Best Algae Eater for African set up

[sledge760]

I added 150lbs. of Texas Holey rock to my 120 gallon mixed African set up two months ago. My water parameter's are close to perfect. All the rock is now covered with brown algae and looks terrible. Is there a Algae eater that would eat brown algae?

 

[bobgobucks]

Maybe you should just introduce a strain of beautiful, aggressive GREEN algae.
In the meantime, try a gibbiceps!

 

[devder1]

lol either get a chemical product that kills algea, or get some bristlenoses

 

[JoeBel]

I liked my THR initially I doubt you can really do much about the algae, it's just gonna grow no matter what you do. You can only try to pinpoint why it's growing so fast and furious and maybe minimize it. I swapped out for 70lbs of Lace Rock and couldn't be happier, it's 100% better looking IMO.

good luck!

 

[malawi mayhem]

NO...!!!!!!!

IMO... WAIT...

The brown will turn to green.... then the fish will pick at it and when they start to reproduce it will provide a steady fod source for them too...!

I have a lot of TXHR and when it greens up it loks amazing.... Check out my post on growing algae...

I am pressed for time, as I have to drive an hour to atend a colleagues wake tonight but if I can find them quickly I will post the links...

John

 

[malawi mayhem]

Here is the link to the post...

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=228358

Having both versions... one with a pleco and one without... (Although... soon it will be 2 without!)

I am drawn to the more natural looking, covered in green algae, fish feeding on it, softer on scales that in a fight might bump against it, no pleco/algae eater.

One thing I left out of the post that I am reminded of here is that when the rocks turned brown, my mom, who's tank it is, freaked!!! She loved the rocks nice and clean and begged me to put something in the tank or even to take them al out and wash them...

Incidently, I set the tank up for her because she is alone in a good size house, alergic to cats, has WHITE carpets and wont have a dog for the obvious reasons...!

She loves the algae... surprize...!!!!!!!

Patience is always rewarded... especially here...!!!! Check out the post... you can always add a janitor in the future... ther next day you wil have your gleaming white rocks back... just like when you first put them in... make sure your wife girlfriend or .. well just make sure they knwo that they are the same rocks... they might think you bought more... seriously...!

But... hey... what do I know...?

Have a great weekend...!!!!

John

 

[srikamaraja]

+1 on Malawi Mayhem's advice...

Best algae control for African Rift setups are Mbuna...

 

[Cichlidsanders]

+1 on Malawi Mayhem's advice...

Best algae control for African Rift setups are Mbuna...

malawi mayhem is spot on!

I have a plant in my tank that gets covered in algae and my mbuna keep it very clean.
You can see the plant I am talking about on the left!

I put that plant into a different tank that gets good day light for about a week and let it get covered again. Then I put it back into my mbuna tank and it gets pretty much picked clean in about a day or so.

 

[srikamaraja]

^now THAT is symbiosis if I've ever heard of it...

 

[bl00]

If you're sure that you want the algae gone (and not for fish food), I'd go for a scrubimus handheldae (common name: algae scrubber)...they're cheap, won't kill your bioload, and will never get beaten up by mbuna.