fish search

[lef22]

hi
i ve got some white algae problems it appears to be taking over my tank :P
i 'm looking for a suitable algae eater for my tank.there's not much in it yet but i want a small-medium sized, peacefull community fish.
Any suggestions?

[Paw Broon]

bristlenose pleco

[gm72]

Well before we get into suggestions in detail, let's try to figure out why the algae is there in the first place. We want to try to treat the problem itself, not the symptom.

Let's get some more information. Tank size/water change schedule/tank inhabitants?

[Gayle]

Are you talking about the same tank where the bumblebee catfish just died??? From your profile I only see the one 50g tank.

I really do not recommend adding any form of fish to it just yet.

Concentrate on the cycling right now, adding any more fish right now will not help with the algae or the cycle.

[gm72]

Are you talking about the same tank where the bumblebee catfish just died??? From your profile I only see the one 50g tank.

I really do not recommend adding any form of fish to it just yet.

Concentrate on the cycling right now, adding any more fish right now will not help with the algae or the cycle.

Agreed. Let's slow down and figure out exactly what is going on here.

[DrNic]

I agree that figuring out the problem is probably more important.

That said, one treatment you might want to try is peroxide.

[bushwhacker]

lef isnt this a new tank? your going to have algae, it happens to all of us best thing to do is keep up your water changes , pull out what you can and wait it out

[lef22]

i know guys that it's a new tank and everything but i'm in a tight spot.
I 've been putting the tank together for like a month and a half now, having to order the right rocks and plants and everything and ve just had fish for one week.I don't know why but the staff at my "fish shop" never mentioned anything about cycling and said that i;d be fine with a 30% water change once a month.ohnestly some times i get the feeling that they know nothing at all! they didn't even advise me to buy a test kit.
Now i've realized that the tank cant be left unatended for a week let alone 2 or 3 weeks, and i really don't know what to do because we are planning to go away for two weeks in early august.So i'm trying to cycle as fast as possible...
After getting some advice from a friend, i reduce the lightning and the feeding and the algae really seems to be receeding.Anyway the real problem is the fish cycle and that it's taking too long.i'm thinking of taking the fish back until after the holidays, but the i havn't got an answer from the store yet.
I'm really dissapointed by the stores services and the lack of info provided.
One of the fish had to die for them to point out amonia levels and the danger they entail

[Paw Broon]

Well it's only been a week so if you're going to keep cycling with fish it is going to take a lot longer than that and yeah definetely don't add anymore fish now when your cycling, and the fish stores fail to tell you about cycling because they don't care, your fish die - you buy more....they're just interested in making a quick sale a lot of the time.

Would anyone feed your fish while you were gone in August?

[coralreef234]

Any kind of Pleco and loach can help you out in this situation

[Jaster]

The cycle takes patience. You'll get there but it will be in the tanks time, not yours. You're on the right track with things. Don't just make snap quick fix choices. Trust me when I tell you it will just cost you fish and lots of disappointment in the long run. Thats exactly what I did at first too. I'm not a patient person... lol
Let the tank settle down some and see where things level off. give it a couple weeks. Then you can get a bristle nose or 2 and they will help keep the tank clean.
Hang in there. thumbs2:

[lef22]

i already got an automatic feeder and it works great..i am more concerned about the water quality and not beeing able to monitor it. Anyway this evening the NO2 levels dropped to almost zero so i'm guessing amonia is somewhere there as well.Plus i found the perfect solution for the holidays. another pet shop offers a service at wich you rent a tank at the shop and they take care of your fish.The only problem again is that the cycle will be messed up, unless istill set up the feeder and let the decomposing dood produce the nesesary nitrates
thanks guys i'm really taking into consideration all the pointers

[Paw Broon]

You need to get a liquid test kit to monitor your ammonia nitrites and nitrates. It should be cycled by august i would've thought and if your automatic feeder works well then you're sorted, just get a test kit in the meantime. Then again 2 weeks is a long time, is there some sort of thing on this feeder that controls how much food it feeds?

[lef22]

thankfully there is. i'm just worried of polluting the water.Anyway i read that a cycle with fish takes about three months? do you really think it may be ready by august?

[Paw Broon]

Not sure now actually it could be..depending on your filter, what fish and if you're using bacteria boosters but someone else may be able to answer this more accurately.

If not you could do that rent a tank thing and chuck your filter media in their filter if they would allow it.

[lef22]

that's a really good idea actually!brilliant! much better than risking to come back home finding a tank full of swamp water
Congrats my friend and thanks

[Paw Broon]

No probs, glad to be of help.thumbs2: