Oliver Knott Aquascaping Demo

[BallAquatics]

This is a 4 part video of German aquarist Oliver Knott.

Dennis

[Mugwump]

That's a great find....what a great watch.......thanks, Dennis

[PaulineMi]

Yes...what Jon said.   

I watched that and then cringe at the diatoms I'm fighting in my most recently set up tank. 

[BallAquatics]

Get some Otocinclus cats Pauline.  They will make short work of your diatoms.

Dennis

[b125killer]

That was interesting. I would of like to seen it after the plants grow

[PaulineMi]

Get some Otocinclus cats Pauline.  They will make short work of your diatoms.

Dennis

I've thought about that Dennis but I find them to be so delicate.  Is there a trick to keeping them alive through and beyond acclimation?  I've read they're all wild caught and they get "man handled" and are usually weak by the time we get them.

[BallAquatics]

Is there a trick to keeping them alive through and beyond acclimation?

Well here's the trick I use.....

I put them into a small, 5 or 10 gallon tank for a couple weeks.  In addition to working like a quarantine period, it allows you to pamper them and keep a close eye on them.  I like to have several 'leafy' plants in the tank, in my case it's anubias or crypt wendtii.  I also keep a couple mature sponge filters going as they will feed on these just like shrimp or fry would.  I feed them with algae wafers and Repashy Soilent Green.

I generally get mine at Petsmart, and I always get them in groups of 6 or more.  They are a very light bio-load and I find it easier to feed larger groups of fish.  They are also very social and I think larger groups helps with new arrival survival rates.

That said, I still sometimes loose a few of the new fish.  Not very many, and Petsmart is great about replacements.  I think they have a 14 day replacement policy...  plenty of time to get the new fish nursed back to health.

Dennis

[PaulineMi]

Thanks Dennis.  I'll give that a try and let you know how it goes. Do you keep them in 78 degree water?

[BallAquatics]

Do you keep them in 78 degree water?

No, generally they are in un-heated tanks that run in the low 70's and below most of the winter.

Dennis

[Mugwump]

I've done the same Dennis. I've put them in a 10 gal with some BN fry and they seem to thrive when getting a chance to settle in some. I haven't had any in a few years tho....BN fry are almost better than adults for cleaning a tank up...it's like a swarm of locusts...

[PaulineMi]

Jon do you find that BNs clean up diatoms? 

[Mugwump]

I don't do a start up's from scatch so I don't run into the problem often. When I do get and algae bloom, I run my 'Diatom' filters on that tank....but I run my 'Diatom's a lot anyway...super water polishers, they filter to a micron.
However, BN fry are ferocious non stop cleaners....more so than the adults.,,and clean most anything edible..
.........
Diatoms are natural, tho unsightly...here's an article about them...

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/archive/index.php/t-60144.html

note this part...
How Do I Get Rid of Them?

"This question is asked much too often and the answer to it is usually very simple. To get rid of diatoms, you just wait. I do not like this answer, although it isn?t wrong. To get rid of diatoms, you need to get rid of the silicates in your water. Since diatoms are consuming the silicates, you can simply remove the diatoms from the water and the problem should eventually go away. With frequent water changes, the remaining silicates in the water will be removed. After all, ?dilution is the best solution to pollution.? Some people take advantage of the diatom bloom and begin adding their clean up crew at this time.
Since diatoms are such a good source of food, your pets get fed as your problem gets solved. Be sure to not add too many members to your clean up crew though, you do not want them to starve after all the diatoms are gone. Some good diatom cleaners that I recommend are nassarius, cerith, and astrea snails. However, there are several organisms that consume diatoms, so choose the ones that are best for you. If you are running an aggressive tank and such invertebrates won?t work for you, then there are other ways of ridding your tank of diatoms. You can remove the diatoms by hand and you can also buy a diatom filter pad. There are several products out there that can be used to filter out silicates. You want to be sure that you get these diatoms out of your water, because if they die, they can cause oxygen levels to decrease and become food for other nuisance algae and bacteria."
..........

[PaulineMi]

Thanks for the info Jon.  I've been using the frequent large water change method coupled with wiping the diatoms off plant leaves by hand. I've read conflicting information regarding less light/more light.  Some articles say dim light contributes to their growth, some say the opposite.

I know patience is the key.  I like the oto method because they are really cute little fish. Now to find more electric outlets for another tank.  I have my eye on some but I'll be spilling over into my husband's area of the basement. Lol. I think he'll just sigh when I tell him it's temporary.