# holy algae!



## mamadoo (Aug 27, 2008)

I just planted my tank this week (started Wed, finished yesterday). The first set of plants came with some algae on them (little short hair stuff), now it's growing on the glass. Is this normal? Good? All readings are good, water is cycled.
Going to get some shrimp to help my trumpet snails.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Get a Zebra Nerite. those things are wicked for clearing algae.


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

This is a good website that will help put a name to the algae you have:
http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm


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## mamadoo (Aug 27, 2008)

Just tested water again, nitrite 0ppm, ammonia 0.25ppm, nitrate 5ppm. So not fully cycled? This means I should not add anybody to the tank, right?
Gone are the days of dumping water into the tank and throwing fish in the next day!
Oh, and should I start water changes before it's done cycling?
Any suggestions on where to get a nerite snail?


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

No Wcs till you're done the cycle. Doing the water change removes the ammonia/nitrite that the filter bacteria metabolise into nitrate. The result is that you slow the cycle.


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

I found even ramhorns good at clearing algae. Much more effective than plecos or ottos, or even algae eating shrimps (amano).


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

ramshorns are awesome - and they can clean those really fine-leaved plants.


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## mamadoo (Aug 27, 2008)

woohoo! Looks like a few of the snails that came with plants from ameekplec are ramshorns, had to look up what they look like, and it's them. (pretty sure that they were in with the trumpets)
Is it normal to find it really interesting that ramshorns have hemaglobin in their blood and have lung type things inside their shells? Oh, the things I'm learning.


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