Shagster wrote:
Cycle the tank! It's been in operation for about 3 years now! The gravel
is terribly "dirty".. I'm not sure WHAT exactly all that "sludge" is... My
fish are only fed 2x per week.....but there seems to be no end to the
sludge.. I'll have to pull everything out and reset!

Also, what can I do to get the algea off the plants?? Is there some type of
water/bleach dip?

Ah - so you found the problem. Great! The sludge is broken down plant
leaves and roots, fish droppings, and uneaten food.

Bleach will set your plants back. Peroxide's a bit easier. However,
most of us use algae eating fish, shrimp, and snails. You say you have
2 flying foxes - those aren't great algae eaters unless they're
mislabeled C. siamensis. One "algae eater" - hopefully this isn't a
Chinese algae eater because those don't eat much algae and get quite
aggressive. One otocinclus - great algae eater, but you need about one
otocinclus per 5 gallons for a heavily planted tank. They're shoaling
too so he will appreciate company.

Check out http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/ to learn about
siamese algae eaters, chinese algae eaters, and flying foxes.

My favorate algae eaters and scavengers are
siamese algae eater
Otocinclus spp.
Ancistrus spp. - bristle nose plec
Farlowella spp. - stick catfish
Black mollies - 1 male, 2 female
Ameca splendens - a bit aggressive and can be hard to find
Amano shrimp
Ramshorn snails (red are cool) - NOT the big columbian ramshorn
Mystery snail - applesnail.net says how to identify the non-plant eating
kind.

How many and which depends on tank size and types of algae.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com