How much NLS Cichlid food do you feed your fish?

[Complexity]

No special BN's. Just plain brown ones. Got them young and hoped for a M/F mix, but I think I ended up with 3 males. I'll give carrots a try anyway. I love feeding fresh veggies to my fish!

[eklikewhoa]

They'll tear up anything!

Pretty much most squash they'll devour!

[SunnyHouTX]

Do you have major amounts of detritus to clean up?

No, not much at all. The circulation pumps and flow on the tank made sure that everything was stirred up and caught by the filters.

That's true about BNP eating all kind of good. I do feed them carrots, wafers, whatever NLS they grab, and now some shrimp mix.

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[barrettsline]

Seen alot of good info here. May have to change how I feed. I don't measure, feed everyother day, twice back to back, But I also have alot of fish in my 150 and 50. Waste in the 50 is very noticeable only due inpart that they are fry and I havent been able to hook up additional pumps to take care of it.

Like I said though, may have to rethink how i'm doing this.

[SunnyHouTX]

If detritus is you're problem, circulation pumps and a good canister filter will help with that. But don't go overboard with the flow/current.

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[barrettsline]

+1 on that. But on flow and current, don't go overboard but get one that is rated at least double your aquarium size. This will be on the low end of just enough.


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[Complexity]

I have two XP4's on the tank, and I'm including the amount of detritus inside the filters as part of the total amount I'm considering, not just what's in the tank itself.

What I noticed is that I had just cleaned out both canisters on 10/22 evening. By yesterday, they were already getting a lot of detritus inside of them. The pads that the very top were pretty dirty with the final polishing pad being very dirty. That's a lot of gunk in just a little over a week! This is in addition to multiple water changes with thorough cleaning of the caves.

So if my canisters are picking up that much detritus in that short of a time, then there must be a LOT of it in the tank which is what's making me think that I may be feeding too much.

[SunnyHouTX]

Has there been a noticeable reduction in flow in a very short period of time? I.e. a week? If not, things look normal to me.

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[Complexity]

Flow is good, but I'm trying to identify why I'm getting so much algae in the tank. The two algae that I have are BBA and what appears to be Oedogonium which is a type of filamentous green algae. While there are many possible causes for algae, I'm looking at whether organic build-up is contributing to the problem given how much detritus I have in the tank and filters.

Other things I'm considering, but not addressing in this particular thread, are things such as photo period, water circulation, excess iron content (we have a new water system in our area that has an extreme excess iron problem), and possible low oxygen levels.

• However, since my fish are fine and have been stable in the tank for over a year, I don't think it's the oxygen levels.
• The XP4's put out very good water flow and I can see the fake plants moving in the tank so I think my circulation is going well.
• I have a surface skimmer and a bubbler so there's no surface film so the gas exchange at the surface should be fine.
• The tank has the same photo period as all my other tanks that do not have this aggressive algae problem so I'm not addressing that yet (but this may become an issue since I do have a long 12 hour photo period).
• It may be due to the iron content in the water, but again, the rest of my tanks get the same water (but they're all planted tanks which may be why this tank is responding differently).

All that put together leaves me to really question organic buildup. So I'm working very hard to clean the tank and filters of detritus while treating the tank for algae (using H2O2).

The only way I'm going to resolve this algae problem is to figure out what's causing it. Even if I clean it out, it'll come right back if I don't figure out what's not in balance in the tank that's allowing the algae to grow so much. I'd just be spinning my wheels, constantly fighting the return of the algae. But if I can figure out what's not in balance and can correct it, then I can finally get the algae under control and keep it under control.

One thing I have found is that I am overfeeding. I also discovered that my surface skimmer is catching too much of the uneaten food (partly because I'm overfeeding so the food is left there for the surface skimmer to get). The uneaten food then goes into my canister and rots. This isn't good and I believe is contributing to my overall problem.

So I'm going to reduce the amount I feed and see how that affects things.

[Complexity]

Overall, what I'm finding is that a non-planted cichlid tank is a much different animal from a community planted tank. So while I've mastered many aspects of maintaining aquariums in certain areas, I still have a lot to learn in other areas, and this cichlid tank is bringing me to learn how to go about things in a different way.

[barrettsline]

Isn't it wonderful to learn new things everyday. Especially in this lifestyle!


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[SunnyHouTX]

Is this a planted tank we're taking about here? I seem to have missed that.

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[wesleydnunder]

A heavy stocking density coupled with adequate filtration for the bioload typically means an overabundance of nutrients. In your tank, with no live plants, there's nothing to use the nutrients. Result: algae. You might try more frequent, large-scale water changes to dilute the nutrient levels along with more frequent filter cleaning. As you know, a shorter photoperiod and/or raising the light will diminish light levels.

Mark

[Complexity]

Isn't it wonderful to learn new things everyday. Especially in this lifestyle!

Is this a planted tank we're taking about here? I seem to have missed that.

No, you had it right the first time. My other tanks are planted tanks. The cichlid tank is my only non-planted tank. Thus, the learning curve. I think planted tanks are more forgiving because the plants assist with maintaining good water conditions. Plus, cichlids are much larger fish than what I have in my other tanks which also changes the equation. Larger fish = larger poop.

A heavy stocking density coupled with adequate filtration for the bioload typically means an overabundance of nutrients. In your tank, with no live plants, there's nothing to use the nutrients. Result: algae. You might try more frequent, large-scale water changes to dilute the nutrient levels along with more frequent filter cleaning. As you know, a shorter photoperiod and/or raising the light will diminish light levels.

I think this is the most likely cause. I've just ordered test kits (all my current ones are too old) to test the nitrates. I also want to test the phosphates and iron levels.

I'm also thinking I may let go of some of the fish. I got all the fish as juveniles, and as they grow into adults, they are adding to the organic load even though I'm not adding new fish.

My next step may be to change out the lighting. I'm currently running T5's in a TEK fixture. I can't raise the lighting since I have a canopy (I have cats), but I can get something that throws less light. I'd really like to keep my long photoperiod if at all possible, but I know i'm really pushing it.

At least I have identified one change I can make immediately. I'm overfeeding. I'm now turning off my surface skimmer and feeding only 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. That's probably half of what I was feeding them before. So thanks to everyone for helping me figure this part out.

[SunnyHouTX]

Yeah, if it's not planted then you probably are dealing with high levels of nitrates. Large and/or frequent water changes will definitely help. I don't have any plants in my tanks and have never had algae issues doing weekly water changes of at least 50%.

Glad you have some answers at least.

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