might be a hostile environment to start with.
> --
> www.NetMax.tk

Thanks for the additional information. I read
the links you provided but couldn't get a good
sense of how they might work in an actual
aquarium. I'm guessing, with all my tanks
planted and plants spreading, & low algae, these
snails might not work for me. But if I see one in
the LFS, I might give it a try!

I actually enjoy having snails in my tanks. I just
want to keep them in check, a bit. :)

Gail