Algaescape stocking?

[grayabyss]

Hi all! I’m in the middle of lightly toying with an idea right now- a scape that uses filter foam as the substrate and hardscape and caves, and for the plants, have hair algae growing on the sponge... if anything will be compatible in that setup, that is. 

tbh, i ABSOLUTELY want the centerpiece to be a vampire shrimp. tons of algae and their spores in the water? that sounds perfect for a filter feeder! but, idk how likely it is for its legs to get tangled and stuck, since that can happen with neocaridinas apparently. 

If i decide to do a schooling fish, that likes both the warm temps and flow as a vampire shrimp, i worry about them becoming tangled and stuck if neos can do that. 
 

Any suggestions on potentially suitable fish for this idea?

[Frank]

That sounds like an interesting idea! I hope that you'll keep us posted. 

I don't have any ideas, but tank size and your actual planned temperature would help others. 

[H.K.Luterman]

That is such a neat idea! I'm actually planning a 20 long neo shrimp tank with a vampire shrimp as a centerpiece, though I'll be most likely doing a lot of Christmas moss on rocks and wood, with maybe val as a background plant - I love the look of val in high flow. 

[Nana Finopolis]

That sounds so interesting. I love the look of hair algae. I let it go for a while in my tanks but some of my fish get tangled in it. It scares me so I end up removing it. I let it grow again until it starts looking like a "trap" again. I wonder how fish/shrimp deal with it in the wild. I guess there are so many that a few deaths don't matter?

[Nana Finopolis]

You just gave me an idea. I'm an expert at growing BBA. That might look really cool growing on a sponge on the bottom of the tank. I just might try that on a small scale. 

[grayabyss]

11 hours ago, Frank said:

That sounds like an interesting idea! I hope that you'll keep us posted. 

I don't have any ideas, but tank size and your actual planned temperature would help others. 

RIGHT, good point- with the windows in my house, it would be a 20 gallon most likely, but if i can convince who i’m living with for the next few years, I’m going to do a 40 breeder gallon for it.

Temperature range would be anywhere from 74°-84° F, but probably mid to high 70s. 
 

The fish I was potentially thinking of for it would be ones that will already pick at and eat algae, to help slow the growth a little, and also dont care too much about the actual substrate so that the filter foam is viable.