Trio123

I have a unfertilized low light tank that I am planting with hornwort, javas, and crypts. The bronze and green crypts I have seem to be growing alright but the leaves are getting a brown algae growth on them. I cant use otto cats because I have an African Knife in there. How should I get the algae off the leaves, as I assume that this would cut down on the light the plant gets?

Also in a attempt to get my farlowella cat weened off nori and onto the algae on the glass I let the algae on the back glass grow pretty thick (he apparently is deciding, "give me nori or give me death", so I have to give him back his nori now). This will rob the plants of nutrients right? Should I wipe off half of it, or just leave it?

sirdarksol

Eventually, the crypt should grow fast enough to keep the algae from growing. To get to that point, though, you should dust the leaves off with something. I just use the edge of the vacuum spout when I'm vacuuming. Put the spout the most of the way over the leave while it's drawing water in, and the leaf will get pulled straight up and down. Then drag the spout sideways (not too fast, you don't want to damage the leaf), and it will scrape the algae off the leaf.

Trio123

Will do! Thanks. I went ahead and wiped off some of the algae on the glass... made Mr Bambozilla happy... yum yum yum

Barbrella

Low light, slow growing plants like yours will get algae covered. Their slow growth cannot compete with algae.

In a 65 gal, I would certainly add a couple of bristlenosed plecos. They will carefully clean all your plants of algae without harming them and keep the rest of the tank sparkling as well! Plus your can give your farlowella cat back his preferred food.

sirdarksol

I actually have crypts growing in relatively low-light conditions, and they're doing very well. They've started outgrowing the algae. However, I agree that the rest of the plants in the tank are likely to succumb.
I also agree with the "add a cleaner fish" note, although I just don't like the look of the bristle-noses. Your cat will appreciate his nori (the rest of the fish will, too. They're likely getting a little bit of the nori as it ends up in the tank, and the nori is really good for them).

Trio123

I had thought about one more algae eater type guy but I had thought that any snail or pleco I got, other than ottos, would eat the plants (obviously bristlenose wouldnt, unless you hate me and my plants ) and second another Loricariidae species would compete with my farlowella for the algae rock instead of doing thier job. Do you think a bristlenose would bother the farlowella?

I would love to have some scavenger cory cats actually survive in my tank but you all probably know how I kill cory cats by now...

Barbrella

If by "bother" you mean be aggressive to, then absolutely not. BNs just ignore all other species of fish and will not harm even small mobile fry. They can be a bit territorial but ONLY with their own kind. Your tank is big enough to easily house 2 or 3, but even one can do the job.

They do claim food though, but as long as there's enough there should be no problem! You could put the farlowella's food at one end of the tank, and the BN's at the other.

Trio123

How do they clean the plants? Being so much larger than the ottos?

And thanks I will look into one

HatchetHaven

Well... They just do it the way otto's do it! I have one of these personality punches in my tank, not for algae eating but for her great personality!

Trio123

Cool! Well now I just need to find one... noone has one at the stores around here. Gotta ask my boss at the pet store to order one