7 replies to this topic

[Kimbo]

Hey guys, i keep on getting brown algae in my malawi tank that just has 1 vallis in there and its lights are just natural sunlight, i could just scrape off the algae but some of it is below the sand level and i cant get there to get rid of it, if i block out the light and ease up on feedings will the algae just die?

Also i have a fairly small tank that wouldnt really suit a clownloach and i want to get rid of snails is there any other small fish that will eat snails?

Thanks

[Brett]

Hi Kimbo,

Not sure there is any way to stop the algea growing on the inside of the glass below the level of the substrate. It is unsightly I suppose, perhaps you could just cover it?

Most of the loaches have a liking for snails, but cost and availability are the problem. Reducing your feeding will help and "baiting" them for easier manual removal.

What type of snails are they??

Brett

[punie]

Hey Kimbo,

I do believe they are the common ramshorn snails.
As for the algae growing below the gravel, its important that light does not hit below the gravel surface to prevent this from happening.

Brown algae is a common sight when there is an excess of lighting.
It can be countered in many other ways such as increasing your nutrient dosage (specific Macro Micro) but the easiest and least tedious way to do it is just to cut out the intensity of the light on it.

Cheers,
Jerome

[mtchye]

Hehe I wouldn't increase my nutrient load with only 1 plant in there!

As for the snails, its kinda hard but you can control them by limiting excess food (so feed sparingly) and baiting them as Brett said.

The brown algae is easy to get rid of. Most bristlenoses or otocinclus will eat it. As for the spots below the gravel line you could use a strip of black contact used to cover books and line it down there to the level of the gravel. This will limit light to the spot as well as look pretty cool - a friend of mine did this, it sort of frames the tank.

HTH
Vincent

[TimPerthWA]

I do similar however I have used black tape to mask the waterline, works well and does frame the tank nicely . . .rgds, Tim

[Kimbo]

thanks guys, how would i go about baiting these snails, there those types you seem to get on plants from shops that are very small and circular

[anchar]

Hi Kim,
I think you'll find that the boys are meaning that you can place some zucchini (for example) in the tank so that the snails will be attracted to it. Simply lift the zucchini out with a net and shake off the snails. Repeat as often as you like. There are also "snail traps" available at some LFS's...not sure how effective they are though...If they are rams horn snails, why don't you feed them off to your other fish when you catch them out (or drop them into my pond the next time you are here )

merjo

[Kimbo]

are the rams horn ones the ones that you seem to get from aquarium shops as tag alongs on your plants? and are fairly small?