Re: mixing apistos

["Rachel Sandage" <rachelsor@hotmail.com>]

Del,

You didn't say how much light you have on the tank, but if you are using DIY 
CO2 I'm assuming it is about 2-3 watts/gallon. What you have is called hair 
algae (for pretty obvious reasons) and it is a sign of a nutrient imbalance 
in your tank.

The first thing to do is get as much of it as you can out of there. Some 
people recommend using a toothbrush and twirling the hair algae onto it like 
spaghetti onto a fork. Just be aware that it is pretty strong, and has a 
pretty good grip on your plants - plants that aren't well rooted are likely 
to come up. I have used scissors and trimmed it off, too. A 50% or greater 
water change is a good idea at this point too.

A total blackout of the tank will make it go away - cover the tank so no 
light gets in, and leave it covered for 4 days. The fish will be fine 
without food for 4 days, and so will the plants - some will even thrive. 
Disconnect your CO2 if you do this, or your pH may drop and your fish may 
die. Also be sure you've got most of it out, or the decaying hair algae can 
cause some problems.

So it's gone: how do you keep it from coming back?

There are several types of fish which like to eat it. The two most common 
are the Siamese Algae Eater (Crossocheilus siamensis) and the Florida Flag 
Fish (Jordanella floridae). Mollies also love it, but then you're into 
adding salt. Make sure you get a real SAE - there are lots of fish out there 
which resemble it. See http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/ for ways to 
tell them apart. You mention that you have algae eaters, but not which kind. 
Loricariids (suckermouth catfish, like otos and plecos) don't eat hair 
algae. If you already have SAEs, they're probably overwhelmed.

You also need to get your nutrients balanced. Do you have a nitrate test 
kit? For optimum plant growth, nitrAte should to be around 5-10 ppm. Most 
people with lots of plants and not alot of fish find they need to add 
nitrate to their tanks. The second nutrient to look at is potassium (K). 
Potassium should be at 15-20 ppm. Some stump removers are pure potassium 
nitrate (KNO3) and many people use them for adding both potassium and 
nitrates. You can also get pure KNO3 at hydroponics supply places as well.

Finally, fast growing stem plants will outcompete the algae. Some favorites 
are water sprite, any Hygrophila (especially difformis and polyperma), 
Rotala indica, Ludwigia repens.

SOme of my favorite resources for plant info:
http://www.actwin.com/fish/aquatic-plants - Aquatic Plants Digest Archive

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/ - The KRIB has everything you ever wanted to 
know, and more.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/Ultimate.cgi has a plant forum where 
people are pretty helpful.

http://www.aquabotanic.com/4saleplant.htm - down at the bottom is a list of 
plants which are "algae busters".

I hope this helps.

-rs

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