mattyc said:
i dont have co2 (too expensive) can you recommend any algie eaters? does a high flow filter system help with algie, the filter i have is only small, the tank is a 60l.
It's still best to let your tank get established and growing before adding any fish though. As it's only a 60l tank you could use Excel or EasyCarbo to provide a source of carbon - you really do need some sort of carbon supplmentation for all but a very low light tank. Also Excel and Easycarbo have anti-algae qualities so help to prevent outbreaks.
As to algae eaters, depending on your stocking then Shrimp, Nerite snails, Otocinclus, Ancistrus and Siamese Algae Eaters (the real ones) are all good, along with a few others. What other fish are you planning to have in there? Anything that can fit the shrimps in their mouths will eat them and they need a mature filter. Otocinclus are great but they need to have some algae in there or they tend to starve so you need to wait until you see some algae before adding them IME.
High flow helps in a planted tank in a number of ways. It gets the CO2 enriched and fertilised water distributed all around the tank and to all the plants. It moves much more of the waste and detritus into the water column to get picked up by the filter so it can't stay in amongst the plants where it will break down and release ammonia and encourage algae. That is why we tend to look at providing a turn over of around 10 times the tank's volume. For your tank then you want to be looking at around 600l per hour, but don't be afraid to go above this.