Yodi

A couple of my plants are starting to grow algae on them, Ick. Is this normal or am I supposed to put some kind of chemical In the tank to prevent this from happening? If It's a normal thing should I take the plants out of the tank to clean them and put them back In the tank? I'm trying so hard to keep my aquarium as crystal clear as possible, so this new Ick Is disturbing. If I were to get a couple sucker fish would they keep the Ick from growing? I apologize for the panic attack

Yodi

mojoman101

you can get some very interesting plecos or suckerfish if your tank is properly cycled they will be able to clean most of your tank. I like to clean the front of the tank myself but my pleco has seemed to take care of the rest. i think they are awesome fish and if i had a large enough tank i would love to get a school of them going. that would require quite a bit assuming they all made it to adulthood.

Yodi

So Is It okay to take my plants out to clean them and put them back In the tank? Would that mess up the 'cycle'? (At least until I get a couple of plecos)

Fishface

are you going to hold them in water and rub it off with your fingers
How do you plan on doing it? Use the same water - chemistry and temperature-wise - to prevent shocking the plants
it shouldnt mess up the cycle of the tank at all

Yodi

Okay, thanks. That's what I needed to know.

nicole

I had the same problem and was continually cleaning my plants with a bucket of aquarium water,but it never lasted long.I am now useing algae gone purchased from aquarium shop,it works well,has stopped my problem and is easy to use.Hope this helps.

Yodi

Yes, that helps alot. Thank you! I'll check that product out.

Yodi

Gunnie

Be careful with those products. They say they are safe for fish, but I have read many posts where these products are used and the fish die. Just be careful!

genie

If your tank is smaller than 55 Gal, dont get a couple of plecos!!! They can get to be 20" long and most of them do get that big.
Instead get a couple of ottos, they stay around an inch long and are super cleaners. I had an algea problem and 2 of them fixed it in an hour!

COBettaCouple

I'd agree strongly with Gunnie - our first Betta and our Platys almost died from one of those "safe for fish and plants" algae removing liquids.. thank God we saw that they were all in distress when we did and removed them to clean treated water. they really looked done for but after a few hours they started to regain color and were ok in a couple days. the plants were affected too but we removed them after the fish, some plants did die though. i think if we'd gone into the room an hour later, they all would've been dead. we'll clean algae off ourselves and let otos work on it - never going to use the liquid algae removers again.

MudHog

How will a couple ottos do in a 39 gallon tank with tiger barbs?

COBettaCouple

Depending on your bioload, i'd get 4-6 otos at least for a 39g. The barbs should be ok - how many barbs do you have?

The red tail shark might not be compatible, unfortunately. I They tend to be aggressive towards smaller fish and I'd want to confirm that they can go together with someone who's personally got both in the same tank. For your tank, an apple snail might be a better 'natural' algae control, although they put out more waste.. does anyone have experience with either otos & a RTS or an apple snail & a RTS to weigh in on this?

MudHog

I have 12 tiger barbs and 4 cherry barbs.

Actually both my sharks died. I'm in the process of seeing what's up with my tank as both my bottom feeders died. See my water test results in my "Feeding" thread. Tomorrow I plan to do a tank clean and filter change, then re-test my water again.

COBettaCouple

Well, you have 36" (adult size) in tigers and 8" (adult size) in cherrys.. 44" isn't too far over for a 39" but right now it sounds like there's not room for more. most otos get to about 2" each

Yodi

Thanks for the heads up on algae cleaners! I have a 30 gol. tank and I still have goldfish In It but I will be removing the goldfish and replacing them with tropical fish. I'm planning on getting a couple ottos (Which was suggested from you) 10 Tetras, small tiger looking fish(can't recall there name), and one more type of fish that I haven't decided on yet(I wanted to get a 4 small angel fish but was told they were too aggressive). I was wondering If I need to put one type of fish In at a time and let the tank get used to It (If so how long should I wait to put In a different species of fish?) or can I put all In at same time? Like I said I have goldfish In my tank now, so I Imagine the tank Is ready for a large amount of waste. I appreciate any and all replys and opinions, I have learned alot from each of you. I'm actually keeping notes from everything I learn here.*

Thank You!
Yoadi (Laurie)

genie

You should only introduce 2-4 fish at a time to let your tank catch up on the bio-load. I would be careful not to overstock... 1 inch of adult fish per gallon!

COBettaCouple

Are those fish Tiger Barbs? If so, how many do you have? In groups smaller than 6, they can be more aggressive and fin-nippish.

Yodi

They might be tiger barbs, I saw them at petsmart for about three dollors each. I would like to get four of them, and four of another type(that I haven't decided on yet) 10 tetras and 2 ottos. That wouldn't be too overstocked would It?

Yodi