Brown algae is from inadequate lighting, new tank that hasn't cycled or filtration can't cope with bio load. Is your tank new? Plants will help. Not very many fish will eat that kind of algae. What is used for your lighting? How long has your tank been setup? What is your stock in the tank? What is your filtration?
plecos with cichlids???
- Thread starter jah29
- Start date
I would be curious to know the source of your information.
The followig link is a decent explanation of the causes of brown algae/Diatoms http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/algaecontrol/a/aa091100.htm
The primary causes are:
Running the lights too long
Using the wrong bulbs
High levels of : silica/silicates,DOC's,Nitrates or Phosphates.
Example:
My 240 is long established and has an abundant Bio filter.
I do weekly W/C's to keep Nitrates below 20 ppm.
I have adequate mechanical filtration that is serviced every 7 days.
I have 390 watts of 6700k CFL's that I "choose" to run 10+ hours a day.
My unfiltered, unchlorinated well water is what we affectionately call "Liquid Rock". It contains silica/silicates.
I know the causes of the brown algae/ Diatoms that occur in my tank.
Running the lights too long and the presence of nutrients in the form of silica/silicates.
Rather than treat my water using RO/DI or shutting off the lights (and reducing the enjoyment of the tank) I choose to use Pleco's.
The causes are relatively simple.
The solution is a matter of choice.
my tank has been established for 2 years.. i decided go in a new direction with africans.. i drained half the water into a garbage can and cleaned out the tank.. used new gravel and new rocks, but i put the original water back in and i used the same filter cartridges when i started the new tank.. let it cycle for about a week.. i did get new lights for my tank tho, got 2 15W Power Glo and i have never had this problem with my old lights which were just the stock lights that came in the hood.. theres 13 fish in there.. pH at 8.2 and 0 ammonia, nitrite, nitrate... i do 25% water changes once a week.. i tried blue mystery snails but the cichlids tore them apart.. in the tank theres, a kenyi, bumblebee, yellow lab, auratus, johanii, demasoni, red zebra, cobalt blue zebra, ice blue zebra, german red peacock, 2 OB peacocks, and a jewel cichlid.. these fish are all inch and half to 2 and half inches.. all get along.
Yes you should control algea your self blah blah scrape it and clean it yourself. But IMO a pleco is a great helper. They are workers that's their job in the wild to scavenge and clean. I find Bristle nose plecos to be the best. They are fun to watch and go a great job. Yes you still need to feed them fish food good algea waffers. But I only feed them thoes 3 times a week.
I see nothing wrong with getting a algea cleaner fish to help clean the tank. The BN pleco would be your best bet.
I see nothing wrong with getting a algea cleaner fish to help clean the tank. The BN pleco would be your best bet.
dawnmarie;4115250; said:I would be curious to know the source of your information.
The followig link is a decent explanation of the causes of brown algae/Diatoms http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/algaecontrol/a/aa091100.htm
The primary causes are:
Running the lights too long
Using the wrong bulbs
High levels of : silica/silicates,DOC's,Nitrates or Phosphates.
Example:
My 240 is long established and has an abundant Bio filter.
I do weekly W/C's to keep Nitrates below 20 ppm.
I have adequate mechanical filtration that is serviced every 7 days.
I have 390 watts of 6700k CFL's that I "choose" to run 10+ hours a day.
My unfiltered, unchlorinated well water is what we affectionately call "Liquid Rock". It contains silica/silicates.
I know the causes of the brown algae/ Diatoms that occur in my tank.
Running the lights too long and the presence of nutrients in the form of silica/silicates.
Rather than treat my water using RO/DI or shutting off the lights (and reducing the enjoyment of the tank) I choose to use Pleco's.
The causes are relatively simple.
The solution is a matter of choice.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/maintenance1/p/algaebrown.htm
It's not the greatest source, but one of the first I found.
I'm sure I can find better.
My tank is also breaking out with brown algae. Magnetic scrappers do a good job though.. Also I only keep my lights on during feeding. There is sufficient natural lighting during the day..
i recently rescued 4 BN plecos which were housed with african cichlids.Some were missing eyes,all there fins were ripped off,and there color was bad because with a high ph required by african cichlis the plecos suffer.
A lot of people keep bristle nose plecos with mbuna since they are so good at eating algae. I know the one I have in with my Tangs did a great job of cleaning all the diatoms. I think most fish can adjust to the high Ph. I know around here we have liquid rock and people still manage to breed several types of plecos and soft water fish.
Now with that said, I'll mention that mbuna are tough tankmates. They will harass other fish and nip at them. I know people who have had their pleco's eyes removed by mbuna or outright killed. It's a risk no matter how to look at it. Especially considering the species of mbuna you have. Kenyi, bumblebee, auratus and even demasoni are REALLY aggressive.
Now with that said, I'll mention that mbuna are tough tankmates. They will harass other fish and nip at them. I know people who have had their pleco's eyes removed by mbuna or outright killed. It's a risk no matter how to look at it. Especially considering the species of mbuna you have. Kenyi, bumblebee, auratus and even demasoni are REALLY aggressive.
