From: shannon
8/15/00
Subject: black molly disease?
Posted by (msbeeatchaol.com) shannon on August 15, 100 at 21:21:25:
What is black molly disease? My black molly looks like she is loosing her scales or is scratching on something. She looks white underneath and some of her fins are white on the tips instead of black. When I first got her she was all black and after about a week of having her started to look diferent. She still acts okay, eats like a pig. So is there anything wrong with her?????
From: CS
8/15/00
Subject: Aggressive Platy/Molly-help!
Posted by CS on August 15, 100 at 20:26:40:
OK, I have a 29g tank & had 2 black mollies, 3 platys, several neon tetras. One of the black mollies started chasing the other one (both males). I was afraid there would be damage/death so I moved the aggressor to my 20g tank (empty at the time). He seemed lonely so I put a few neons & a platy in the tank w/him. Well, now the platy is being mean & chasing the molly. I moved the platy back to the 29g tank & now it's chasing the other platys there. Help! What can I do?!
From: Devlyn
8/15/00
Subject: New Betta Question
Posted by (MlootJuno.com) Devlyn on August 15, 100 at 20:10:33:
Hi Everyone, This is my first time writeing here but it looks pretty cool. I've just gotten a new Betta male. I have him for the time being in a critter keeper and I wanted to ask if I should do a complete water change every day, every other day, or maybe a partial water change every day or every other day. I've only ever kept bettas in larger community tanks before so I want to be sure that I do this right. My freshwater tank is not ready yet for an addition (and I want to have more then one eventually anyway!) and my brackish tank is out of bounds since I'm sure my puffer would rip him apart! Any advise on haveing a betta in an environment such as this would be appreciated! Thank you, Devlyn
From: amber
8/15/00
Subject: Re: New Betta Question
Posted by amber on August 15, 100 at 21:12:10:
Re: (5587.html) New Betta Question posted by Devlyn on August 15, 100 at 20:10:33:
A full water change every other day is fine, but it'd be better if he was in a heated and filtered tank.
From: Mel
8/15/00
Subject: Anchor worms on tank (not on fish) *Help!*
Posted by (melevade.net) Mel on August 15, 100 at 17:30:18:
I have a new 38 gal tank with a 300 gph filter. The setup is about three weeks old. I bought 1 koi from a very clean pet store, and bought another a week after from a pet store where the breeder kept the koi in messy ponds. The second koi brought anchor worms into my tank in the water he/she came in (there were none on the koi's body). A few days after I put in the koi from the pond breeder, I noticed small (1mm to 2mm) long worms covering the walls of the tank, except where the filter expelled water. The person at the pet store said I had anchor worms, and reccomended I used "Clout", a product which says it kills a variety of parasites, anchor worms included. I've been using the product appropriately for 4 days (the minimum # of treatments), but I see no change in the ammount or size of the anchor worms. I'm afraid to keep up with the treatment because I see no results and I think the chemicals may be bothering my koi. All the information I've found about anchor worms has to do with the worms being on the fish, not on the walls of the tank. I do not know very much about treating worms... any responses/suggestions for treatment or other medicines would be greatly appreciated! thanks.
From: Kick
8/15/00
Subject: Re: Anchor worms on tank (not on fish) *Help!*
Posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 17:58:09:
Re: (5581.html) Anchor worms on tank (not on fish) *Help!* posted by Mel on August 15, 100 at 17:30:18:
Since these worms are not on the fish, are you sure that you are not dealing with planaria or maybe tubifex worms? Can you describe them a little better, such as color. Sounds to me like you are dealing with planaria, which are a nuisance, but otherwise, will not hurt the fish or your tank. Anchor worms are definitely a parasite and should thus be feeding off your fish. About the only thing you can do for planaria (if your fish are not eating them) is try to keep cleaning them out of your tank. You just may have to break the tank completely down and start over to get rid of them. They are carried into a tank from live plants or some foods that are fed and could very well have entered your tank from the pond the one fish was living in. Kick
From: Mel
8/15/00
Subject: Re: Anchor worms on tank (not on fish) *Help!*
Posted by (melevade.net) Mel on August 15, 100 at 20:00:20:
Re: (5584.html) Re: Anchor worms on tank (not on fish) *Help!* posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 17:58:09:
The worms are about 1-2mm and are attached to the tank walls with one needle-thin "leg" like thing. The leg part is white, but the shorter feather-like appendages sprouting off of the single leg are more clear looking than white. They cover the tank walls and make the water appear murky. The move with the current of the water. If I were to clean them off of my tank, what should I use? A new sponge? A cloth? Would a few pleccos or snails clean them off? If I do empty the tank completely to get rid of the worms, would the ammonia levels be too high for my two fish ? I'm not very experienced with fish care. I was told to introduce fish to the tank one at a time, allowing a week between additions. Thank you for your help!
