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Thread: Algae Eater

  1. #1
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    Algae Eater

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    Hi all,
    Some fishes & shrimps eat algae, but i am not sure which is good to remove which type of algae.
    For example, is SAE good for brown algae? Is yamato shrimp good for hair algae?
    Can any one share your experience & expertise?

    TIA. Cheers!

  2. #2
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    Hi, looks like you are fairly new in AQ. Welcome!

    The popular algae eating crew are:
    - Otocinclus: general purpose cleaner favouring soft green algae growing on leaves and tank walls and equipment. The more the merrier.
    - SAE: eats the dreaded BBA. But older SAEs also prefer to eat fish food. So buy one or two young ones only. And know how to buy the real ones too.
    - Yamato: eats hair algae. And clear away dead fish very quickly too. They are sensitive when first introduced to a tank. Have to acclimitise properly.

    More at http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_p...lgaeeaters.htm
    koah fong
    Juggler's tanks

  3. #3
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    Algae critters are nice to have but then again you can do a tank without them and have no algae issues at all if you focus on the plants needs.

    Regards
    Peter Gwee
    Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger

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    Yes, usually they are introduced in the tank initially before plant outgrow the algae. Then later they either starve or go for fish food or go for moss (especially Yamato).
    Also SAE can get aggressive when full grow but the young one are nice to keep.

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    Thanks Juggler, Peter Gwee & Dc88,
    Besides these 3 common algae busters, have u tried others? Which is good for removing brush/beard/fuzz algae?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Phishee
    Besides these 3 common algae busters, have u tried others? Which is good for removing brush/beard/fuzz algae?
    Hydrogen peroxide in small amounts squirted onto the algae
    Warm regards,

    Lawrence Lee

    brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
    Philippians 4:8

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    Quote Originally Posted by GaspingGurami
    Hydrogen peroxide in small amounts squirted onto the algae
    Hi Lawrence, I am having what looks like fuzz algae growing on a pc of DW. Not too sure what cause them. Could be because I removed all the H. Difformis or because I started to use Sera florenette A tabs. Do I treat the DW with H. Peroxide by removing it out of the water? Tks

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    Quote Originally Posted by GaspingGurami
    Hydrogen peroxide in small amounts squirted onto the algae
    Hi,
    Do u remove the plant from the tank b4 applying H2O2 or direct into the water?

    BTW, how do u get hold of H2O2?

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    You can look for H2O2 at Guardian Pharmacy. The small bottle around $2+
    Around 10ml per 100L should not be too far off. Safe to dose into the tank.

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    Any one tried flagfish b4? i bought 4 flagfish yesterday 2 put into my tank & only 2 discover 3 of them r dead this morning.

    R flagfish diffcult 2 keep? Besides algae what do they eat?

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    Quote Originally Posted by PeterGwee
    Algae critters are nice to have but then again you can do a tank without them and have no algae issues at all if you focus on the plants needs.

    Regards
    Peter Gwee
    Agree with that but tough to achieve for me. Usually, I have no problems with any algae except Hair Algae. So hard to get rid of that in the end I just got the yamatos.

    Phishee: For your BBA problem, can get SAE. Just get one young will do. They will grow large. Flagfish suppose to eat BBA too but I have one in the tank but don't seem to be doing anything much.

    Nip the problem in the bud. Balance the tank nutrients or else the problem will keep coming back. Up your CO2 to reduce the BBA. In my tanks, excess NO3 seem to cause BBA too. But I know of other folks having no problem with more NO3.
    koah fong
    Juggler's tanks

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    The main issue always comes from the CO2 side. How responsive the CO2 system can make a whole lot of difference as will testing several times over a day cycle (say 1 hr into the photoperiod and maybe an hour or two in between later on till the end of the photoperiod will tell you where the CO2 is going.). Try to get the CO2 high (25-35ppm) an hour into the photoperiod and maintain it for the entire photoperiod would do as does making sure to have some surface movement which will degas any excess CO2 during the night when the CO2 system is shut off. Blindly bumping the CO2 up till the critters/fish are stressed and then backing off might not solve all folks issue if you have responsive issues with getting the CO2 up high in a short period.

    Regards
    Peter Gwee
    Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger

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    I am testing my pleco fish in my planted.... Initially was always scared that it will eat all my plants...but since now i only intend to keep grasses type of plants, should not be a problem.. he is in since a week, happily cleaning and not eating my plants...
    ~ Ā q u ã O b s έ Ş Ş i ŏ ŋ ~
    Once you pop, You can't Stop
    http://aquaobsession.blogspot.com/

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    Sorry for late response.

    Squirt the peroxide through a small syringe directly at the algae in your tank without removing anything. Do a precision strike, not carpet bombing. Turn off filter and anything that cause water movement so the peroxide will work on the algae without getting washed away. Your tank will start to pearl wildly and the fishes will play in this bubbles (its oxygen) Don't worry, it's OK if you use sparingly.

    After 10-15 minutes, remember to turn back on the filter. In a few days the algae changes colour and is eaten up.
    Warm regards,

    Lawrence Lee

    brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
    Philippians 4:8

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    Thanks guys. Got lots of advice - will try them out.

    Hey, i read about adding sugar can reduce algae growth.

    Did any one try?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Phishee
    Hey, i read about adding sugar can reduce algae growth.

    Did any one try?
    Did you finish reading that thread? I thought it didn't go quite that way?
    koah fong
    Juggler's tanks

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    Hey, Yamato are one of the best Algae Eater. I've recently brought 50 of them to my 4ft newly plant tank. Within 3 day, they did a good job by clearing all my algae. Now I'm worry that they will clear my plant (mainly moss and riccia) away. Any advice?? Thanks.

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    try and catch as many as u can...
    if not can stimulate algae growth for your yamatoes to eat ... which i think you won't want it to happen ...

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    Hi Whizky1111,
    Yes, I agree with u that yamatos r good algae eaters. I also read about them munching plants away. Hence, best is that don't keep too many of them in a tank.
    Knowing this problem about yamatos, that's one of the reason i started this thread to see whether there r any other good alternatives that the experts out there can offer.

  20. #20
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    hi, just wondering if yamatoes can survive with fishes like congo tetra or discus?

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