See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/233784174

The algal-free planted aquarium - grazing control

Article · January 2011

CITATION READS

1 684

1 author:

Ole Pedersen
University of Copenhagen
115 PUBLICATIONS   3,500 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Leaf Gas Film View project

Submergence tolerance of wheat and rice View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Ole Pedersen on 16 May 2014.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Aquatic
The

Gardener
Journal of the Aquatic Gardeners Association, Inc.

Volume 24 Number 3 July – Sept 2011

www.aquatic-gardeners.org

The Algal-Free Planted Aquarium –
Grazing Control
Ole Pedersen, University of Copenhagen. Photos by the author.
Is it really true that annoying algae
are history in planted tanks? Yes, in
most cases algal problems can be dealt
with if you adopt the observations pre-
sented in the study below. Forget about
reducing the light, starving the fish or
spending money on a reverse osmosis
system. Instead, you should focus on
increasing the loss processes of the
algae and the easiest way to do that is
to introduce shrimps, fish or snails that
eat the algae. This study shows that the
most efficient algal-eater is the Amano
shrimp but alternatives do exist and
the best result is always achieved if you
have a variety of algal-eaters in your
tanks as the various shrimps, fish and
snails prefer different types of algae.
I have algae in all my tanks but
you need a microscope to see them!
Algae and their spores are all over
the place so it is, in fact, pointless to
Above: Amano shrimp eating a thread of Cladophora like the dogs eating spa-
ghetti in the movie “Lady and the Tramp.”
32  The Aquatic Gardener
refer to an aquarium as algal-free
because an algalfree tank does not
exist. However, some people have
magic hands and they are able to
set up tanks and maintain them
in excellent shape where algae are
apparently absent. But the algae
are there and they are ready to
take over if the balance of the tank
changes in their favor.
The biomass1 of algae in a
planted aquarium is always a
delicate balance of growth and
loss processes. The owner is happy
as long as the growth processes
are equal to, or less than, the loss
processes. Traditionally, combating
algae has focused on reducing the
growth rates of the algae such as
aiming at low nitrogen and phos-
phorus levels, minimal feeding, low
light levels, short light periods, soft
A red cherry shrimp in a forest of hair
grass; not all specimens obtain the
beautiful red color and a diet supple-
mented with blanched carrot usually
results in much better coloration.
water, i.e. low carbonate hardness
and so forth. However, in nature
the realized biomass of any organic
pool is always the result of the
proceeding gain and loss processes.
You may think of mice in the barn
as an example; if you have a couple
of cats to sneak around, the mice
will never take over and eat all the
grains. But if you feed the cats or if
you do not have cats at all, even a
few mice will turn into hundreds
in a few months. Algae in planted
aquaria are not much different to
mice; you need someone to control
the biomass and that someone can
be shrimps, fish or snails.
Algal-eating species are found
both within shrimps, fish and snails
and many of them have been used
1 The biomass is a quantitative measure of living or dead organic matter. In the case of algae, you
may think of their biomass the visible amount of algae.
in the hobby for decades to con-
trol the algal-biomass in planted
aquaria. However, when Takashi
Amano in the early 90s introduced
the “Amano shrimp” (Caridina
multidentata), biological control of
algae started booming as various
forums on the internet were spread-
ing the good news of the fantastic
capacity of this particular shrimp to
consume algae. And now, the news
has even spread to science as we
are using the Amano shrimp to con-
trol undesired growth of epiphytic
algae in many of our experiments.
The Amano shrimp is the best algal
eater I know (see the scientific test
below) and the only disadvantage
I can think of is the fact that it is
so circumstantial to breed it. In
short, when the tiny eggs hatch, the
first stage is not just tiny bottom-
dwelling baby shrimps but instead
pelagic larvae. And these larvae
need a period in salt water to com-
plete the ontogenesis before they
become true baby Amano shrimps
and the latter step prevents easy
breeding (see the internet for guide
on Amano shrimp breeding; it is so
much fun to do it).
In contrast, cherry shrimps and
bee shrimps are extremely easy to
breed and they are both excellent
algal-eaters (see later). The cherry
shrimp (Neocaridina heteropoda)
is the hardiest of all the popular
aquarium shrimps and I have had
it in my outdoor water lily ceramic
pots from 0 °C in the winter (32 °F;
ice on top) and up to 35 °C (95 °F)
Volume 24  Number 3  33

