# Lack of Algae



## AshRolls (16 Jan 2014)

Well I realise this may seem like the aquarists' equivalent of a first world problem but I'm concerned about the *lack* of algae in my tank.

I have only had to clean the glass once in 10 months, and that was only for some barely noticeable patches of slight green.

There was a tiny amount of thread algae for the first 6 months or so, I maybe had to remove a couple of threads over this time that were growing off leaves/wood near the top of the tank.

There was one tiny bloom of BBA (a single fan about 7mm high).

It's a low-tech 180L using a single T5 tube on for 6 hours a day. Standard spraybar setup with two external filters rated at a total of10.5x tank turnover.

I was previously using liquid carbon, but I stopped this a few months back with no noticeable change to my plants or the level of algae. 

The reason this lack of algae concerns me is that I would like to get some Oto's but I'm concerned there won't be enough food for them in the tank and they'll die of starvation!

Should I be concerned for potential Oto's?
Is it normal not to have to clean the glass in a low-tech?

*edit* By creating this post I understand that I have cursed myself to immediately falling victim to a massive algae outbreak.


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## kirk (16 Jan 2014)

Algae wafers are your friend I can send you some algae(stag thread green blue green Spot bba take your pic.? I think you may of missed berties as he's outed it sounds like you have my dream tank


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## Claire (16 Jan 2014)

I really wouldn't complain! It sounds like you've just hit the balance of light, co2 and nutrients in which your plants can thrive but algae can't. As far as ottos go, you can feed them algae wafers as kirk said, but I found it difficult to get them eating wafers for a while. I find a slice of courgette goes down well, I stick mine on a fork to make it sink or you can boil it for a couple of minutes and put it in and it should sink on its own. This is what I use to get picky wild caught plecos eating as well before I start weaning them onto pelleted or wafer foods. Sometimes it gets left for a day or so until it softens a bit but then it gets eaten.


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## Sacha (16 Jan 2014)

Maybe we could swap tanks if you don't have enough algae in yours?


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## kirk (16 Jan 2014)

Agre





Claire said:


> I really wouldn't complain! It sounds like you've just hit the balance of light, co2 and nutrients in which your plants can thrive but algae can't. As far as ottos go, you can feed them algae wafers as kirk said, but I found it difficult to get them eating wafers for a while. I find a slice of courgette goes down well, I stick mine on a fork to make it sink or you can boil it for a couple of minutes and put it in and it should sink on its own. This is what I use to get picky wild caught plecos eating as well before I start weaning them onto pelleted or wafer foods. Sometimes it gets left for a day or so until it softens a bit but then it gets eaten.


Agreed Claire. I found cucumber or relatives good when we had plecs they used to got nut for it at night. When they were done the snails move in then you can remove some snails along with what's left after a few days.


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## roadmaster (16 Jan 2014)

Oto's primary food is algae.
Being wild caught,,they may or may not take to vegetable matter.
Would not purchase these fish if I didn't have what theyr'e used to eating.
Maybe some amano shrimp.


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## Reuben (16 Jan 2014)

Claire said:


> I stick mine on a fork to make it sink


I like that idea!  There was me faffing about wedging it in a rock


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## Claire (16 Jan 2014)

Reuben said:


> I like that idea! There was me faffing about wedging it in a rock


Haha, always ends up floating! A fork overnight for me. Clean fork in the morning. But then I do have a few biggish hungry horace plecos


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## Henry (16 Jan 2014)

Ottos should be fine grazing on the natural biofilm that develops in your tank, whether there's visible algae or not.


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## ceg4048 (19 Jan 2014)

Just shakes head in defeat.


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## roadmaster (21 Jan 2014)

Shrimp's would be my choice.
Many are those who are keen to see that algae is not a problem and take measures to prevent it .
Then there is no need for fishes whose primary food is non existent.
Many also purchase various pleco's as "clean up crew", but fail to see the folly in this if one consider's that most all pleco's are capable of producing three times the amount of waste in a day, that a dozen small tetra's produce in a day.
I keep a few species of pleco's cause I like em, and I take measure's to provide proper diet's for these fish.
Some are carnivore's,some are omnivore's,and some are herbivore's.
The oto's as mentioned, are still largely all wild caught,and many are in poor shape from capture,shipping,and acclimation form shipping bag water to dealer's tank's,and then to your tank,my tank.
Even with good care,many of these fishes die within a few day's/ week's. Don't believe purchasing them for tank with no algae (primary food),would increase their rate of survival.


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## Pedro Rosa (21 Jan 2014)

It's ... "different" to read some posts like this one... "complains" about not having algae and not about having them .
You hit the jackpot about a good balance in you tank. That's what all people are searching.



AshRolls said:


> *edit* By creating this post I understand that I have cursed myself to immediately falling victim to a massive algae outbreak.


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