Betafish305ca

Okay, so Iv'e had my 10gallon (us) tank.... for about 3 months.....
In it, is.... <freshwater tropical community tank>
3 - zebra danio
2 - african dwarf frogs
1 - aglae eater
4 - neon tetras

So my friend is my advice expert, but he says that I don't need to really change my fish tank, cause thats the algae eater's job...... and water change isn't really need...

Is that true? My fish look fine and are acting healthy, but dark brown algae spots are growing on the back tank wall, and I change 10% of the water every couple of days, and stir the water up too....

I'm I in the right direction? I know that it might be too full, but I'm thinking of getting maybe some shrimp, or snails to help with the algae eating? As I'm not sure what the right ratio for fish: algae eater?

Thx,
-R

iloveengl

Welcome Glad to have you with us at FishLore!

Um, I would very much have to completely and respectfully disagree with your friend.

The point of partial water changes and gravel vacuuming is to remove the fish waste that rots and turns to poisonous ammonia in the tank.

Your algae eater will not eat fish waste (a.k.a. poop), nor will shrimp or snails. The only thing that removes that harmful waste is water changes.

Actually snails have a heavy bio-load, so they would not be a good addition to your tank, which is a bit overstocked as is.

I would highly suggest getting a test kit (one that tests ammonia, nitrItes, and nitrAtes); I recommend the Mater Kits by API. They're much more precise than test strips and save money within a month. Test kits let you know if the water is becoming poisonous for your fish and whether or not it is cycled.

I'm so glad you didn't listen to your friend and you've been doing those changes every couple of days - it's saved your fish's lives!

Nick Goody

Hi Betafish, do you know what type of fish your Algae Eater is? This could be important as differant types grow to different sizes and have certain requirements.

Betafish305ca

It is an Otocinclus..? a small one, not one that grows big

iloveengl

OH. If it truly is an Oto, then he'll be fine in there. I have one and they don't get bigger than 1.5"; sometimes, though, stores unwittingly sell CAE as Oto.
Does he look like this: http://www.fishlore.com/fishpicture/...php/photo/4498

I also suggest a magnet scraper to get that gross algae on the back.

Tony G.

Welcome to FIshlore!!!

were glad to have you here!
Iloveengl and Nick Goody gave you great info!
i am anxious to see what kind of algae eater it is. I really hope it is an otto, if not, chances are it is a CAE. I bought one thinking it was an albino otto... psh boy was i wrong! anyway...

Brown algae is called Diotoms. They sprout whenever the tank is new or you have direct sunlight. The otto should take care of it, but if not, a magnet just like Iloveengl suggested will do the job!

Do you have any pictures of your aquarium!? we love those

jdhef

Partial water changes are necessary to keep your nitrates down to acceptable levels. As you probably know, nitrates are the end product of the nitrogen cycle, and there is no bacteria to eliminate nitrates, so they will just build and build until they become toxic to your fish.

Also nitrates are food for algae, so keeping your nitrates below 20ppm will help control algae.

Betafish305ca

Thank you everyone for your advise..... I'm 90% sure its an Otto algae eater.... I saw somewhere that its an Otto Tivito? or something else along those lines... any who, its the small one, as it hasen't really grown in the last 2 months, unlike the other fish

Lucy

Welcome to FishLore
Changing the water also replenishes the oxygen and minerals in the water.
You'll also want to be very sure your frogs are getting enough to eat. They can be slow to find their food before the faster fish get to it.

We love pics, so post some soon.