ok I know a pleco or some kind of algae eating fish is not an option because my 10" Trimac and 9" Red Devil in the 150 gallon will rip them apart. I know lights create algae but I like to keep them on for about 8 hours a day cause i like to look at the fish. My problem is that I have what looks to be brown algae. Only on one half of the tank because I usually only leave the one light on. I clean it with a brush but it's back pretty quick. I was told my sandblasting sand can cause some of this brown algae. Its not stringy or fuzzy or anything its just brown covers the side glass and the river rocks in the corner. Is there anyway to keep it away with like a phosphate remover media??? like I have no plants so i dont need phosphates in that tank??? will this stuff work??? will it effect my fish in any ways???
Algae in a Cichlid Tank
- Thread starter Chago09
- Start date
First of all, I have never owned a RD or Trimac but my agressive fish (RT, GT, JD, Jag, FH) seem to leave Plecos alone. But not all plecos eat algae anyway and from the sound of things thay would not be able to keep up to the amount of algae in your tank.
Secondly leaving the light on may be part of the problem, algae cannot grow without light so by leaving the light on all the time you are doubling the rate of growth of the algae (growing for 24hrs vs. 12hrs per day). Also leaving the light on 24hrs per day is stressful to your fish not to mention a waste of electricity $$$.
Secondly leaving the light on may be part of the problem, algae cannot grow without light so by leaving the light on all the time you are doubling the rate of growth of the algae (growing for 24hrs vs. 12hrs per day). Also leaving the light on 24hrs per day is stressful to your fish not to mention a waste of electricity $$$.
He posted that he only leaves the light on for 8hrs which is fine. How long has the tank been running? Brown alage usually pops up in tanks that haven't been set up for that long, ie under 6 months. Brown algae from what I've read can also come about from not enough light? Most plecos love brown algae but it is a risk throwing one in a tank with the two fish you have which can indeed be brutally mean.
Chago09;611157; said:
I may have misunderstood. I thought that the bolded statement meant 1 light all the time and both lights 8 hrs per day.
i kno that a siamese flying fox will eat your nuisance brown algae, but he will prolly get eaten himself... try to throw in a few flyxing fox(siamese aka the broing looking fish, not the black and orange flying fox) and throw in a few cheap pleco's too. Also the megnet glass algae cleaners work damn good,....
ya its so much the glass that bothers me since i can just clean it with a quick wipe with a brush..... its the rocks and decorations that piss me off lol well yes it is a fairly new tank about 3 months old. So I'll let it go cause it doesn't make me that mad..... and see if it changes.
Also, keeping up with water changes helps control algae since nitrates don't get a chance to build up and become food for algae.
Presence of uncontrollable algae can mean high nitrates. Check your parameters. And id go to the lfs and buy a LARGE pleco. Something close to the size of your RD and other fish. Plecos are usually very good at avoiding mean fish and minding there own business.
try it.
try it.
i had a 10inch female rd that would only mess with my pleco when she laid eggs...and she didnt kill it. she just knicked up its dorsal fin a lil bit...its worth a try to just buy a cheap common pleco if it does well and your two monsters try some sh*t let em go if they dont then maybe get a pleco you like to look at...thats my .02