Nano tank algae eaters

[castle]

As title says, does anyone have an recommendations for smaller algae eating fish? Tank is 60l, water is more harder than soft. Relatively heavy planted.

 

[Andy Thurston]

Otto's and amano shrimp

 

[zozo]

As Big Clown says, they are about as prooven alround the best vegitarians.. But any omnivore will.. Most cyprinids are omnivore, but not mainly vegitarian.. As otos and shrimp also eat life food if presented. It also comes down a bit to how you're conditioning your fish, many people overfeed their fish with easy pickings. So depending on that they may not feel the need to search the tank for food a lot. The impact of conditioning is IMHO still very much underestimated in this hobby.

 

[Halley]

How would you start to condition a fish/shrimp to start eating algae and stop eating commercial food?


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[zozo]

For example, many poeple throw in a chunck of cucumber every other day and write shrimps don't eat beard algae.. Hence why would they with all this jucy cucumber laying around all the time..

Another example this is a natural river carp caught occasionaly. A fish working for it's food..

This is a conditioned bred pond boily carp caught everyday on the feeding stack of the sports fisherman

 

[Halley]

I dont mean to take over the thread - so for nano tanks it is generally agreed amano shrimp are the best with ottos and cherry shrimp great additions. Now, is it just a question of not feeding as much in order to force the fish to eat algae?


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[castle]

The algae I'm seeing is the stuff on glass; which came about after switching from some incandescent bulb, to a growbeam. Plants have shot off, but so has the algae.

The tank houses 5 cherry shrimp, and 8 or so celestial pearl danios. It's planted heavy-ish, and growing well. Thinking I will add 4 otos? I'd like more, but tank probably isn't big enough.

 

[castle]

Also, quick one @zozo I've caught a few river carp in my time, exceptional fish. A stream where I live a couple of mid 20s spawn there every May - something special

 

[Halley]

i would use the old lights or reduce the globeam output - the extra algae is not worth it. 4 ottos would be fine but, as always, they prefer larger groups. I have 4 in a 70l and they do grand.


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[zozo]

Now, is it just a question of not feeding as much in order to force the fish to eat algae?

Well imho it's more common practice the other way around, people force the fish the eat commercial food and let them ignore what the tank supplies naturaly. In a well established tank there's a lot of food, we even do not see with our naked eyes. It's a rather sensitive statement i make there, i realize that and it's also a bit common sence of course and feeling and seeing this ballance between stocking and what the tank can provide for its lifestock. But if you want to experience and learn this sweet spot. It wont start with beeing overconsurned about your fish beeing hungry all the time and overfeed them everyday. Which 9 out of 10 thems induces extra algae groth instead and probably escalates again in adding Excell and such or more co2.

There is no number to give and every tank is different as every others perception of things is.

But personaly i still have fish for years, f.e. oftenly my goldfish which are now about 6 years old i do not feed for days and after a few days they start to eat algae, plants and mosses and still they are growing fatter and bigger each year. My tropical tank has loads of algae, i'm running constantly on the edge with light periode and low flow. (for personal reason) If i throw in a piece of cucumber it only gets touched by an oto if it moves his fat belly coinsidently in that direction and stubles over it.. Got 7 of them and none realy searches for food if i throw it in. I very rarely do, the last piece was months ago and still all 7 are there. Every other day i throw in a vipa chip which i oftenly syphon ou again 24 hours later. Can't help it my tank seems to be a self sustaining snackbar.. The only thing they realy like to eat is the ¼ spirulina tab they get every other day maybe a ½ if they eat it quick enough.

@castle they are much more beatifull aren't they??

 

[castle]

@zozo trying not to derail, but wild carp are a fantastic fish, very difficult to find (I'm on the Wensum in Norfolk, England), become really powerful fish and their colouration and scaling is beautiful.

 

[Halley]

I agree with you with regard overfeeding buy my tank is about 5 months old and I am not sure how much algae there is. I have 4 young SAEs and they wont touch the algae - just look for the commercial flake food. I think i will try one day a week not feeding them to see how it goes.


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[castle]

As for nano feeding, I feed every other day. I slaughtered a million daphnia later last year, but some survived and is a constant pocket of a population that the fish in the tank do actively hunt out, plus there are many small white worms about when I clean filter. I'm also crushing snails again after they took a liking to Hydrocotyle tripartita. Which the cpd's seem to like too, which is nice.

In fact they're quite fat, but I've seen the eat their own eggs, so I try and over feed them at times.

 

[Jakes]

Halley, i once got told by a old experienced shop owner: "A hungry fish is a healthy fish". Its all about finding that balance i have reduced my feeding of my aquarium to three times a week and even now considering reducing it more!

I constantly see my rainbows nipping at the plans eating bits here and there still waiting for my SAE to eat hair algae but he is healthy, colourful and very active!


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[Halley]

Yes the problem with my SAEs is that he will take the flake food first so they will simply wait until I feed the rest of the tank - even if I reduce my feeding schedule.


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[Andy Thurston]

The algae I'm seeing is the stuff on glass; which came about after switching from some incandescent bulb, to a growbeam. Plants have shot off, but so has the algae.

The tank houses 5 cherry shrimp, and 8 or so celestial pearl danios. It's planted heavy-ish, and growing well. Thinking I will add 4 otos? I'd like more, but tank probably isn't big enough.

feed the fish once per week and if they start to look underweight then you can feed twice a week. if you add ottos then keep an eye on their bellies, if they become sunken if they are not eating enough but should be nicely rounded if they are eating plenty.

 

[castle]

Thanks for that, I'm going to hold of feed now till Sunday.

 

[rebel]

Have found that if you starve some fish/shrimp, they will munch on AR mini, helferi, hygrophila....anything soft. I don't have algae other than GSA which no occupant eats. No nerite snails in Australia. Tank is too small for plecos.