TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk
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Clint
Stay chooned in for more!
seedjar
Let's positive thinking!
jimscott
Tropical Fish Enthusiast
I would go with an otocynclus cat. I'd say a a plecostomus, but you don't want anything that will get big. There's also the so-called Chinese algae eater, but I haven't found them to be that great of an algae eater. Snails reproduce, so that cure could end up worse than the cause in the long run. How about a bigger tank and using a dark background or Java moss to compete with algae?
Yeah I know the 2.5 gal is small, and I know that a ten gallon tank is only $10, infact that is what I paid for the 2.5 gal (the guy thought I was nuts). I have this tank because I only keep a betta, and he seems perfectly content in there. Back home in Miami my family has a 36gal which I used to keep but I've since moved away.
As for snails, I have a family of malaysian trumpet snails, but they seem to not be doing a whole lot for the algae.
I do keep live plants in the tank, but for some reason I can't quite get rid of the algae. I have Java moss growing on a peice of wood, java fern on a rock ornament, water sprite floating and some frogbit.
As for snails, I have a family of malaysian trumpet snails, but they seem to not be doing a whole lot for the algae.
I do keep live plants in the tank, but for some reason I can't quite get rid of the algae. I have Java moss growing on a peice of wood, java fern on a rock ornament, water sprite floating and some frogbit.
Clint
Stay chooned in for more!
Clint
Stay chooned in for more!
I agree with scottychaos, that tank is pretty small and I would avoid including anymore fish. If algae is your problem, I'd consider doing more water changes (you should be changing at least half the water once a week for this small tank IMO), and scrub the walls and so forth to remove algae. Algae is many times a sign that there are too many nutrients in the tank, water changes are important to reduce their levels...is your tank cycled? Ammonia especially is great for growing algae.
Also, reduce the amount of light exposure your tanks gets: reduce the overhead light on the tank (get a timer, 8 hours is more than enough), and get it away from any sunlight.
IME, algae eating fish like otocinclus also have a tendancy to produce a lot of waste, and produce more waste than other fish their size. They can dirty up a tank pretty well. If I had to choose an algae eater for your tank, I would go with some tiny snails, like ramhorns or malaysian trumpet snails (MTS).
I hope this helps.
Also, reduce the amount of light exposure your tanks gets: reduce the overhead light on the tank (get a timer, 8 hours is more than enough), and get it away from any sunlight.
IME, algae eating fish like otocinclus also have a tendancy to produce a lot of waste, and produce more waste than other fish their size. They can dirty up a tank pretty well. If I had to choose an algae eater for your tank, I would go with some tiny snails, like ramhorns or malaysian trumpet snails (MTS).
I hope this helps.
The outcompeting thing is a myth. It's been debunked, but it keeps spreading around the hobby. I used to buy into it too, but it never really made any sense to me. Turns out it didn't make sense for a reason. Just making people aware... best to prevent new hobbyists from spreading it after reading this thread.
Once algae has bloomed, it does feed on the tank's nutrients of course... it's what encourages those spores to bloom in the first place that's the issue. There are a ton of high-light high-nutrient tanks out there with little to no algae, though you can bet the spores are in there. With the out-competing concept out the window, that leaves a trigger as the culprit. I can't say for sure whether ammonia (actually ammonium) is the only trigger, but it is the primary one.
CO2 does make the tank less hospitable to some types of algae. But not all.
Once algae has bloomed, it does feed on the tank's nutrients of course... it's what encourages those spores to bloom in the first place that's the issue. There are a ton of high-light high-nutrient tanks out there with little to no algae, though you can bet the spores are in there. With the out-competing concept out the window, that leaves a trigger as the culprit. I can't say for sure whether ammonia (actually ammonium) is the only trigger, but it is the primary one.
CO2 does make the tank less hospitable to some types of algae. But not all.
thanks for the info all. I actually do have a filter box on this tank. It is nothing fancy, a $20 nano unit. For light I had a floro light on there (compact running at 10w) and the algae went insane and the plants didn't do well at all. I switched to a small halogen desk lamp and the plants are growing again and the algae isn't as bad.
