mezzacam Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 Ok, i have a 2ft and it has been planted for ages now, But i have a constant problem of these little clingy thigns, they are always stuck to my plants. I try get as much off as i can when i clean the tank (every once a week or so) but they always seem to come back. Anyone have any ideas on how i can try help prevent them? Fish in the tank are : 4 Corydoras Sterbai 1 Clown Loach (Snail problem ) 1 Veiltail Angel 2 Apistogramma Cacatuoides (Large male and Small female) 2 Algae suckers. (Same shape as flying foxes, I like them for the price i paid. They are actually quite active little suckers ) Plants... I have no idea what ones i have, lol. But yeah. I have 2 HOB filters, Both running half steam. I clean them about once every 3 weeks, Maybe 2 weeks if i get around to it. Water changes are about 25% every week. Here's a picture of the tank (I know it's not that great, i need to add some more hiding places, but the fish are still happy as larrys) Here's a pic of one of my plants with the "stuff" stuck to it. I know it's just rubbish stuck to the plant, but any ideas on how i can help reduce it? It's so annoying. I am going to sell most tank inhabitants soon though (The Corys, Clown, Apistogramma's) so i'll only have the Angel and Algae suckers in there. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fozziwozzi Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 maybe try your luck with a few otocinclus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grungefreek Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 Hmm maybe oto's would work. But if u have SAE's in there (the ones the same shape as a flying fox, providing they are true SAE's, a pic of them would be nice ) then they should be eating any algae thats in there, they usually do a better job than oto's i find. But u can always give them a go, pretty cheap and relatively easy to care for. Tho they seem to be a bit touchy of late. I ordered some in for my tanks, and so far only about 75% live thru shipping, apparently there is a bad batch going round at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 I think it's a type of algae; in a tank my wife has at work, she got that when she was using the HOB, but they are all gone now that she has gone with a canister. I suspect areas of stagnation causing the algae to flourish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzacam Posted November 6, 2004 Author Share Posted November 6, 2004 Yeah, i'm going to go out tomorrow and buying a cannister for it, Cameron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punie Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 Dude. It's Not rubbish. Its a form of hair algae, Check your nitrate / nitrite levels. They should be sky rocketing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
static Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 black mollies are good hair algae eaters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzacam Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 Yeah well update. I have been doing about 15% water change every day for about 4 days now, It's starting to look a lot better. I also removed the plants from the tank and sat there and tried to remove as much algae as i could from every plant in the tank. lol (Took awhile ) but in the end it was worth it. I also bought a little internal for the tank and i attached the little spray bar for it, and the tank is lookign so much more nicer (Not as much floaties, the HOb didn't seem like pick them up to well), and i've done a couple syphons. I added a tiny bit of algae killer reccommended by the LFS (i was hesitant so i only added a small amount just to see if it'd help a little) I've cut back my lighting to only 6 hours a day. The 2 little algae eaters don't see to pay much attention to the hair algae (LFS called it something like, "Tuffy" algae or something, , who knows, lol) So can anyone maybe reccommend an algae eater or a fish that i could add to the tank to help control the algae if it comes back? (Atm, i have 2 beautiful Angels in there and the 2 Algae Eaters) So i'd prefer maybe 1 or 2 fish, Not necessarily a bright coloured fish as i don't want my angels to become a back drop fish They are the starts of the tank. Oh and before i forget... Can anyone reccommend a tallish plant that i could use at the back of my tank? As the plants i have now are all small ones that keeps low to the ground. So i'm looking for a tall plant that i can use along the back, and maybe a couple of mid sized plants to use on the sides, about half way up the tank? Oh, lol.. Sorry for so many questions again, but yeah. I have a piece of drift wood that looks pretty bare in the tank, and i was wondering what type of plant i could grow on it? (I'd rather not Java Moss as i don't think it'd really suit the tank) So if anyone has any ideas on that, that'd be awesome. (I'm running 1 2lt DIY Co2 bottle incase that would affect the types of plants i oculd choose from ) Anyhows, I think i'll leave it at that for now. lol . Thanks all for your help and opinions. Cameron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mianos Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 Can anyone reccommend a tallish plant that i could use at the back of my tank? As the plants i have now are all small ones that keeps low to the ground. If you want wall of plant for the background you might want to try the wide vallisneria. (maybe vallisneria americana? anyway the 1cm wide one). Krib reference:val Botanic reference: reference Example in my room seperator american tank This grows like wildfire with fertlised substrate and lots of light. I'm pruning about a metre of material off it once a fortnight. edit: -- missed a v Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzacam Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 Well i don't have fertilised Soil. (None of the LFS in newcastle sell it that i know of) Is there an alternative i could possibly buy from a nursery that would do the same job? If so, could anyone reccommend some brands? And also brand names of aquarium fertilser substrate?, so when i go to sydney to see my mum, i might see if i can try find it, if there's no other alternative. 1 Meter a fortnight! lol. Crickey. I might have a look at it Any other suggetsions on a nice tall plant that won't fall apart, and a mid sized plant? All information has been so helpful Cameron. EDIT: Spelling mistakes as per usual , lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mianos Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 I have Terralit in the substrate but a layer of peat or some proper aquarium root fertilizers around the base of the plants (the balls seem to soften are quite mobile) would work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mianos Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 I recommend the classics first: Some of the larger leaf anubias make nice background plants. the krib on anubias They are not very dense at the base but the grow quite wide. (not the nana btw, the larger leaf species). The taller amazon swords are also good: Echinodorus on the krib (once again, try to find the larger ones, the chain swords and rubra are not very tall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzacam Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 Oh those amazon swords look like they're fit the bill nicely! And maybe an anubias on the side! Thanks so much mate, you're a champ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeW Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 Java fern is also definately worth a go. PM Enigma - he grows fantastic plants and always seems to be selling bits of it. I agree it is algae. Can you get a shot of the flying fox things? I suspect they arent true SAEs otherwise they'd have nibbled that algae down a bit . HTH - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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