The Battle Against Algae
In this video I’m talking about the relentless battle against algae. Specifically the bad kind of algae, like black beard algae, string green algae, and hair algae.
I have done several things to get the algae under control. I’ve tried water changes, I’ve turned down the lighting and scheduled it to about 6 hours a day. I’ve also done the hydrogen peroxide treatment which really helped a lot. If you haven’t seen my video showing the treatment, make sure you check it out here.
I decided to try and control the algae with fish. So I went to my favorite pet store here in Dallas and purchased a few Siamese algae eaters. The Siamese algae eaters really good at eating black hair algae.I also picked up some Amano Shrimp which are supposedly very good at eating anything.
Black Beard Algae
Black Beard Algae is a black, thick and fuzzy algae that can be found on aquarium plants. Once it starts growing, it grows fast and can be hard to get rid of it.
String Green Algae
String Green Algae is a long green stringy algae that looks similar to hair strands.
Hair Algae
Hair Algae is a thick, bright green algae that grows like carpet on rocks, plants and decorations.
Siamese Algae Eaters
Scientific Name: Crossocheilus oblongus
Origin: Southeast Asia
Family: Cyprinidae
Care level: Easy
Temperment: Calm
Diet: Algae, but will eat anything
Breeding: Egglayers in brackish water
Water Temperature: 75 to 79 F/24 to 26 C
Water PH: 6.5 to 8.0
Amano Shrimp:
Scientific Name: Caridina multidentata
Family: Atyidae
Origin: Native to Japan and Taiwan
Care level: Easy
Temperment: Calm
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Egglayers in brackish water
Water Temperature: 64 to 82 F/18 to 28 C
Water PH: 6.5 to 7.5
