Hi again everyone, and thanks in advance for your help!
I have a 29 gallon with a single small firemouth in it (although I think it might actually be thorichthys ellioti, is there a big difference from the meeki?). I've had him probably a little over two months now, the tank is fully cycled (I'm keeping the nitrates under 10ppm). The problem is that the tank water seems to be somewhat cloudy and green (I have reduced the time the lights are on, but the problem persists). I do regular water changes (usually two 10-15% changes and one 20% change a week). Water is soft yet slightly alkaline (for some reason).
My question is, how should I address this? I considered getting some type of algae-eating fish, but I'm under the impression that this won't address the green water, only algae growing in the tank. I've also heard shrimp can help on the cleaning end, but I don't want to put them in there if my fish is just going to kill them all (I could live with a few casualties, but I want them to have a fighting chance!). what about a snail, would the fish eat that?
As an aside, if I get shrimp or a snail, should I put them in a quarantine tank before adding them? I know this is recommended for fish, but I am unsure about inverts. I have an old 5-gallon I could probably use for that purpose.
Failing other options, should I use a chemical solution? I'd prefer to avoid that if possible, but it just doesn't seem to be clearing up at all, despite the fact that the tank hasn't seen ammonia or nitrate for weeks now.
Thanks again for the help!
I have a 29 gallon with a single small firemouth in it (although I think it might actually be thorichthys ellioti, is there a big difference from the meeki?). I've had him probably a little over two months now, the tank is fully cycled (I'm keeping the nitrates under 10ppm). The problem is that the tank water seems to be somewhat cloudy and green (I have reduced the time the lights are on, but the problem persists). I do regular water changes (usually two 10-15% changes and one 20% change a week). Water is soft yet slightly alkaline (for some reason).
My question is, how should I address this? I considered getting some type of algae-eating fish, but I'm under the impression that this won't address the green water, only algae growing in the tank. I've also heard shrimp can help on the cleaning end, but I don't want to put them in there if my fish is just going to kill them all (I could live with a few casualties, but I want them to have a fighting chance!). what about a snail, would the fish eat that?
As an aside, if I get shrimp or a snail, should I put them in a quarantine tank before adding them? I know this is recommended for fish, but I am unsure about inverts. I have an old 5-gallon I could probably use for that purpose.
Failing other options, should I use a chemical solution? I'd prefer to avoid that if possible, but it just doesn't seem to be clearing up at all, despite the fact that the tank hasn't seen ammonia or nitrate for weeks now.
Thanks again for the help!
