Looking for input

[Anjum]

Hi all! I found this forum after watching lots of YouTube videos, including lots of Aquarium Co-op videos. I was watching their videos for months before I realized they were a local store! I live about 40 mins away. Haven't visited yet, but I will to finish up my new tank. Which leads me to why I'm here ... 

I've had a 10 gal bowfront going for just over a year. It started with an impulsive betta purchase... Put him in a gallon jar & scrambled to get a tank a few days later. Then he needed friends right? No? Well he got them anyways, 5 harlequin rasboras. They soon settled into a cohesive dynamic & all was copacetic. I had acquired several plants & had always had an appreciation for those beautifully lush planted tanks. But my lil tank is definitively low tech & I succeeded in growing lots of algae.

So a few months ago I decided I needed algae eaters. I did some very poor research & got 2 Siamese algae eaters. In a 10 gallon tank with 6 other fish. They're very boisterous & vigorous eaters. The betta took to hiding most of the time. Except at feeding time. The rasboras get a couple bites, but then they retreat. The betta gorges himself & the algae eaters vacuum up all they can. And so I was overfeeding in an effort to leave enough for the rasboras. But recently I noticed the betta is looking pretty round & figured I better make some changes, sooner rather than later. 

I've purchased a 29 gallon tank & intend to move the rasboras & 1 algae eater to it, leaving the betta & 1 algae eater in the 10 gallon. But I need some input on the new tank & will make a post about it in the main forum. Looking forward to the discussions! 🐟

[Fish Folk]

Welcome aboard!

Yeah… even the Siamese Algae eaters can get large and bossy. I’ve got half a dozen in with my Discus. Definitely too much energy for a 10 gallon.

You can see mine in the lower right side of this video…

Algae control is a matter of balancing light, nutrients, and desired plants (vs algae). Basically, you want your plants to make use of all available nutrients rather than algae.  

[Anjum]

On 4/16/2022 at 10:51 PM, Fish Folk said:

Welcome aboard!

Yeah… even the Siamese Algae eaters can get large and bossy. I’ve got half a dozen in with my Discus. Definitely too much energy for a 10 gallon.

You can see mine in the lower right side of this video…

Algae control is a matter of balancing light, nutrients, and desired plants (vs algae). Basically, you want your plants to make use of all available nutrients rather than algae.  

Oh nice, I'll watch that video now! I waffle back & forth between liking the algae eaters & not. I'm hoping that once I get them into a setting that suits them better, it'll work out. But I realize I may have to return one or both. Time will tell. 

I did add a pothos & philodendron cutting to my tank a while back & that seemed to help a little with the algae. But it's a work in progress still for sure. 

[Scapexghost]

Id move both algae eaters to the 29. The algae eater id do in a 10 is a nerite snail. Theyre slow workers but after a week or so youll never see algae in that 10 again. You could do ottos, but nerites are much easier.

[Patrick_G]

Welcome! I'm from the Co-op area too. It took me a few months of watching the videos before I made the connection between the shop and the YouTube channel. 

I'd rehome one SAE and keep the other in the 29. Then get some Otocinclus from the Co-op for the 10 gallon. 

[Anjum]

On 4/17/2022 at 3:04 AM, Scapexghost said:

Id move both algae eaters to the 29. The algae eater id do in a 10 is a nerite snail. Theyre slow workers but after a week or so youll never see algae in that 10 again. You could do ottos, but nerites are much easier.

 

On 4/17/2022 at 9:09 AM, Patrick_G said:

Welcome! I'm from the Co-op area too. It took me a few months of watching the videos before I made the connection between the shop and the YouTube channel. 

I'd rehome one SAE and keep the other in the 29. Then get some Otocinclus from the Co-op for the 10 gallon. 

Both good suggestions! Thank you. After doing more research on algae eaters I had settled on Nerites & Otto's at the top of my list. Nerites for sure, that's easy. Otto's I realize aren't necessarily a beginner fish, but with the proper preparation I think I could do right by them. Thanks for confirming I'm on the right track! 

 

[Patrick_G]

@Anjum, just make sure your Otocinclus have a tank with some algae and buy them from the Co-op. They do a week of quarantine and feeding before the put them out for sale. I've had great luck with them. I have them in almost every tank and my loss ratio is about the same as other species. 

[Anjum]

On 4/17/2022 at 10:47 AM, Patrick_G said:

@Anjum, just make sure your Otocinclus have a tank with some algae and buy them from the Co-op. They do a week of quarantine and feeding before the put them out for sale. I've had great luck with them. I have them in almost every tank and my loss ratio is about the same as other species. 

Yep I did recently watch the co-op's video about them, which made me realize they're not something to rush into. I'll do Nerites for the 10 gal & wait until the 29 is seasoned a bit before I consider Otto's. That said, I do feel like I could commit to repashy & blanched veg for the Otto's to make sure they're getting enough to eat.