Now on to the next problem......

[nikipate]

Okay, so I have this awful cold that is making my brain foggy and slow so I thought I would try to take the easy way out and instead of doing a bunch of research to try to figure this out I would just ask....

I think we have algae now. We have fuzzy green spots on both short ends of the tank that are pretty big (about 2 inches across). We have a large slate rock against the back of the tank as a background and I noticed this morning that it has tons of small green spots on it. My question is what is the best way to clean it. Do I just kind of wipe it off with a sponge? My concern there is that I would just dislodge some of it and then it will just float everywhere. Do I need to get the water level below the spots and then wipe them off? It would not be possible to get the water level below the spots on the slate in the back.

My other question is what are the most likely causes and what are some things that I could do to prevent it in the future.

I really appreciate all the help that is given here..... it's so nice knowing that there are helpful people so close at hand!:luxlove:

[Sasquatch]

Yeah, that's probably algae. For the stuff on the glass, just buy a glass scraper to get it off. For the stuff on the slate, short of taking it out and scrubbing it, the only real cure would he an algae eater.

As for the cause, usually it's too much nutrients in the water. High nitrate and phosphate levels are usually the cause. Adding live plants should help since they'll compete with the algae and effectively starve it.

Too much light could be another problem, but check the nutrient levels first.

[Incredulous_Ed]

If there is too much nutrients, put in a few bunches of anacharis. They are extremely fast growing and look very nice. If this is a new tank, algae is perfectly normal. Another thing that I read you can do is leave the light on for 5-6 hours, then turn it off for 2-3 hours, then turn it back on for 5-6 hours. Most of the aquarim books reccomend this.

[cocoa_pleco]

plecos will eat it and if you scrape it your filter or fish will most likely catch it.

[Severus]

If you did want to find a good fish to eat it... I would look into a few otto cats.

[nikipate]

Thanks for all the info. We do want to add more fish to eat algae. I was wondering if there are any catfish that are not shy and not nocturnal. We have two clown loaches and we never ever see them when the light is on. We have blue lunar lights for nighttime and one will come out when the white light is off but if you get anywhere near the tank it will zip back into hiding. Also I would think that the fact that we have algae in the first place would mean that we need more cleaner-uppers than we have. But anyway, back to the question, are there any algae eating kinds that we would get to see more often?

[minabird]

I have 3 Otocinclus spp (midget suckermouth) catfish that are always in the open eating algae. They grow to about 1.5"-2", depending on the specific species, and even eat algae on plants without destroying the plant. Here's a link describing them. [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

They do prefer groups and are sensitive when acclimating to your tank.

[nikipate]

Kevin,

Since I'll be limited to the choices at the lfs I'll have to see what's out there but if I do find them do I need to do anything special to acclimate them? Or by sensitive do you just mean that it might take a little time for them to settle in?

[minabird]

Just acclimate them slowly; it will take them longer to get use to your water than most other fish. Also, make sure there is algae for them to eat. You will probably have to supplement their diet with algae wafers if they eat all of the algae in your tank. Other than that, they are pretty east to take care of. One of my tank gets indirect morning sun everyday and there is ALOT of algae on the side of the tank that faces the sun; I haven't fed my oto cats since I got them about 2 months ago. I did notice tonight that they were eating a veggie wafer that I just switched to for my leopard cory.

[nikipate]

I feel kind of dense having to ask.... but what do you mean by acclimate them slowly?

[minabird]

When I floated their bag in the tank, I added about a cup of tank water to their bag after 30 minutes. I repeated this 2 more times, waiting 30 minutes between adding tank water. After floating for 30 minutes after the last addition of water, I netted them and placed them in the tank.

[jeffs99dime]

also keep in mind that certain species take longer to acclimate then others for example: discus, certain rams, cardinal tetra, rummynoses, etc. i try to acclimate them very, very slowly.

[nikipate]

When I floated their bag in the tank, I added about a cup of tank water to their bag after 30 minutes. I repeated this 2 more times, waiting 30 minutes between adding tank water. After floating for 30 minutes after the last addition of water, I netted them and placed them in the tank.

Oh, okay, I gotcha now... duh on my part....:thumb:

Also, thanks Jeff for the info on ones that need slower acclimation.. I didn't know that.

[Chrona]

Nvm, Jeff beat me to it :p

Btw, I've had great success with Siamese Algae Eater, which are one of the only species that eats the annoying black beard algae. And they are constantly cleaning during the day, usually resting at night, so they are fun to look at. Make sure you get the right kind though. It's also known as the Siamese Flying Fox, but is not the same thing as a plain Flying Fox or Chinese Algae Eater, which are aggressive later on. He should have a single black stripe with nothing over/under it.

Some people say that they are bullies, but I've never had any problems with single ones in my tank that also house small tetras, platies, angelfish. As for several in the same tank, from my research, I've found that they will fight, but it will always be mock battles, and noone ever gets hurt, unless you have fish that are easily stressed by somewhat active fish.