Angel fish and Discus prefer to eat crustaceans including shrimps. Therefore, Srhimps added to the aquarium for algal removal will most likely be eaten by these fishes. In view of this fact, Otocinclus and Siamese Algae Eater should be selected as an algae-eater, but these Cichlid members are big eaters and prefer highly-nutritious feeds which may cause eutrophic aquarium water and promote algal growth.
To avoid deterioration in water quality, it is necessary to keep Cichlid in Nature Aquarium having a larger volume of water and equipped with a highly efficient filtration system. It is also a good idea to plant the aquatic plants that absorb nutrients vigorously such as Echinodorus family plants to control the eutrophication; or to use cosmetic sand in the foreground location to make the maintenance easier and secure a wider swimming space for fishes.
As for layout, it is recommended to avoid very complicated layout taking long-term maintenance into consideration. A layout featuring dynamic arrangement of epiphytic plants and rosette-type plants such as Echinodorus and Cryptocoryne is suitable for these fishes.
Green-colored water is caused by a phytoplankton bloom and no immediate effect against this problem can be expected even if an entirely new filtration system is added to the aquarium. It would be more effective if the existing filter is temporarily replaced with a filter used on another tank that contains an adequate amount of filter bacteria.
It would be best if a filter containing abundant bacteria colonies is installed in addition to the existing filter for the planted aquarium with a greenwater problem, this method is called Jump Start Method, although it might be difficult for hobbyists to do so in practice. Another remedy is to use UV Lamp into the aquarium. Please try it.
Aqua Soil has the great feature of promoting the growth of aquatic plants because it contains rich organic nutrients. These organic nutrients serve as a source of nutrition for aquatic plants but at the same time, it can contaminate the aquarium water if they are excessively present in the water. During the initial stage of an aquarium when the filtration system is still new and aquatic plants are just planted, the water easily gets dirty because the amount of organic matter released from Aqua Soil is more than the amount being broken down by microorganisms and absorbed by aquatic plants.
Water change during the first two to three weeks from the initial setup of the aquarium is a key to a successful planted aquarium. The efforts made during this period will be rewarded in the form of healthily grown aquatic plants.
Therefore, it is very important to change the aquarium water with the intent to get rid of excess organic matter. Particularly in the first week after the setup of the aquarium, it is advised to change 1 /2 to 1/3 of the aquarium water daily. In the second week, it is preferable to change the aquarium water at the frequency of once every two days. If this pattern of water change cannot be achieved, the aquarium water should be changed as close as possible to the frequency of the pattern mentioned.
