# algae wafers



## Sandk

Hi I am new to this... was wondering if the agae wafers are a cause of white fluff developing in aquarium..


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## beaslbob

could be.

especially if they are not eaten immediately.


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## holly12

I agree with Beaslbob - maybe if it's been sitting for a while - it could be going moldy. Are you only noticing it after you use the algae wafers or is it all the time?


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## Sandk

holly12 said:


> I agree with Beaslbob - maybe if it's been sitting for a while - it could be going moldy. Are you only noticing it after you use the algae wafers or is it all the time?


only after I started using algae wafers, I try to remove uneaten portion each morning.. maybe I do not need to give every day anymore.I only have the one pleco and 7 tetras. Thanks for your information.


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## holly12

Depending on the size of your tank and the size of your pleco, you probably don't have to give a wafer every day.

Since your tank has algae in it, (we can't see all algae), your pleco is probably getting lots of food. The wafers are just for supplementation. If your Pleco's belly is flat and NOT concave, it's getting plenty of food. (An over fed fish is a dead fish.... and makes for a polluted tank).

If you only have 1 Pleco you probably don't have to give algae wafers every day. I have an albino busy nosed pleco and I break one wafer in half, then break one half in to smaller pieces and put the smaller pieces in the tank every other day or so, (saving the other half for another day). This way, I'm sure she'll get a piece (since there are a few spread around), and it's not too much in the tank.


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## holly12

Sandk said:


> only after I started using algae wafers, I try to remove uneaten portion each morning.. maybe I do not need to give every day anymore.I only have the one pleco and 7 tetras. Thanks for your information.


Is it a large Pleco or a dwarf? (And what sized tank do you have?)

I've got a 10g with a dwarf pleco, and the LFS ppl said that she would be fine living off the algae in the tank, (she even has competition from a lot of Cherry shrimp for the algae) and I only need to supplement with the wafers every few days. (They said to break a wafer in half, then break that half into smaller pieces and drop a few of the broken pieces into the tank, saving the unbroken half for another day).

If your pleco's belly is not concave but is nice and flat, it's not starving, so you probably don't need to put a wafer in every day.


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## phys

i noticed the stuff in my little tank when i didnt have enough animals to eat it.. i think its some kind of mold from what it looked like. it didnt hurt anything in my tank and i let it sit to see what would happen. disappeared in 2 days. But just decrease how much food you add and hopefully it will be eaten faster.


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## snail

It could be left over food but. Bacterial blooms are not uncommon in new tanks, often white slimy stuff growing on wood or other aquarium decor. Usually it passes after the bacteria use up all the nutrients they were thriving on. I had this recently when I put some new wood in one of my tanks. It lasted a month and then disappeared almost over night.


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## Sandk

snail said:


> It could be left over food but. Bacterial blooms are not uncommon in new tanks, often white slimy stuff growing on wood or other aquarium decor. Usually it passes after the bacteria use up all the nutrients they were thriving on. I had this recently when I put some new wood in one of my tanks. It lasted a month and then disappeared almost over night.


Did a good clean up of the tank, cut back food and wafers.. last wafer was totally consumed. Info I got on pleco from petland was not good, nothing like what I found on the net. Lesson learned to research well before purchasing. There is still a bit of the fluff in the gravel but will attack that in a few days. Fish all seem happy, swimming about with big smiles.


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## Sandk

holly12 said:


> Is it a large Pleco or a dwarf? (And what sized tank do you have?)
> 
> I've got a 10g with a dwarf pleco, and the LFS ppl said that she would be fine living off the algae in the tank, (she even has competition from a lot of Cherry shrimp for the algae) and I only need to supplement with the wafers every few days. (They said to break a wafer in half, then break that half into smaller pieces and drop a few of the broken pieces into the tank, saving the unbroken half for another day).
> 
> If your pleco's belly is not concave but is nice and flat, it's not starving, so you probably don't need to put a wafer in every day.


Thanks, the pleco looks good and healthy..maybe I need something to clean the bottom more, I am reluctant to get more fish right now due to this..Have cut back food and waited two days to give another wafer, pleco consumed it all.Did 50% clean up and washed all ornaments etc. The pleco I am sure is not a dwarf, ( worried I may have purchased one that wil get to big) I have a 20 gallon tank. with 4 white tetras and 3 head and tailight tetras.


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## Sandk

snail said:


> It could be left over food but. Bacterial blooms are not uncommon in new tanks, often white slimy stuff growing on wood or other aquarium decor. Usually it passes after the bacteria use up all the nutrients they were thriving on. I had this recently when I put some new wood in one of my tanks. It lasted a month and then disappeared almost over night.


very interesting.. I will watch and hope what I cannot get out will disappear.


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## Sandk

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome and suggestions. Most appreciated.


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## Big Dog

Hello and welcome to the forum. Nice to have you here with us.


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## Sandk

Sandk said:


> Thanks, the pleco looks good and healthy..maybe I need something to clean the bottom more, I am reluctant to get more fish right now due to this..Have cut back food and waited two days to give another wafer, pleco consumed it all.Did 50% clean up and washed all ornaments etc. The pleco I am sure is not a dwarf, ( worried I may have purchased one that wil get to big) I have a 20 gallon tank. with 4 white tetras and 3 head and tailight tetras.


Tried the broken algae wafer and noticed right away that it gets eaten and no whoite fluff around area it was laying. Thanks for the help.


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## holly12

Sandk said:


> Thanks, the pleco looks good and healthy..maybe I need something to clean the bottom more, I am reluctant to get more fish right now due to this..Have cut back food and waited two days to give another wafer, pleco consumed it all.


Trumpet snails burrow into the gravel (so all you can see is the shell) and eat up left over foods and other detrius in your tank. But, as is with the majority of snails, they breed. I've been told that the population of them can be controlled by just not over feeding the tank. (Also, if you start to notice baby snails that you don't want, you can pick them out with long tweezers or by hand).

Just a thought off the top of my head when you mentioned wanting a better bottom cleaner.


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