Issues With Algae Disc's??

[MeganL3985]

Yesterday I wanted to try one last algae disc before throwing the pack away, to see if my oto's would eat them. Of course they didnt but I got left a huge mess in my tank. The water is nasty.....cloudy with a huge slimey film on the top of the water. Wtf happened?? It has happened to me before, but I thought maybe I just left them in too long. Not this time, still did the same thing.
The package says that it doesn't cloud or effect the water at all, yet it did.
Anyone else have problems with that?? I changed out half the water, but its still cloudy. Yuck!!! What a friggin mess....

[cocoa_pleco]

lol, my 3 plecos ate 20 a day! try puting extra light in the tank and the fuzzy algae may be more accepted by the ottos

[Drumachine09]

Remove any uneated algae wafers after 45 minutes or so.

DONT THROW THEM AWAY!

You never know what your future fish will eat ;)

[hungryhound]

I'm not sure whos algae wafers you're using, but we've had great success with
Hikari (algae) and NLS (H2O water stable wafers). The other thing you might do is check out the ingredients in your wafers. I know a lot of times wafers call themselves algae wafers, but plant matter (such as spirulna) is not the primary ingredient. This is the case with out Hikari algae wafers, but everyone seems to really enjoy them.

Also, you might try dropping the wafer in after the lights go off. I can't remember where I read it, but I believe ots tend to be more active at night. Typically we give a wafer every other day at the night feeding for our loaches and then on our way to bed we drop in an additional wafer for the ots and pleco. We also tend to break out wafers in pieces as this ensures no fighting over them.

Good luck getting your ots straightened out on what's good for them and hopefully your cloudiness subsides soon!

[gm72]

Hmm, I haven't had this problem before, Megan. I do drop in my algae pellets at night and they are always gone by the next morning unless I accidentally put in too many.

I'd wait a few days and do another 50% water change if it doesn't settle on its own. I'm thinking you added too many at once?

[MeganL3985]

I only add 1 and leave it in for about an hour....and I have no idea what kind they are. Just some stuff from walmart...in an orangey/brown colored bag.

[gm72]

Wardley's, no doubt. They are okay, I use them too but I've never had that water problem like you are describing.

[MeganL3985]

Yes, Wardley, thats it!

[RobbieG]

Maybe you could try using just a piece of one instead of the whole thing - it may be related to your tank size/filter

[MeganL3985]

I'll try dropping in 1/2 a wafer tonight and see what happens. If it happens again I just wont use them in the small tank. I'll just save them for the 29. I'm sure i'll have oto's in there too. I love those lil guys :)

[RobbieG]

I have them (oto's) in a 10 gallon - they are great little guys -

I use the Wardleys wafers too - they do turn into crud pretty quickly (although not as quickly as the wardleys shrimp pellets)

[SkarloeysMom]

I've used the Hakri algae wafers. Some otos will eat them and some won't. I usually break them in half or less. Usually if my oto does eat it my piggie guppy or danios will.

[Dave66]

I've used the Hakri algae wafers. Some otos will eat them and some won't. I usually break them in half or less. Usually if my oto does eat it my piggie guppy or danios will.

Otocinclus have difficulty with harder foods, like freshly fed algae wafers. I also use Hikari wafers. However, I emulsify them 'til slightly soft in either a soluble vitamin supplement or fresh squeezed garlic juice from the blender.

Dave

[calla]

have you ever tried getting one of those clips and feeding them seaweed or spinach? I do it every once in a while and my fish love it (I don't have any oto though)

[MeganL3985]

I had bad luck with the zucchini....lol It also made my tank all messed up. Big slime layer on the top, cloudy water and the oto's didnt touch it. lol I must have just a bunch of picky eaters. I swear my neons get all the food I feed them, so my oto's must be living off of poop and whatever microscopic things that hang around the tank lol....

[*Sarah*]

My fish all love the Hikari algae wafers. The mollies, platys, everyone picks at them and fights over them...my big snail was devouring one too lol.

[MeganL3985]

Neither my oto's or my tetras mess with them. They dont even come to look at it. haha Its like "oh you dropped a rock down there....oh well....lol"

[Kuli_Loach]

My mollies love them. I don't put any with my lone otto, he don't like them. I drop one a week in my 10g with a clown just because there is enough algae growing in there for him. In my 55, it is two at night, my corys, pleco, and mollies snack on them constantly. I have to drop them in at dark or the mollies half way have them devoured before they hit the bottom, man they are pigs. I usually put 2 algae wafers, 3 sinking wafers, and 4 carnivore pellets in there, and they are all gone after 30 min. of the lights out.