Algae eaters in Planted Tank

[james]

Hi everyone,

Usually when someone first setup up a Planted Tank, they would want to introduce some Algea eaters into the tank first. This is to keep in check any algae grow right from the beginning.

For me I only have two SAEs in my two footer. Some how I felt that it is inadequate.

What are the other Algae eaters and their purpose to counter what algae?

Thanks!

[Simon]

Hi James...

SAE = good for all kinds of algae (provided they r starved)
Oto = good for smeared/spotted algae
farowella = same as above but more ex
yamato = good overall algae eater (best combo with Oto)
pencilfish = good for hair algae
mollies/platy = same as pencilfish
Amercian flag fish = same as above

best to intro different algae eaters, to combat diff algae

[LeAnne]

simon... wat r sae?

[Simon]

siamese algae eater.. look at James's avatar for the pic

[binbeto]

My rosy bard will eat green algae,, and rather good at it.. cos it "output" is all green. :P

[LeAnne]

LOL~
think maybe they are not eating enough [] becareful not to let them eat ur plants next

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On 2/5/2002 1:03:50 PM

My rosy bard will eat green algae,, and rather good at it.. cos it "output" is all green. :P
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[hoppinghippo]

yo vinz, how's your tank coming along?

and what's farowella? sounds like some hair product!

and what about malayan shrimps compared to yams?

[vinz]

Hi HoppingHippo,

Read my post on "Nitrates and Algae" and you'll know... I don't mind maintaning the tanks, but fighting algae is a pain in the rear. *SIGH*

ViNZ

[binbeto]

So far they show no interest in my plants.

However if the green thread algae stick to the leaf, they will up root those tenellus while eating the algae.

[tawauboy]

which algae eater is good for this algae?
algae is light green, long and thin, a few strands bunched together.

what is the algae that is dark green in colour?
makes leaves look black in colour.
seems to cover older leaves while new shoots do not have this algae.
recommended algea eater?

thanks

[gnome]

Hey-hey... in my experience, no tank is complete without snails. My personal favorite is Helisoma trivolvis (a type of Planorbarius/ramshorn snail). I keep telling people about them, and nobody believes me, but they are just the best things since sliced bread! I had diatoms in a newly set-up 2.5-gallon (10L) mini-tank, and I didn't want to get otos because they *always* die after a few weeks. So I threw in six small snails from one of my other tanks, and in one week, my tank was polished clean. They tend not to over-populate, either. Another amazing thing they did for me was to eat BGA. I had a horrible outbreak of the stuff in a 5.5-gallon plant tank, and I even ripped out all the plants. I left the lights off, changed to a new filter, nothing worked. My final attempt before dumping erythromycin in was to remove my snail-eating betta and throw in a handful of the ramshorns. Apparently, with nothing else to eat and no predator to bother them, they actually ate ALL the BGA in approximately one week. AND, last but definitely not least is how they ate the BBA off of a small Anubias nana plant. I removed most of the affected leaves, but I didn't want to pluck off *all* of them. So I left maybe two leaves, one of which had some BBA adhered to it. I transplanted the plant into a tank with the ramshorn snails, and a few weeks later, NO BBA! That cleaned leaf is still on there, healthy as when it first sprouted. So if your tank is too small for SAE, you can try the snails.

I understand that common pond snails are also good for algae-eating. Avoid apple, mystery, and Colombian ramshorn snails - they're voracious plant eaters.

-gnome

[hoppinghippo]

gnome: how is the snail growth rate like? supposedly they reproduce too fast and take over the whole tank? And that once they are in, it's impossible to irradicate them completely without taking extreme measures? I heard about these that's why never get snail. are they true?

And where did you buy your snails from? or can you spare me a few?

And is the ADA tank you guys talk about at gan the one in the "shop" area? with plants semisubmerged? cuz that one has lovely snails floating about, really cute.

[coryfav]

Hey, gnome, for desperate people like me, with tanks too small for SAE, not very successful with Otos, will try anything!

