Clean up crew compatible with pictus?

[Ram897]

I have 4 pictus in a 46 gallon bowfront. We. Had 4 molly's with them but the pictus stressed them out and were nipping the tailfins so we rehomed the molly's. The issue is algae now. We are getting brown and bright green spots on the rocks and decor so are wondering if anything could stand up to the hyperactivity of the pictus and help keep the algae at bay. I don't have driftwood and don't really want to add any. Unless I could get by with just a little piece in the back.

[escamosa]

What I would do first, is have a look at what things might be setting off the algea blooms. Is the tank in a really sunny spot? How long do you keep the light on for? What do your nitrates tests come back as? Pictus Catfish can be a very boisterous type of fish, and as you've found out, can be fairly aggressive, so the chances of them sharing the bottom third of the tank with "clean up crew" types of fishes is pretty slim.

[Ram897]

Ok. I have marineland double bright led that is on from about 10 in the morning to about 5 in the afternoon and then the blue lights are turned on. My nitrate yesterday was 10 and I will do my pwc this weekend. And no sun on the tank because blinds are always pulled in the summer.

[escamosa]

Thanks for that info. The nitrates shouldn't be the problem at that level, but that's an awful lot of light each day and night. The amount of light that you are giving the tank during the day is near enough to the perfect amount of light in total per day. You really don't want to exceed 8 hours total light per day. You could try 4 hours of each light, or 6 hours of one and 2 of the other, or something like that if you like.

The only other thing that might be causing the brown algea bloom is phosphates in the water. Phosphates can come from your tap water or can build up from over feeding, as phosphates are in the food. You can get kits to test for phosphates/silicates, and if it tests high, there's products that you can buy to help remove it, such as Phosban or Rowaphos. thumbs2:

[Ram897]

Thanks, I will cut down on the lighting and had no idea about Phosphates....Good excuse to go to petco tomorrow since I wanted to get the pug ice cream anyway...yes, all of my "children" are spoiled.
The catfish only get one pellet each a day but the overfeeding may have happened previously from the mollys. They were much harder to feed the flakes. They were picky little critters who would rather taste and spit them out!
I will get a phosphate test and go from there. Thanks again!

[escamosa]

You're more than welcome!

Doggy ice cream! :hmm3grin2orange: Is it actually ice cream for dogs, or does he or she just like to share yours?

[Ram897]

They actually make ice cream for dogs!! He loves our vanilla ice cream and will not let us eat in peace so when I saw this at petco I knew I had to get him some. It has to be a little better for him than ours, but I am not sure. I just usually have too much other running to do to get it home without melting. So now I have a reason to just go there!!!!!

[smaug]

The blue lights in that fixture are nothing but algae growers,dont use them. Iff you have no plants then erradicating algae is easy,turn the lights on only for a few hrs a day while viewing.

[Ram897]

Well that is a big bummer about the blue lights! They are my favorite. Why do they promote algae?

[escamosa]

I'm not really sure of the technical reason for the blue lights promoting algea growth more than a standard light, but a lot of people use those blue lights in marine set ups. The blue lights are often used to help specific types of algae, corals and anemones thrive in a marine environment.

And I'm gonna go see if I can get some of the ice cream for my dog! She'll love that! :hmm3grin2orange:

[Lady10Godiva]

^During the summer even the grocery stores around me carry the dog ice cream.

[escamosa]

hmmm, wonder what it tastes like? :18:

[smaug]

Well that is a big bummer about the blue lights! They are my favorite. Why do they promote algae?
They produce the spectrum that algae can use best. I do not know the exact scientific answer. I can tell you that I know from experiance that it is true especially for the red algae types. To restate what I said earlier,if you don't have plants then only run lights for a few hrs while enjoying the tank,if you do that then the blue lights won't be so bad.

[Ram897]

So I got a Phosphate test today and my tank water was 1.0. I probably should have tested my tap water but just thought of that as I am laying in bed and too tired to do it right now. I have to do wc and scrub down tomorrow so I will test the tap then. So is 1 too high? I am wondering if these are diatoms from cycling?
When I was at petco, I saw a couple of mystery snails and the sales person told me that they were good for algae and the pictus would leave them alone so I got a gold and black. Hope it works.

I also got the pug his ice cream. It is banana/peanut butter flavor. He didn't know what to think at first but eventually got into it. Funny thing is... It is just frozen yogurt! Why couldn't I come up with a money maker like that?

[escamosa]

1.0ppm is the level at which the phosphates will promote algea growth. An ideal level is 0.05ppm or less.

It is possible for diatoms to grow during a cycle, as you don't do any cleaning, and you're constantly feeding the tank some kind of ammonia source, which in turn raises the amount of nitrates and phosphates. Usually once you get into a really good cleaning pattern after the cycle, the diatoms can go away on their own.

Test your tap water after you get some sleep, and see what that comes up with, and if all is good there, then it might just be a case of increasing your tank maintenance a little. We'll get it sorted! thumbs2:

And it's just frozen yogurt? Wow! I bet someone is making a fortune out of it! But your dog is loving you, so that's all that matters! :hmm3grin2orange: I would of had a go at the ice cream, but I dunno about peanut butter flavoured yogurt. :hmm3grin2orange:

[Ram897]

So the Phosphate in my tap is 0.5. Tested all parameters this morning because it is wc day and
pH 8.4-8.8 normally 8.2 but definitely darker purple today... Weird
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10-20
I will change out 50% later today but do you think I should add anything to the water or filter?
I didn't see phosban or rowaphos at petco and the people there weren't really "helpful". Are they filter media or water additives?

[smaug]

Have you used any ph adjusters?

[Ram897]

No. I have never used pH adjusters and haven't added anything to the tank since the setup.

[escamosa]

So the Phosphate in my tap is 0.5. Tested all parameters this morning because it is wc day and
pH 8.4-8.8 normally 8.2 but definitely darker purple today... Weird
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10-20
I will change out 50% later today but do you think I should add anything to the water or filter?
I didn't see phosban or rowaphos at petco and the people there weren't really "helpful". Are they filter media or water additives?

Those products are a granular filter media. What I would do, is just keep up with the 50% water changes + gravel vacs each week, check the amount that you're feeding your fishes, and definitely start limiting that blue light. I think that you will find an improvement after a short time of putting those things into practice. 0.5ppm isn't too bad really, so I wouldn't try using any kind of phosphate removal products just yet. thumbs2:

[Ram897]

Sounds good. Did a real thorough cleaning today and took out decor to clean. Couldn't believe the stuff underneath!