Oneiroid

I'm fairly certain that this is not staghorn algae. I've had some bouts with SA and it was always very dark in color and also liked to hang out on the edges of plant leaves. It also didn't have a pronounced beaded effect. This stuf appears to be thick, but if you grab it between your fingers, it feels like there is very little substance there at all. Definitely not coarse, but most definitely slimy!

I've been growing almost every aqautic moss under the sun, and haven't seen anything quite like this! Maybe I'll have to go into bulk production and distribution lol. If no one tells me that this is an evil, invasive, and harmful plant (uhm, plant?) then I'll fire some your way :boxed:

Curious... if I find an answer, I'll be sure to post it here. Haha, I agree! I haven't tried killing/removing it because it actually looks really cool and isn't bothering my plants. The reason I thought cyanobacteria was a possibility is becuase of its 'beaded' filaments - often seen in cyanobacteria electron microscopy (on a much smaller scale). And because it's just so darn slimy. Though, I don't think that cyanobacteria would be that organised...

Just when I thought I had first hand experience with just about every aquarium algae, another one comes along. This algae ranges in color from light green to dark green, and in some areas it has turned almost a rust color (though the rust coloured areas do not seem indicative of dying patches). It feels gelatinous, and slimy as slimy gets. Its filaments look like fine strings of green beads - visible in the picture - and they move like anemone tentacles in the current. I've had this for some time now, letting it grow out a bit. It only seems to be growing on the wood hardscape and filter parts... not bothering even my most algae-susceptible plants. Could this be a type of Cyanobacteria? Have a look:

So, for the record, this method is extremely effective. And you can actually make the attached plastic much more inconspicuous than what is shown in the final picture too. As an added bonus to stopping the downflow from cratering my sand, it diverts the flow in two different directions (right and left), breaking up the current that much more. After the first successful mod, I modded all my other ACs this way too. Brilliant. For anyone trying this, try to use the cola bottles suggested as they seem to be more rigid. As a test, I also tried a smooth-sided water bottle (Aquafina...Dasani...) and I found that their plastic doesn't keep a tight 'curl'.

Looks like a nice solution! Thanks for the pic - good to see where you've taped the plastic to the spout.

I have an AC50 and an AC200 (same size as each other) and the outflow spouts are exactly the same. Infact, the only difference I can see at all between the two is that one lid is stamped with AC50 and the other AC200.

Haha, great stuff!

Can you post a pic? :hey: Yup. Aquaclear power filter.

Hmm... I'll drop you a note if I want to give it a shot. Thanks!

Val, sounds like you're no stranger to this issue! I've got some similar materials around here that should give me the effect you described. It's a bonus that your mods reduce splashing as well... less splashing = more CO2 retention. How far out do your plastic pieces extend from the spout? I think I'll experiment with some less permanent options first, but this is a really good idea for a long term solution. Can you recommend where I might find some suitable plexi? Maybe a source for scrap?

I have an Aquaclear 50 that I would like to use to filter a 10g freshwater aquarium. It will give me the amount of flow that I am looking for, but the problem with the HOB filter is that the flow will be directed downwards, creating a large crater in the substrate below it. The easy way around this would just be to put a small canister filter on the tank instead, and position the spray bar wherever I wanted... however, I already have an AC50, making the power filter a far cheaper option. It strikes me that there should be an attachment of some sort that would fit under the outflow spout and allow you to vertically deflect the water coming out. If I could, at the very least, direct the flow towards the front of the tank, just under the surface, this should disperse the flow enough not to bother the substrate (like the popular plate trick). I haven't seen anything commercially available that would do this, nor have I come across any DIY sources. Maybe I missed something obvious? Any ideas on how I could securly mount some kind of flow deflector to (or under) the filter?

How odd... See auction listing

werner: Do let us know how these work out for you! I was thinking about making my own as well...

The first two fish on your list are pretty good if you feed them less than you normally would. In my experience, SAEs get lazy about algae cleanup when they grow up but still don't put much of a dent in hair algae regardless. More suggestions: 1) First and foremost, mechanical cleanup. Hair algae is fairly easy to pull out by hand and can be kept under control if you are diligent about it. 2) Add a bunch of amano shrimp and under-feed the tank (though they may not survive the A. splendens or flag fish if you add those too). 3) Add lots of fast growing plants to out-compete the algae growth. 4) Keep your water parameters stable and in favour of your plants.

Definitely give it a chance. If you have an extra root tab, shove it down beside the roots as well. I bet you'll start seeing new leaves emerging out of the center in just a few days.

I like having MTS in my tanks, and this is exactly how I keep them from causing filter-related problems.

Keep pulling them out and post them for free in the livestock classifieds. Lots of members here who would gladly take them off your buddy's hands.

Once clown loaches, in particular, get to about 2.5-3 inches they may start poking holes in broad leaf plants such as hygro and swords (not because they eat them, but it is because of the suction that their mouthpiece creates during foraging that breaks the leaves). This has been my experience anyway. I would try a tougher structure like anubias or java fern as suggested, and tie it to your hardscape.

mykiss proabably already gave you these instructions, but for anyone else looking to try this treatment: First do as large of a water change as you can without stressing the fish and make sure you do a gravel vacuum. Clean your gravel as much as you can as there may be baby worms in it. Treat the tank with the medication. Each 5 gram packet treats 88 gallons of water. So, when you get a 5 gram packet, add 88 ml of water to it and each 1ml of medication will treat 1 gallon of tank water. Try to keep the lights off when possible as the medication is light sensitive (from what I've been told). Continue with the regular feedings and don't do another water change for at least 2 days. Then, on the third or fourth day you can do another major water change. I'd wait for at least 1 month before I treat the tank again as you may not get all the worms in the first shot e.g. hiding in the gravel. You will notice that within the first or second day, those fish that are infected will have the worms slowly sticking further out from the fish's anus. They will soon be expelled and drop to the gravel. The expelling process may take upto 4 days. That's one of the reasons why you want to make sure you do a good gravel clean when you do the second water change. I'd suggest doing 2 doses especially if you have gravel in the tank. Keep in mind for each 5g packed, you'd want to add 88ml of water. Then, for each gallon of fish tank to treat, you'd only have to add one ml of medication.

Bidding seems to wind down between 4:30 and 5:30. Always different at every auction.

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/callamanus-worm.html

Indeed, these are water berries! What you do with the flower depends on the contents of your tank. if you let the seeds fall to the substrate, and your water params are ideal, you should see seedlings start to sprout. If you have fish that nip at plants, they will likely be eaten. If you have plecos or loaches that normally disturb your substrate, the seedlings will dislodge and have a really tough time establishing. To encourage the seeds to successfully germinate, cut the flower (which already has water berries on it) off and place it in its own tank with a fine substrate and let the rest of the berries fall off - I normally toss them in my shrimp-only tanks. Care for the seedlings like any other sensitive plants. Growing any aponageton from seed is a lengthy process, but fun. Good luck!

The main difference between the two is that wisteria is a stem plant. But yes, the structure of the leaves/fronds are quite similar.

At a glance, I'd say it is a type of watersprite (a Ceratopteris species). Do the fronds/stems seem to come out of central root nodes with each of the frond 'faces' facing inwards? (edited to add image)