From: Mike D
8/15/00
Subject: 13 gallon hexagon tank(fresh water QUESTION)
Posted by (htmledit00aol.com) Mike D on August 15, 100 at 16:57:27:
i have a red devil fish, and i was wondering what kind of fish go along with this type, because i bought a jack demsy, and it was tearing at it....please help...and e-mail me...HtmlEdit00aol.com
From: Kick
8/15/00
Subject: Re: 13 gallon hexagon tank(fresh water QUESTION)
Posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 18:07:25:
Re: (5573.html) 13 gallon hexagon tank(fresh water QUESTION) posted by Mike D on August 15, 100 at 16:57:27:
Sorry, I don't email. The fish you are talking about will grow to be about 12 inches in length and probably is too small for this size tank to begin with. Both the Red Devil and Jack Dempsey are very territorial and aggressive. This fish should be kept by itself or put in a larger tank with fish of its own species. Kick
From: ~deb
8/15/00
Subject: CT~ switching to AmQuel/NovAqua
Posted by ~deb on August 15, 100 at 16:50:33:
> I currently use Stresscoat to condition my water and would like to > change to NovAqua/Amquel. Are there any known issues with making this > change? Novalek wrote: No. There are no conflicts between these two water conditioners that we are aware of. You may simply begin adding AmQuel and NovAqua any time you choose. If you haven't already done so, visit our web site for more detailed info on these and other Kordon products. www.novalek.com/ Thank you for choosing Kordon products.
From: CS
8/15/00
Subject: Re: CT~ switching to AmQuel/NovAqua
Posted by CS on August 15, 100 at 20:29:12:
Re: (5571.html) CT~ switching to AmQuel/NovAqua posted by ~deb on August 15, 100 at 16:50:33:
I switched from Stresscoat to Amquel. Incidentally, it's a good idea to know what your area water dept uses to sanitise your water. In the area where I live they use Chloramine...so I use AmQuel. Just a thought, but as to your original question. I had no problems just changing from one to the other.
From: CT
8/15/00
Subject: Go for it! (n/m)
Posted by CT on August 15, 100 at 16:58:42:
Re: (5571.html) CT~ switching to AmQuel/NovAqua posted by ~deb on August 15, 100 at 16:50:33:
n/m
From: stuart
8/15/00
Subject: Cloudy water- solutions for a planted tank?
Posted by stuart on August 15, 100 at 14:52:49:
The water in my tank is a bit on the cloudy side. (little tiny white specs that are suspended in the environment) I have heard that there are products that will bind the partical together and cause them to sink to the bottom of the tank. However I am worried about adding this "glue" to my water because I have real plants. Will it cause them to suffocate as well do harm to my fish?
From: Kick
8/15/00
Subject: Re: Cloudy water- solutions for a planted tank?
Posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 17:02:54:
Re: (5569.html) Cloudy water- solutions for a planted tank? posted by stuart on August 15, 100 at 14:52:49:
What most of these products do is "clump" these tiny suspended particles together which can then be large enough to be caught in your filter media. However, I have tried several over time and have really found none that work to my satisfaction. As far as I know, none of these will hurt the plants. Do you by any chance have a sponge in your filter compartment? I have found that this sometimes works to collect the smaller particles that my regular filter cannot capture. Kick
From: Zimbu
8/15/00
Subject: Female/Male Sailfin Mollies ratio
Posted by (alfredo_barronhotmail.com) Zimbu on August 15, 100 at 13:27:31:
Hello, please some help here, What is the recommended ratio for the number of female mollies per male mollies? I have two females and one male, but the male is always agressive towards the youngest female. He´s always around the other female and pays no attention to other fish in the tank. By now the younger female looks stressed and hides from the male.
