thread algae???

I have this curly greyish green stuff growing at the tops of my anacharis
jungle in the back of my tank. I'm assuming it's thread algae because it
does kinda look like thread. My ottos, platys, mollies and pleco aren't
touching it. What kind of fish will eat this stuff or what can I do to get
rid of it or at least keep it from spreading?

Assuming I had what you have, and assuming the actions I took were the
cause of my no longer having "Black Hair Algae," and assuming we are
both talking fresh water tanks, here are some steps I have taken.

I have six in a 75 gallon tank. At most the tank has 120 watts of
light, however the 2 flourescents have been in the tank almost a year.
I don't like the tank to be real bright. The Ph runs about 7.5. No
CO2 or other additives. Tank temperature 78. The tank has about 60
fish ranging from 4 inch Blue Gouramis to one inch White Clouds. I
feed only Tetra flake food twice a day. I change water once a week,
about 20 percent.

I added Siamese Algae Eaters and Black Mollies to the existing Plecos
and Clown Loaches.

I removed almost all the plants with the algae and most of the sand
that showed algae growing. I ordered "low light" plants from a New
England supplier and stuffed the bottom of the tank full of plants.

On a hunch there is a difference between 120 watts for 10 hours and
120 watts for 16 hours, I leave my lights on for fewer hours. Someone
in this group suggested too many hours could be bad for plants and
fish.

The plants that have survived, most that I ordered, are doing well, my
fish are doing well and the Black Hair Algae is gone.

Ignorance is bliss.






On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 00:09:42 -0700, Surgicalrn
wrote:

I have this curly greyish green stuff growing at the tops of my anacharis
jungle in the back of my tank. I'm assuming it's thread algae because it
does kinda look like thread. My ottos, platys, mollies and pleco aren't
touching it. What kind of fish will eat this stuff or what can I do to get
rid of it or at least keep it from spreading?

Well... even though it was a late reply it was right on the money! I put in
my American Flag female about 4 hours after I posted and the tank is now
algae free again! I tried to put the male in there but he got nasty and had
to be taken back out again. I think American Flags could very well be the
answer to everyone's algae problems if they would just give them a chance.
The males are really quite beautiful fish and they get no bigger than a
mollie or swordtail. Even the females are cute in their own drab way. I've
never had a bit of algae problem in any tank that I had this pair in. They
keep it absolutely spotless! Well worth the $2.99 (my lfs considers them
pond fish and sells them dirt cheap!) I plan to keep American Flag fish in
all my community tanks from now on!
Surgicalrn

By the way, the pair went into breeding mode when they hit the bigger tank
and that's why I had to take the male out. They were spending alot more time
dancing around than they were eating and I'm not ready for baby Flags just
yet so I took him out. I plan to put him back in later this year and breed
them.

ARe they eating other kinds of algae not just thread algae?

--
Bob Alston

bobalston9 AT aol DOT com
"Surgical RN" wrote in message
...
By the way, the pair went into breeding mode when they hit the bigger tank
and that's why I had to take the male out. They were spending alot more
time
dancing around than they were eating and I'm not ready for baby Flags just
yet so I took him out. I plan to put him back in later this year and breed
them.

Where are you from? I'd love to get my hands on an AFF but can't find them
in Central California.

DJay

"Surgical RN" wrote in message
...
Well... even though it was a late reply it was right on the money! I put
in
my American Flag female about 4 hours after I posted and the tank is now
algae free again! I tried to put the male in there but he got nasty and
had
to be taken back out again. I think American Flags could very well be the
answer to everyone's algae problems if they would just give them a chance.
The males are really quite beautiful fish and they get no bigger than a
mollie or swordtail. Even the females are cute in their own drab way. I've
never had a bit of algae problem in any tank that I had this pair in. They
keep it absolutely spotless! Well worth the $2.99 (my lfs considers them
pond fish and sells them dirt cheap!) I plan to keep American Flag fish in
all my community tanks from now on!
Surgicalrn

I live in Phoenix and the lfs (Phoenix Tropicals) has a whole tank of
nothing but American Flags. You can also order them online if you can't find
them in CA from Florida Driftwood. Here's the link to the Flag fish page:
http://www.floridadriftwood.com/subc...1=230&2=-1&6=1 They
call them Florida Flag fish on the site but they are actually American Flag
fish (Jordanella floridae) but they are native to Florida as the scientific
name states so I can understand the mix-up. As you can see they aren't that
expensive considering the job they do on algae! Since you now have the
scientific name maybe you could talk to your lfs and see if they can order
them. I'm sure if you tell them what an incredible job they do with algae
control and how nice they look and that if the lfs really talked them up
about their eating habits they would have no problem selling them, the lfs
would be more than happy to order them. I've also read that they are
relatively easy to breed but I don't remember how they are supposed go about
it. They are a type of killie that is native to N. America so I don't know
if they breed in usual killie fashion and need a drying period for the eggs
or not. I'm sure you can find a site somewhere that deals with their
breeding habits.