Brooklyngal

I'm starting to see some algae in my 40 breeder. I recently won a long battle with blue/green cyano using a low dose of erithromycin, and the tank has just started looking better. Some basic tank info:

tank is a 40g breeder. filtration is a sunsun canister, tank usually runs at 79F or so. lighting is 3X26watt spiral compacts about 65 or 55K. substrate is a mix of playsand and eco-complete (mostly eco)

plants in the tank are:
sunset hygro
some other morph of hygro (possibly just a different morph on sunset)
java fern
java moss
a few different crypt species
2 of what look like some sort of val
anubias nana
very small red tiger lotus
rotala rutondifolia

fish are:
2 male guppies
1 male dwarf gourami
1 highfin german blue ram
5 harlequin rasboras
at least 3 panda cories (possibly 4 or 5, but only see 3 right now)
6 cherry barbs (2m/4f)
1 large male platy
there are also multiple hithiking snails which include both blue and red ramshorns I'd like to save
(plans for additional fish are a female ram, either 1 male OR 2 female gouramis, and perhaps a pleco like a snowball, rubberlip or bristlenose).

question 1 is whether or not I should add DIY CO2 to the tank? diffuser is a powerhead. I was planning to start off with 1 2L bottle and 1 1L bottle and possibly go up to 2-4 2L bottles. my impression is that the DIY CO2 won't do much/doesn't have any cons, but does it have any pros? keep in mind even slightly increased plant growth would be a pro for me.

two more questions:
1- I'm starting to notice what looks like hair algae (fine, green strands) in some parts of the tank. it's very fine, a pretty standard shade of green, and has very long strands. how should I proceed to get rid of it?

2- if an algae eater is suggested, what would be the best choice? I was thinking about adding a rubberlip, snowball pleco, or maybe bristlenose pleco anyways. would ottos be better?

3- would shrimp be an option with my stock? I'm assuming no because of the ram and gourami. I was thinking cherries, maybe some ghost and/or amanos as well. nothing too expensive.

es31710

Not sure about the Co2 I am no expert on plants but I definitely think it would help to get pictures uploaded so we can see what the tank looks like. The algae is probably from the massive lights. I would suggest adding Otocinclus if you have a reputable dealer. Tricks when buying oto's are ask if they are tank raised or wild caught. Ask how long they have been in there? If its a week you will be good. Also ask what they have been feeding them if they say flake food walk out. Make sure they say algae wafers, zucchini and so on. Get the ones with the big bellies. If that doesn't work get Pitbull Plecos (Paraotocinclus Jumbo) they prefer a group of 3 or more. What are your water parameters? Also if I may suggest with your stocking either take the gourami or ram back they really are not well suited for each other. Also if you are keeping a ram alive in there that means the water is soft or moderately hard. That is not good for the platy or guppies they prefer hard water. But if you want to keep them, keep them.
My opinion in stocking is up your school of rasboras to 10, up the cherry barbs to 12, get a partener for your ram, up your school of cories to 8, 5 otos, and try and return the liverbearers and gourami. Shrimp wise amanos will be the best if you don't have moss bc the ram will not eat them but if you get lots of java moss get cherries and they will breed and occasionally your ram will have a tasty snack. This may seem like a lot but you will be better off in the long run.

Brooklyngal

my pH out of the tap is usually something like 6.8 pH. from what I understand this is fine for guppies, and though it seems platies do better in 7 or above pH, I can't imagine it's low to cause significant damage. I've not heard of people having problems keeping platies or guppies in soft water, personally, and have not noticed any real problems with mine besides the loss of 2 male guppies when I first added them due to what seems to be acclimation stress. I will say I've always operated under the idea that a stable pH is better than an optimal pH.

why do you say the german blue ram and gourami aren't suited for one another? I did some research before getting them, and didn't come across anything negative about the combination. I've not noticed any problems in them interacting, and in a 40g they have plenty of room and plenty of planted cover as well. plus, although they do move around in the tank, they tend to operate in different levels of the tank, so don't come across each other much.

I do have some good stores around me; I'll see if I can't find one with captive bred ottos. pitbull plecos are a much less likely find, though. I've never come across them even in the fish-only store with more exotic stock around me.

if I could continue without removing fish from the tank, that would be ideal.

es31710

Okay I wanted to make sure you didn't have like a 6.4 pH for the platy they just do not thrive in water like that. And on the gourami and German blue ram from what I have heard they can get aggressive towards each other I just wanted you to know in case you saw it but if their fine let them go. If you don't want to take anything out I understand. I think what you want to focus on right now is getting and algae team. Then upping the schools of fish.

Big_Fish

IMHO a true SAE (Siamese algae eater) can not be beaten in terms of what fish will actually rid a tank of hair algae.... I struggled with hair algae in three tanks and those little gems consumed every last strand literally in one week.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_algae_eater
(there are several different types of fish sold as siamese algae eaters which are NOT... familiarize yourself with what they look like before purchasing )
the pro's for C02 in general are MANY... (although the DIY route does have cons... it can be messy, time consuming, and can cause more algae problems because it's often not consistent)
C02 will certainly make your plants look better, grow faster and will indirectly help the algae issue... (plants grow faster, not as much food left for algae)

Brooklyngal

okay, I think I'm going to up the CO2. I'm going to stop my petsmart to see if they have any amano shrimp as well.

es31710

Good choice Amano's are very nice shrimp they get over 2 inches believe me. Mine are huge. They will eat all the algae off your plants then start eating off the walls plus they are great at picking up scraps.

Tom Higgs

I haven't worked with DIY CO2, but IMHO you can't beat a pressurized system. It takes a little investment up front, but once it's running it's no mess, no fuss.......very little maintenance