But like what hoppinghippo said, my main worry is over-population of snails.

My 1.5ft tank is the one giving me the most algae problem, but there's a betta in it. Will the betta actually eat the snails that you recommended? I'd rather not remove that betta, cos the tank was specially set up for him.[:]

Where to buy those snails? Any picture?

Thanks!

[Simon]

try MTS or Malayan Trumpet Snail, they burrow into the gravel by day and feast at nite..

[coryfav]

Hi Simon! Have you been to Ben's lately? I was there yesterday lunchtime, he seems to be preparing for CNY cos some of his tanks were empty!!!

I was hopeing to get some marbled hatchets from him...

How's your Similis? Mine are still eating and swimming around, but I'm still watching and counting them EVERYDAY!

Same question, what do your snails look like and where to buy?

I LOVE CORYDORAS!

[Simon]

Hi coryfav, nope.. didnt have the time, guess he is going to close till thur.. if u wanna marbled hatchet, try Gan (abit far ) as for the MTS, they have a cone-shaped shell... cant buy them, but if u get plants from havelock, u can find them in the tank.. jus need one batch and they multiply.. i see if I can catch for u, provided u want them.. coz, they only come out after lights off

[coryfav]

Simon, hold your snails! If they multiply so fast, I think I can wait.[]

Thanks for the info. Will now know where to look, when I need them.

[gnome]

You know, back when I was interested only in fish, I really liked Malaysian trumpet snails. But when I started planting, I found that their constant burrowing and disturbing the gravel made it very difficult to keep plants anchored until the roots grew in. Apparently, there are plenty of experienced aquatic gardeners that don't encounter the same problem, probably because they have better techniques at securing the plants in the substrate. Nowadays, I try to keep them out; once they get in, there's no way to eradicate them completely, even with puffers or loaches.

The Helisoma trivolvis I wrote about only grow to maybe 3/4" in shell diameter. The colors can range from almost gray to brown, with the "desirable" ones being a dark red color; mine all have dark-brown spots like a leopard. Very beautiful. As long as you have a measurable amount of calcium in the water, their shells should maintain a glossy shine. If the water is too soft, they'll get etched and look chalky white. They lay their eggs in gelatinous clusters on leaves, glass, plastic, basically any smooth surface. However, I rarely see them. The baby snails are barely noticeable until maybe a few weeks to a month after hatching. In my opinion, they're cute. As for rate of population, I've noticed that they actually start to dwindle when water conditions get a little less than ideal. It amazed me how MTS's could thrive under virtually squalid conditions; this does not seem to be the case with the ramshorns. Also, when the population gets too large and you get a little lazy with water changes, the growth of each individual snail appears to get "suspended" - you'll still see snails in the tank, but few will be much more than 1/8". I see the most significant growth when I add just a few to a new tank.

Whether or not a betta will bother the snails depends entirely on the betta. I no longer have any interest in this fish because the snails are so much more beneficial in a plant tank, and you can't predict if a betta is going to leave them alone or have an escargot feast.

I got my snails for free from my LFS, but I live in the U.S. I don't know what their status is in Singapore. I think there's a variety of these snails that exist naturally in certain bodies of water, here. But I know their popularity in aquaria originated in Europe, somewhere. Probably had its beginnings in Dutch aquascaping. "Red ramshorn snails," I think they called them. If we were in the same country, I'd be happy to give you guys all the snails you wanted... I know the LFS I got mine from will charge for the larger specimens, but if you're actually buying some fish or plants, they'll throw some small ones in for free, if you ask.

I'll try to find a link to photos later. Right now, it's past midnight so time for me to hit the hay. Good night!

-gnome

[gnome]

This link shows a top view of Planorbis corneus:
here

and this one is from a site that covers many freshwater molluscs:
here
It also shows some specimens of Planorbarius snails.

Enjoy, and remember... Snails are your friend []

-gnome

sorry - I guess you have to copy/paste the URL's
no you don't - DEA

[gnome]

Thanks, DEA! []

To the rescue, again...

-gnome