thread algae

[kingst]

Does anyone know of a type of catfish that will eat thread algae? I have a recurring problem with it in my tank.

[MatsP]

Not any, as far as I know. Rosy barbs may do, but only as a last resort.

Some types of Loricariidae will keep it under control by stopping it from forming (because the fish scrapes the surface to try to find food, and the algae never gets a foot-hold, so to speak).

The other point is to ensure that the conditions aren't right for the algae (or live with it).

--
Mats

[apistomaster]

On the positive side, thread/hair algae is often the preferred spawning substrate of Corydoras panda.

[DutchFry]

although not a catfish, the live bearer Ameca splendens is probably the best thread algae eater there is! they eat all sorts of algae aside from the blue toxic stuff you sometimes find on your substrate.

and they're lovely little fish too, very active and nice to see, especially when the sunlight is reflected by their flanks.

oh and welcome to Planet Catfish!

[Bas Pels]

A splendens do eat threat algae - and anything else that fits their mouthes.

Where they come from, food is scarce, so all food is cherised. However, all food may include fins, if you are unlucky.

With hardy fish, they will be OK, but delicate fish will not stand the Ameca

ps Ameca is quite resistant to cold water, but warm water will shift the balance in their fry - and warm is 24 C

[Marc van Arc]

The other point is to ensure that the conditions aren't right for the algae

Afaik these algae only develop when the water condition are good, so they do not indicate poor water quality but exactly the opposite. Whatever you do, don't make you water quality worse in order to get rid of the algae!
You can easily remove them with bamboo meat-sticks by rolling the algae onto the stick and pull them out.

Btw: I'm referring to the firm, filter material-like thread algae, not the "snotty" variant.

[apistomaster]

I have made exactly the same observations as Marc. This algae is indicative of excellent water quality rich in dissolved O2.
It gets a foot hold on an area of suitable substrate(my case, wood in my wild Blue Discus tank) and then will grow well from there. It doesn't really spread to new locations rapidly but establishes isolated colonies where the lighting, substrate and currents converge to form an ideal growing zone.

[kingst]

Thanks, everyone! I'm glad to hear that the algae is indicative of good water quality. I'm going to try the bamboo stick removal method. I think that will be less disruptive to the fish than me putting my hand in there to reef out bunches of algae every few days!

[apistomaster]

I wonder if we aren't discussing different species of algae,
I would not be able to use sticks to wind my algae up.
I can grasp the base of the colony and pull it free from the wood substrate in one clump.

[Mike_Noren]

Are we talking Spirogyra (several foot long, exceedingly thin, threads tangled everywhere among plants) or Oedogonium (up to about 2" long unbranched strands, forms dense mats) or Cladophora (branching bushy algae which feel coarse to the touch, much like wet cotton), or something else?

Oedogonium is the most common and most easily managed, everything eats it and it's generally not very aggressive. Spirogyra is hopeless, nothing eats it and removing it is nearly impossible without removing all plants in the aquarium and if left unchecked it'll eventually grow so dense that it starts snagging the fish. I've had some success managing it by dosing EasyCarbo and plant fertilizer, so that might be worth trying. EasyCarbo also seems to make Cladophora less aggressive.

[Marc van Arc]

Kingst, wrt the above, any chance of a picture?

[kingst]

Based on Mike_Noren's description, I was pretty sure it was spirogyra, so I did some searching and found the following photo of someone else's tank and was able to confirm it because it looks exactly like the algae in my tank:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dLGw_s0RLUw/R ... %2B024.jpg

Sounds like it's not harmful in any way (though when I've been away on vacation I've lost a fish that got gill-netted!) but it's a bit of a pain, and because it wraps around my java fern so tightly, I think it's gradually restricting the plant growth.

[Mike_Noren]

Yes, Spirogyra will "gillnet" fish when the growth gets dense, it's the only filamentous alga I've encountered which I'd consider harmful to the fish. Like I said, you could try dosing EasyCarbo (or other glutaraldehyde product, e.g. Flourish Excel). They're sold because they allegedly accelerate plant growth by acting as a liquid CO2 supplement for the plants, but glutaraldehyde is also extremely toxic to many (but not all) algae. If used at recommended dosage it appears safe enough, but you shouldn't use it in an aquarium where you intend to breed egg-laying fish, and overdosing will kill your snails.