how much algea should there be in a tank that holds just a suckerfish?

Question

10 gallon tank
algea is caked on everywhere! bad

Answer 1

There doesn't need to be any if they're fed algae wafers and fresh greens. Some types of algae aren't eaten by algae-eaters, and not all algae eaters are equally good at eating algae.

If you have that much algae, it doesn't sound like your algae eater is interested in what's growing. If he's a Chinese algae eater, these only eat algae when they're young.

With as much algae as you've got, it sounds like you have too many nutrients in your water. Try turning off the lights over the tank, scraping off as much of the algae as you can, and siphoning it out with a gravel vacuum, and get about 1/3 of the water out of the tank. Replace this with new water about the same temperature (and add what you use to take chlorine or chloramine out). Be careful you don't overfeed your fish, too. Only give him what he'll eat in 2-3 minutes if you give him foods other than the algae in the tank.

Another possibility is that what you see in the tank isn't algae, by cyanobacteria (what used to be called blue-green algae) - see photo: http://www.aquamax.de/Shop/Artikelbilder/Zusatzbilder/Algen%20im%20Aquarium_Blaualgen%20-%20Cyanobacteria_STUG_cyano1.jpg If you've got a cyano problem, there aren't many fish or snails that will eat it.

See other info on control of algae and cycnobacteria:

Answer 2

I don't know where to begin here.

There are thousands of different kinds of suckerfish in the world, so we have no idea what kind of fish you have. If you don't know what it is, a description will help us help you.

Many suckerfish do not eat algae. Some suck the slime coat off other fish until they die, then eat the dead meat. Some only eat wood.

Even those that do eat algae do not get rid of it completely. See, algae is beneficial to an aquarium. It helps absorb chemicals put into the water when waste rots. When something eats algae, it is converting it to poo, or waste, which then creates more food for more algae, so an algae eating fish is never a good solution.

The best way to fisht algae is to find the cause. Algae is the result of too much light and/or too many nutrients in the water. Make sure you only keep your lights on for no more than 8 hours a day. If you are not dosing ferts for live plants, than excess nutrients are caused by excess waste in the water. This waste comes from uneaten food, fish poop, anything rotting. Make sure not to overfeed your fish. Regular maintenance is also a must. Most aquarists reccommend small water changes and vacuuming the gravel at least once every week.

Answer 3

Even with a "suckerfish" (don't know what kind of fish you're referring to) you still have to do some occasional cleaning. For one, it may be too big of a problem for the fish to handle; and secondly, there are types of algae that fish cannot eat.

If you're having bad algae blooms, then you should take a close look at your water quality. Things like high nitrates, ammonia, low oxygen levels, etc, all can contribute to algae problems. Also, too many nutrients in the water, such as from overfeeding, will contribute - I only feed my fish in small increments within a five minute period and just enough for them to finish off what I give them, and I only feed them every other day, and they've all lived for the two years I've had my tank. Try reducing the amount of light the tank receives. And finally, you should probably do more frequent water changes (10% per week and 25% a month).

Answer 4

i had a ramshorn in my algae covered tank.within a month, it had babies and 70% of the algae dissapeared.