From: Butch
8/15/00
Subject: Dechlorinated water
Posted by (Butch.Pattersonphci.org) Butch on August 15, 100 at 12:15:59:
What are the best methods to treat tap water for a betta bowl? fiull with tap water and let it sit? chemicals/ Others?
From: Kick
8/15/00
Subject: Re: Dechlorinated water
Posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 17:08:06:
Re: (5564.html) Dechlorinated water posted by Butch on August 15, 100 at 12:15:59:
If you live in the city, chances are that your tap water also contains chloramines, and this will not be released by just letting the water set. In my bowls, I use Stress Coat (which CT does not like) or IMO, you can use any product that will neutralize the chloramines as well as rid the water of chlorines. If you have well water, you can use immediately. Just make sure that the temp of the water is about the same as what you are replacing. You also need to add salt to his bowl, l teasp per l gallon of water unless you have a water softener. Then add less as there is already some salt content in the water. Kick
From: Carissa
8/15/00
Subject: why did my fish die?
Posted by (Fissionroadruner.nf.net) Carissa on August 15, 100 at 07:38:19:
I don't know if anyone can shed some light on this, but one of my (pregnant)platies started to sit on the bottom and not move too much, and two days later she was dead. She had no visible signs of disease. She could swim around just fine and eat, but stayed around the bottom a lot like she was tired. My other three and my babies seem to be doing fine, so I'm not too concerned yet...but that's my second fish in two days and if there's something I don't know I want to avoid any more deaths (my kuhli loach somehow managed to jump out of the tank in the night and I found him dried up on the floor in the morning :( ) I suppose I will just chalk it up to another mystery death..
From: CT
8/15/00
Subject: The number one cause of mysterious fish death
Posted by CT on August 15, 100 at 08:55:24:
Re: (5557.html) why did my fish die? posted by Carissa on August 15, 100 at 07:38:19:
Two words: Water Quality Ammonia is a highly toxic substance to fish and is a natural part of the nitrogen cycle. Follow this link for more info: http://faq.thekrib.com/begin.html CT
From: Carissa
8/15/00
Subject: ammonia levels
Posted by (Fissionroadruner.nf.net) Carissa on August 15, 100 at 14:20:18:
Re: (5561.html) The number one cause of mysterious fish death posted by CT on August 15, 100 at 08:55:24:
I tested ammonia today and it was less than 0.6, also the pH is 7.0 so most of it would be ammonium anyway (or so the book says).
From: CT
8/15/00
Subject: Re: ammonia levels
Posted by CT on August 15, 100 at 16:19:34:
Re: (5568.html) ammonia levels posted by Carissa on August 15, 100 at 14:20:18:
The link in my previous post would have led you to this: "How much ammonia is too much? The quick answer is: if a test kit is able to measure it, you've got too much (i.e., it's in a high enough concentrations to stress fish). Consider emergency action..." Hope that helps! CT
From: Kick
8/15/00
Subject: Re: why did my fish die?
Posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 07:51:15:
Re: (5557.html) why did my fish die? posted by Carissa on August 15, 100 at 07:38:19:
Had this platy given birth before she died? (I assume she had since you speak of babies.) Sorry to say, sometimes this happens with pregnant fish. I tend to think that anytime a female gives birth, complications can arise and this could be what happened here. Keep a watch on your tank for any other symptoms, but if none arise, I would say this was probably the cause. Concerning your loach, do you have the top of your tank covered with a hood or something? If not, you really should get one. If the fella jumped out from the filter opening or open back of the tank, you can cover this area with saran wrap to keep anymore from "escaping". Kick
From: Carissa
8/15/00
Subject: Re: why did my fish die?
Posted by (Fissionroadruner.nf.net) Carissa on August 15, 100 at 14:19:16:
Re: (5559.html) Re: why did my fish die? posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 07:51:15:
No, she hadn't, I checked after she died and she had probably a week or so left before giving birth. I do have a hood, but there are a few cracks where fish can get out.
From: Kick
8/15/00
Subject: Re: why did my fish die?
Posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 17:11:55:
Re: (5567.html) Re: why did my fish die? posted by Carissa on August 15, 100 at 14:19:16:
I tend to stick to my guns on this one, and if your other fish are doing well; I tend to think it was complications of the pregnancy. You might double check your water perimeters to be safe. For the cracks in your hood, you really should cover with something such as a piece of saran wrap or a small towel or something to keep anyone else from trying to take a vacation. The flight may be okay, but the landing will be certain death. Kick
From: Rose
8/15/00
Subject: Algae Expert Wanted For Questioning
Posted by Rose on August 15, 100 at 06:34:03:
Questions? How does one person get green algae while another gets brown? Why is it that I can't for the life of me get rid of the brown algae? Which lighting system is better for a tank, floresent or incandesent? Why is it that my 55 is the only tank not over run by the brown algae? It has the same lights as whats in all the other tanks, floresent. The 15 got brown algae in 6 days and was over run in 10 days. The 30 got the brown algae in 4 weeks and now is over run by it. It's been up for 6 weeks now. The 10 has been up for 8 months and has been over run for several months now. By over run I mean I have to clean the algae off twice a week in the 10 and once a week in the 15 and the 30, while I clean the algae off every 3-4 weeks in the 55. To clean the algae off I have to take the fake plants, decorations, everything out of the tank clean those then clean the glass so I can see my fish. Water peramiters in all the tanks are the same. Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, pH 7.8 How do I get this brown algae under control? How do I keep it under control? I have bought 6 Otos who never touched the stuff and had fat bellies and died within 1 month of being in the algae infested tank, it looked like they never touched it. This was in the 10 I put them in. I put 2 in at a time. The lights in the 10 are on for about 8 hours, 15 about 8-10, 30 and 55 for about 10 hours respectivly. Help please!!!! Sorry for the long post I'm getting tired of not looking at my fish. If any ideas come to mind pease share them with me. Thank you. BTW I have tried everything from algae destroyer to covering the tank up to you name it I've probably done it. Thanks for all your help. Rose
From: CT
8/15/00
Subject: What's it all about, Algaeeeeee... :-o
Posted by CT on August 15, 100 at 12:00:52:
Re: (5556.html) Algae Expert Wanted For Questioning posted by Rose on August 15, 100 at 06:34:03:
I'd prefer to drill down into the specifics of your problem rather than dispense more general recommendations. There isn't a path of least resistance and few if any silver bullets that will address all algae problems. I've offered general algae info in the past and folks tend to reach for the easiest things as a panacea. There are a number of factors involved that will require some patience (and potentially some trial and error) on your part to keep the problem under control. And that's what your goal in all of this should be: algae under control, sparkling clear water and healthy & happy critters. So all the things we do from here on out will be driving toward those goals, right? 1) What kind of algae is it? First you need to properly identify the algae that you have in your tank. I don't want to confuse the issue but color does not totally identify algae. Tell us more about your algae: * Does it appear to be clumpy or in slimy sheets? * Does it look like dark tufts with hairs on the end? * Does the tank have a moldy kind of smell when you lift the lid? * Do you see a whole bunch of roundish spots? * Anything else about your algae that you would consider noteworthy? 2) What's feeding it? Algae seems to have a cycle similar to the bacterial and nitrogen cycles in our tanks. Your mileage may vary, but most folks start with the brown diatoms and then progress to green spot or other algae. There is no cut and dried time frame for any of this. It's not uncommon to get a handle on one form of algae only to find another form ready to step up and fill the void. Algae are one the oldest forms of life on the planet and are very opportunistic organisms. The best approach is to take away its food source. You will need to identify what is feeding your algae. Have you tested for Nitrates? Some algae will die back a bit when nitrates rise and some will accelerate. Removing phosphates from the water can control some algae. The addition of live plants can help because they will compete directly with algae for nutrients in the water. * What kind of lights do you have? * What kind of filter(s) do you have? Do you keep them running all the time? * What do you condition your water with? * Any additives to control pH? BTW, if you look at the word "expert" closely you'll see that -- an "Ex" is a has-been & a "Spurt" is a drip under pressure. :-) CT
From: Kick
8/15/00
Subject: Okay, so now tell me......
Posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 17:25:57:
Re: (5563.html) What's it all about, Algaeeeeee... :-o posted by CT on August 15, 100 at 12:00:52:
Let's just say our problem is the phosphates. How do we go about getting rid of this in our tanks? And I suppose you are going to tell us we need an R/O unit.......Kick
From: Kick
8/15/00
Subject: Re: Algae Expert Wanted For Questioning
Posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 07:43:00:
Re: (5556.html) Algae Expert Wanted For Questioning posted by Rose on August 15, 100 at 06:34:03:
Rose, I understand your frustration, as I sometimes deal with the same thing. CT will be much better with this than me, as I think he stands on the reasoning that it is an unbalance of the perimeters of tank water that is causing the problems with too much or too little of certain trace elements such as phosphate or phosphorous. The thing I know for sure that is with brown algae, you need a "heavy" light load. This algae thrives in the dark while the green thrives in strong light. Fluorescent lighting is better as it is supposed to have the correct spectrum of light for the tank, plants and fish, and they do not emit heat like the incandescents do. The bulbs you are using could be the problem. The ones that come with most hoods are just standard and do not carry the specific spectrums of light, allowing the algae to take over. Another thing you can possibly do, which I have heard will rid the tank of all the algae is to buy some daphnia. Basically, these are little, tiny water creatures that will eat the algae in nothing flat. Only problem is in keeping them is the fish "Like" the daphnia and they are hard to keep in a tank of fish. You can find information about these critters on the net if you want more information. I have a diatom filter that I have used frequently for my green water algae in one tank. It does, in fact, clear it up right away. But as CT noted after my purchase, you are just removing the free floating algae and not getting to the source of the problem, which is their over-multiplication. The water will stay clear for a week or so and then it is right back. As I said, let's wait to hear from CT on this one. He has been a big help to me in some respects, but I still fight this problem with brown algae in my divided betta tank and the green water algae in my angel tank. The angel tank has live plants. CT, give us some really good information here to help us get rid of this stuff permanently!!!! Kick
From: CT
8/15/00
Subject: Let's attack the green menace tank by tank :-)
Posted by CT on August 15, 100 at 16:56:06:
Re: (5558.html) Re: Algae Expert Wanted For Questioning posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 07:43:00:
The most important info to get from you Kick is what you've tried in the past and what the results were (and how long did you try it?). Also, please pass along your water parameters and details like water conditioners & treatments and how often you do water changes, etc. Any fast growing plants (water sprite, Vals, etc) in your tanks? We'll work together and get the algae monster under control for you ('cause we're smarter than algae!). :-) CT
From: Kick
8/15/00
Subject: CT, this was Rose's question first, but.........
Posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 17:48:12:
Re: (5572.html) Let's attack the green menace tank by tank :-) posted by CT on August 15, 100 at 16:56:06:
This was really Rose's quesion in the beginning so if you want to take her first...hehe...by all means........But, to answer your questions: l. I have used my diatom filter several times. Clears up the free floating green stuff, but in about l to 2 weeks, its back as bad as ever most times. Have not used algae destroyer or anything else because of the fear of hurting my plants further. Mainly have just diatomed it. But the danged stuff keeps on going....and going....and going...... 2. Change about 25 percent every two to three weeks time permitting. Decided to slack off this because algae seemed to get worse after the change. 3. Water quality appears to be fine. pH is high at 7.6 (same as my other tanks), water is on hard side (same as other tanks), Nitrites 0, nitrates about 3 on last check and ammonia 0. Temp in the tank is 74. 4. Plants I have are java moss (relatively new), java fern and another plant, I can't remember the name of...thick rounded leaf, low grower and I think it begins with an "a". These two were the first ones in the tank. The fern is doing good, but the other has green covering of algae that cannot be wiped off. Others added to the tank periodically are wisteria, swordplant and short grass in the front. This grass has the hairy kind on it. 5. I have otos in this tank which eat, eat, eat, but just can seem to keep up with the stuff. And the green water just keeps coming back. 6. The only thing.....please don't yell......is Stress Coat. I add no salt because of my plants and don't use anything to keep pH and hardness in control. Tried many different things trying to do this and found it was of no use. I was using fertilizer at first