JE47 Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 I know that algae is formed by a number of reasons which I have attempted to correct an imbalance of nutrients too much light which has significantly helped decrease the amount of algae that grows in my tank but I still have some pop up especially on the aquarium plants. So I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with algae eaters and which ones in you opinion is the best? I do already have some Amano Shrimp which do help but not quite enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 Otos, snails and hillstream loaches but the number 1 best thing that fights algae is plant mass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 To answer your asked question… https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/algae-eaters However your unasked question…. horticultural practices can reduce algae dramatically…. I have had much better results with horticultural practices than algae eaters… this page has several articles on practices to reduce algae. https://www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/algae-control @JoeQ, every time I see your tag line… Snails are the reason I can't have nice algea! I wonder why my snails never prevented me from having nice algae… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 (edited) On 8/17/2023 at 8:28 PM, Pepere said: I wonder why my snails never prevented me from having nice algae… Snails are weird, who know why they do the things they do. Maybe yours never acquired the taste, maybe as snail-lits their parents never made them eat their algae for a wholesome, nutritious, balanced diet!!! 🤣 Edited August 18 by JoeQ Forgot words Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JE47 Posted August 18 Author Share Posted August 18 I'm undecided between Otos of Hillstream Loaches? Does anyone have experience with them as far as who is the better algae eater? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 On 8/18/2023 at 4:56 PM, JE47 said: I'm undecided between Otos of Hillstream Loaches? Does anyone have experience with them as far as who is the better algae eater? I have both, hillstreams seem to prefer wall algae while the otos seem to prefer cleaning the plants themselves. Just dont forget to supplement, especially otos who almost seem to try to out compete each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 On 8/18/2023 at 5:01 PM, JoeQ said: hillstreams seem to prefer wall algae while the otos seem to prefer cleaning the plants themselves. Personally, I have no problem keeping the glass clean of algae. I would take an algae eating fish that cleaned off plants any time…. That being said, thriving healthy plant matter as a general rule defend themselves quite well against algae growth. Often the top new growth is algae free and it is older leaves that are suffering. Plants optimize themselves for existing conditions. This takes a few weeks and lots of energy. Often they will sacrifice older growth to develop new optimized leaves. In the process they take nutrients from the older leaves. The older leaves leach waste organics from their margins and that is where algae typically starts…. those leaves are not going to come back even if algae eating fish eat the algae off of them. While they are sitting on the plant degrading, they leach waste organics, interfere with water flow, and shade other leaves…. Sometimes it is best to cut and remove them…. Sometimes it is best to cut off the healthy tops and pull out the dying base and replant the tops… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JE47 Posted August 18 Author Share Posted August 18 Thanks for all the helpful advice it helps make sense of my algae problems. And weather I need an algae eating crew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JE47 Posted August 18 Author Share Posted August 18 As far as adding more plant mass what would you advise are the best plants for that and or the fastest growing. I do have water lettuce currently as a floater plant Java fern, dwarf sagittaria subulata, Hygrophila Corymbosa compacta, and a moss of some sort Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted August 19 Share Posted August 19 Can you post some photos of your tank? Tank size, substrate, equipment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JE47 Posted August 19 Author Share Posted August 19 Tank Size: 29 gallons Sand substrate Low equipment just HOB filter, and heater I do not run CO2 I do use a liquid fertilizer and have a plant substrate underneath the sand. I will try to post photos later tonight or tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted August 19 Share Posted August 19 (edited) What are you using for a light? what plants do you have in the tank now? what are your nitrates now? what is your GH and KH? What method do you use to obtain those numbers? Edited August 19 by Pepere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted August 19 Share Posted August 19 On 8/18/2023 at 3:28 AM, Pepere said: I wonder why my snails never prevented me from having nice algae… The only snails that actually eat and make difference on algae is Japanese trapdoors and nerites in my experience. I have/had normal ramshorn, MTS, mini ramshorn, bladder snails, assasin snails(carnivore anyway), spixi, japanese trapdoors, mysteries, horned and zebre nerites and rabbit snails. So even if they probably pick on stuff I dont think most are good algae eaters really. I just love them anyway :') Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JE47 Posted August 19 Author Share Posted August 19 Light: Hygger Light, model HG-978 LED Light its 22 watts Kh: 6 Gh; 8 I gave a list of plants earlier in this conversation though I forgot to mention that I do grow water sprite and cryptocoryne wendtii As for my nitrates the solution I was using has now gone bad so I am working on ordering a replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted August 19 Share Posted August 19 A photo will be most helpful to get a feeling forhow much plant mass you have… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JE47 Posted August 21 Author Share Posted August 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 On 8/21/2023 at 12:14 AM, JE47 said: Algae eaters most likely wont help your situation out much. Plant mass will be the greater benefit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 Edit: And fertilization, fertilizers are your friend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 What are the tall red plants in the middle? once the dwarf sag establishes itself it is likely to start expanding significantly. I have mine all to the back and side margins of the tank for a backdrop and I need to trim it back and prune and remove runners every week. Vall and dwarf sag can be a bit of an Algae magnet. How do feel about trimming back and pruning plants weekly? Stem plants tend to be fast growing and needs attention every week. Ludwigia repens is a green plants with orange red highlights on the top of the leaves, especially on upper leaves. I have never noted algae to grow on it. As it gets to the surface I pull it, cut off the top half and replant the top cardinal Lobelia is also a stem plant I have never seen algae growing on myself. As it grows it starts growing numerous arial roots. As it gets to the top of the tank, I pull it, cut off half and replant the top. early on you can leave the bottom in place and cut off the top to replant. The bottom will then create two new stems growing from the top cut portion. This is a way to increase plant density over time. Both of these stems I keep toward the back of my tank in front of the dwarf sag, vallisneria. Stems of a species tend to look better kept in close arrangement with each other rather than individually scattered. Bacopa is another easy growing stem that I have yet to see algae grow on. Wisteria is a quick growing stem that can quickly take over the tank. It is also a bit of an algae magnet. crypts and Java Fern and Corymbosa compacta have the advantage of being slower growing and not needing frequent trimming and tends not to grow to the top of the tank and function well as midground plants in front of your taller stem plants… Here is a recent pic of one of my tanks. A curtain of val in the back. On the left front is some Bacopa, on the right near the wavemaker is some trimmed down Cardinal Lobelia. in the middle just in front of the Val, is some Ludwigia Repens. and in the foreground adjacent to the Bacopa is a wall of Anubias. Anubias is also prone to algae growth… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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