Algae on tank walls and QUESTIONS

OK, I got the algae off the plants, but now I find that it keeps growing on the tank walls. I scrub it off with each WC (weekly or more often), but I can't get it to stop. I read from an earlier post of Butterfly's about doing a black out and how algae like nitrates. The algae is rust colored. I have a lava rock that has algae on it as well, but also has some green algae starting to grow...that's good right? Could my high pH (has been 8.0 for weeks--since the beginning of July, but that is also the pH of my tap water) encouraging the algae growth? My husband picked up some "7.0" product, but I know a stable pH is better than a fluctuating one and I don't want to start adding something that I might have to add for a while.$$$$ I would love to add an oto, but we keep the water temp at 78 degrees and with the high pH I don't know if they could acclimate to it before they died---I also only have a 10G tank ( I hear they need at least a 30G). I wish my tap water pH would go back to the 7.4-7.6 that it use to be.
Please give any help you can!!! Thank you!

Parameters: pH: 8.0, ammonia: 0, nitrites: 0, nitrates: 10
10G tank with 2 african dwarf frogs. Do water changes at least once a week (usually 3G) and add 5mL of StressZyme to the tank after WC
Tank lights run for 10-12 hours, but am trying to reduce that.

-M

 

The tank you're talking about is 10 gallons, correct? And the only occupants of it are 2 African dwarf frogs, yes? How long have you had this tank running? If not long, the rust-colored algae may be the diatoms that often form in a new tank. They go away on their own after a while, or you can scrape them off - they come off easily. If they're green/brown, they're the real algae. A blackout can help, yes, but they can always return after you've started running your light normally. I see a blackout as a temporary solution only. For long term algae removal, the only safe methods that I know of are (1) removing/scraping off the algae yourself, or (2) having an algae eater. I am against any chemical agents killing algae as they can also kill your plants, as well as possibly your fish and the beneficial bacteria in your filter.

Your tank is only 10 gallons but it's basically not stocked yet. I hear Otos like soft/acidic water and that they're rather delicate to maintain. But then again, a vast majority of fish that we buy are not wild-caught, but bred commercially, and are therefore adaptable to a wider range of pH than they normally would be in the wild. But ... 8.0, I really don't know. How about getting snails to clean your tank? Snails could do OK even in a pH of 8.0.

I would not advise adding any chemical agents to your water in order to decrease your pH. As you have mentioned yourself, it's much better to have a stable pH rather than a constantly fluctuating one. The only natural method that I know of to decrease your pH is filtering your water through peat moss (you just put it in your filter as an additional medium). But you'd have to be careful there too not to decrease your pH too quickly (especially when you have fish in your tank at that time), and simply to keep the pH stable.

 

I have the same problem with my tank and my snails aren't helping.Is it my ph, it's 7.6.

 

Well, since the original post, I have added 3 neon tetras, 1 glo-fish and 1 oto. The oto did a great job cleaning the tank. He had it clean in a matter of days. I was amazed. But now he seems to have let the tank go---there is algae all over the walls and plants. His coloring looks good, he is still swimming and darting when someone startles him and I have tried giving him cucumber (once) and twice have given him 1/2 a veggie wafer. I tried offering peas a couple of days ago, but no nibbles. WHAT'S UP????? Just when I think I have my kinks worked out another one pops up!!!

Any ideas?

Thanks,

-M

 

He's lonely -- get another oto to keep him company

 

Thanks, Joe. So he will stop cleaning because he is lonely? I still see him with a full belly, but he's not cleaning. I don't know that I have room for another oto, or enough algae to keep two of them happy.

-M

 

I was half-kidding, but otos have a pretty low bio-load, and adding one more shouldn't add too much stress to the tank. Most of what I've read about otos says they do better if there's more than one in the tank (they're sort-of shoaling fish, I guess). If there's not enough algae to keep them both full, you can run your tank lights longer to increase algae production, or just drop in an algae wafer every couple of days, or keep giving them veggies (which they'll eventually discover is pretty good food).

As for why he's not eating now, he may just be full, especially if he's not showing any other signs of disease or stress (i.e., clamped fins, color changes). Fish in the wild may go days without food, so it's possible he's just taking a break from eating. My two new otos ignored the brown algae that had formed on some of my live and plastic plants for almost a week, just sticking to the glass. And then when I got home from work yesterday and checked the tank, every bit of brown algae was gone, and the two little fat-and-happy otos were hanging out on plant leaves enjoying their meal.

 

This is some info we've got about otos which might be of help . I'd second what JsalemI is saying. They're definitely happier with more than one, but you need to have enough algae in the tank, of course.