until the fish were established, but have not used any for probably 2 months or so. 7. Just so you know we have city water and water softener. The tank does house several snails (the kind from the plants) but periodically I pick them out and give to my loaches in another tank. I watch as the loaches devour so I know they will not multiply in that tank. This is really the only tank I have severe problems with. My husband decided he wanted live plants in this tank. It has been a headache ever since I set it up. The fish do fine, and the plants are growing slowly, but the dark color of the water I know prohibits the light. By the way, I took your advise here and purchased the 5000K lightbulbs that are good for the plants. My betta tank is not as much of a problem and for now lets just concentrate on this one. It has the brown, smeary type algae that seems to land only on my dividers, making the tank look gross. Otherwise, the water is clear and water quality is about the same as the planted tank. I have 4 other tanks in my house. They all have the same water and perimeters and I do the water changes at the same time. It is just this planted tank that is giving me fits. I will look to hear from you, Oh Great Wizard of the Algae Killers. Thanks for any help. Kick
From: Rose
8/15/00
Subject: I'm after Kick
Posted by Rose on August 15, 100 at 20:19:12:
Re: (5582.html) CT, this was Rose's question first, but......... posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 17:48:12:
Lets start with my 10. This has been up for 8 months. This is the tank that I clean the brown (its kind of a dark brown) algae off of twice a week. The algae is not very easy to get off of the plastic plants with your fingers. It grows on everything, gravel, the glass, the rock and the plastic plants. (It would grow on my fish if they stayed still long enough). You can run your finger through it when its on the glass. I have used Algae Destroyer for 2 months and everyother algae destroyer as well. I used the put a towel or blanket over the tank and not let the light in. I did that for a week and that was a huge mistake. I used Oto cats who never touched the stuff. At least it looked like they never did. They were always fat bellied up after being in the tank for 2-3 weeks. I have gotten 6 different florecent lights for the tank. All said good for plant growth and fish color. A couple said will not grow algae. Been gettig the lights the whole time the tank has been up. Water paramiters are Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates (no clue, don't have a tester yet). My pH 7.8, GH 107.4ppm, KH 125.3ppm. I have city water. All my tanks have these paramiters. I do water changes weekly (it's been a hospital tank the last month). I do no more than 10% at a time. I use Proquatics water conditioner every time I add fish or hange water. Doesn't mention how much phosphates. I use Doc Wellfish's Aquarium salt once a month. Aquari-Sol is used when I'm arming against secondary infection and as a once a month preventitive in the other tanks. That is all the chems I use in all my tanks. The only 2 growing plants I have are in my 55. I have no idea what they are. All I can remember is I get them from Wal-Mart for $2.77 for 6 bulbs. Two out of every six become plants. The food I have is Wardly Shrimp pellets, TetraMin tropical tablets, Wardly tropical flakes, TetraMin tropical granules, Tetra freeze dried blood worms, TetraMenu tropical flakes. A lot of food I know but my husband has his own food he likes to give to his fish and I have mine. I also have frozen brine shrimp and frozen beef heart. This is every thing I could think of that might interest you. If you need something else let me know and I'll see what I can do. Thank you so much for all your help. Rose
From: kitty fish
8/15/00
Subject: Re: Algae Expert Wanted For Questioning
Posted by (kitty_fishpetfish.net) kitty fish on August 15, 100 at 08:01:40:
Re: (5558.html) Re: Algae Expert Wanted For Questioning posted by Kick on August 15, 100 at 07:43:00:
Hmm, not an expert at all, but. Brown algae is called diatoms, it is algae with a hard shell. Conventional algae destroyers won't affect it *because* of its shell. You have brown algae instead of green algae because you lighting levels may not be were they should be and there is a high level of silica in your water (the diatoms are using the silica to make their shells). I know the cause, but I really wouldn't know how to correct it. Maybe one of those water filters you put on the tap? If you have a few *starving* ramshorn snails, they'll eat every bit of it; not a trace left. (I was surprised, too!) Hope you get it all figured out! kitty fish
From: ~deb
8/15/00
Subject: Re: Algae Expert Wanted For Questioning
Posted by ~deb on August 15, 100 at 17:12:54:
Re: (5560.html) Re: Algae Expert Wanted For Questioning posted by kitty fish on August 15, 100 at 08:01:40:
I borrowed about 20 snails from my LPS and they cleaned up my green algae in less than a day. For aome reason I haven't had a problem since; my oto had been overwhelmed but has been able to keep up since.