# Well I'm growing something ;-)



## frozenoak (Jul 30, 2005)

I set up my tank and added water on Friday evening. This morning (Sunday) I went down to check on the tank and found what I assume is algae.


















If you didn't notice the algae is growing where the large rock is exposed to the watter. I may not have cleaned the rock as best I could. I have nothing else in the tank. I do have CO2 running so I can get it set up, even though I am sure I will have to adjust it again when I get the plants.

Can anybody help my with a remedy for this stuff? Preferably with out fish as I want to plant the tank before I add fish.

The plants should get here on Wednesday or Thursday.

Thanks in advance,
dale


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## frozenoak (Jul 30, 2005)

Well, since the plants don't get here till Thursday I decided to just drain the tank. Probably wont kill the algae but I don't think it will grow out of control either.


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## Jason Baliban (Feb 21, 2005)

It is easier to initially plant with no water in the tank anyway. Especially with flourite......you will just end up with a brown cloudy mess.

jB


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## frozenoak (Jul 30, 2005)

Yeah, I had that with the first fill. It cleared up fast though.

Speaking of that, Is there a good/safe way to clean the glass on the inside of the aquarium while the watter is out of it?


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## Jason Baliban (Feb 21, 2005)

You mean some type of cleaner? I have used vinegar to get rid of hard water marks and a good algae scrubber to remove hard stuff. Just rinse it real good after you are done. I dont know if I would use vinegar with gravel in there. I would just use warm water and a algae scrubber.

jB


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## frozenoak (Jul 30, 2005)

Will do, thanks for the advice


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## frozenoak (Jul 30, 2005)

Well, I planted the tank on Thursday and the plants are happy today. Got a lot of pearling and the majority of plants are sending out roots. 

The problem is that the algae in the above pic's is back. Is there a fish or invert that will eat that stuff? Can someone identify it for me so I know what to call it. I can't post pic's atm because the batteries in the camera died.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

It sounds like this is a new tank. New tanks will have algae issues. This is where a good 'cleaning crew' comes in very handy. You don't mention the size of your tank or what kind of fish you have (or will have) in them, but here's some suggestions for clean-up crew: SAE's - Siamiese algae eaters (make sure they are true SAE's, and not flying foxes); ottocinclus cats; amano shrimp; red cherry shrimp.

Make sure you have a good steady supply of CO2 (30ppm), good ferts and lighting. On the lighting issue, I wouldn't recommend over 2wpg on new tanks- again give it time to settle in. On new set-ups one of the mistakes a lot of people make at the beginning is they don't plant heavily enough. Really load up the tank with plants, especially fast growing stem plants. You can always go back a couple of months from now and yank out the ones you don't want and replace with whatever you do want. Unless you're really confident in your skills and abilities, I wouldn't suggest starting a new tank with a bunch of Anubias, and Crypts.

HTH.


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## frozenoak (Jul 30, 2005)

I apologize for not mentioning the specs of the tank. It is a 60 gal tank with overflow, Ehime 2217, 4X65 JBJ lights, pressurized CO2, fluorite and small gravel substrate, a large rock and some plants. I guess I need to get more plants and ferts but that will have to wait till Friday.

I looked at the algae finder and I think I am looking at Cyanobacteria (Oscillitoria splendens) (BGA). Will any of the mentioned critters eat this. I am trying to avoid the SAE's because I have had problems with them in the past.

Would anybody like to suggest a shopping list for Greg Watson? I will be stopping by his online store on Friday. I have no ferts ATM. Thanks for all the help.

dale


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