Two bee shrimps—mother and baby. Bee shrimps are usually available in black or
red varieties, but red and black parents or black and black parents produce both
red and black offspring. Only two red parents will produce 100% red offspring.
in the summer, and they seem
happy in both cases although they
stop breeding during the cold
period. Apparently, it can take the
bee shrimp (Caridina cf. cantonensis)
a bit longer to acclimate to a new
environment before it starts breed-
ing but once started, it is almost as
easy as the cherry shrimp.
There are many more shrimps
in the hobby but few of them
have been rigorously tested for
algal-control properties. It seems,
however, that most of the popular
shrimps will take algae if they are
not offered any nice alternatives
(see the Tips & Tricks box). I am
always happy to receive personal
reports from hobbyists including
more negative observations such as
“Oh no, too many Amano shrimps
seem bad for my fragile Java moss.”
Fish and snails also hold several
good species with algae on their
diet. The best known example is
probably the peaceful Siamese al-
34  The Aquatic Gardener
gae eater (SAE; Crossocheilus siamen-
sis). The SAE is a very good supple-
ment to shrimps in algal control,
particularly as a juvenile, whereas
the bigger specimen (10 cm and
above; 4") has an annoying tenden-
cy to become lazy and rely on algal
wafers and other goodies that may
appear in even a planted aquarium
from time-to-time. Species of
Otocinclus—especially O. afinis—
and the panda garra (Garra flavatra)
are also excellent algal eaters but
with a somewhat lower potential
than the SAE. Of course, there is
also the popular bushynose or
bristlenose plecos but I do not like
their tendency to feed on my fragile
plants whenever they feel like a
snack. While the species mentioned
above are better at the biofilm-type
of algae, the Odessa barb (Puntius
padamya) also tends to take the
more tricky filamentous algae such
as Cladophora, Spirogyra and oth-
ers. Finally, many species of snails
can also assist greatly in keeping
the loss processes of algae higher
than the growth processes and in
recent years, the genus Neritina has
become increasingly popular also
because it looks great in any tank.
So, there is a full palette to choose
from, but which one is better?
The Amano shrimp is the best
algal-eater among the candidates Siamese Algae Eater (SAE)—an excel-
tested regardless of how the graz- lent algal eater and peaceful as well. It
ing rate is expressed (Figure 1AB). is easily confused with the flying fox,
We arranged a number of small which is not a good algal eater and on
ceramic tiles with a pre-grown top of that, is very aggressive.
biofilm consisting of primarily
green algae and diatoms in small
tanks. Then, fasted2 shrimps, fish
and snails were left to graze on the
tiles for a period of time before the
tiles were removed and analyzed
for Chlorophylla3 which was used
as a measure of algal-biomass (visit
the website with supplementary
material to see how it looks when
the hungry Amano shrimps graze The panda garra is a relatively new fish
the ceramic tiles with the green in the hobby and it is absolutely excel-
biofilm). lent in algal control.
Figure 1A and 1B show that
regardless of how the grazing rate
is expressed, the Amano shrimp is
the most efficient grazer on the type
of substrate offered in the present
experiment. When the grazing is
expressed as the rate per animal,
the Amano shrimp is 7-fold more
efficient than the cherry shrimp but
only 2.4-fold more efficient than the
SAE (Figure 1A). However, since
the Amano shrimp is a relatively
large shrimp, some of the difference Neritina snails are good algal eaters
is caused by the fact that a large and a pleasure to look at. However,
animal, in general, consumes more they can be hard on the plants once
food per time unit as compared to they have removed the biofilm. I have
a much smaller animal such as the several observations that even Anubias
cherry shrimp. And so, if the graz- is attacked by hungry Neritina snails.
Volume 24  Number 3  35
 ing rate instead is expressed per
gram animal, the Amano shrimp
is only 1.8-fold more efficient than
the cherry shrimp. For the SAE, it
works the other way around as it is
bigger than the Amano shrimp, so
the difference in grazing pressure is
5.4-fold when expressed per gram
animal. And so, the present study
Pelagic larvae of the Amano shrimp; is very conclusive in the sense that
they need saltwater to complete their the Amano shrimp removes much
development and thus they are much more algal biomass per time unit.
more difficult to breed as compared to The study also showed that all
the other popular shrimps. the tested animals were indeed
Amano shrimps gathering around a ceramic tile with a green biofilm. The tiles
were used in the experiments to quantify the grazing rates of selected species of
shrimps, fish and snails.
2 Well-fed shrimps, fish and snails were fasted for 48 hours to produce a similar starting point for all
types of grazing animals
3 Chlorophylla is the green light-capturing pigment that all algae and higher plants possess and was
used in this study as a proxy for the algal biomass
36  The Aquatic Gardener
eating the green biofilm on the
ceramic tiles. What the study has
not revealed is whether some of
the animals are more efficient with
filamentous algae as compared to
others. We have an untested hy-
pothesis based on personal observa-
tions stating that the cherry shrimp
only eats very little amount of
filamentous algae and the Neritina
snail nothing at all. In contrast, we
think that the Odessa barb, the SAE
and the Amano shrimps are very
good at removing filaments but this
remains untested.
A small experiment with real
plants, gravel and potentially an-
noying algae backs up the above
study. In June 2008, I set up a small
replicated experiment in the back of
my office consisting of six 8 L tanks
(2.1 gallons; see the photo). In all
tanks, I planted 3 Anubias barteri, planted aquarium does not turn
3 Eleocharis parvula and added into an algal cocktail!
also 3 ceramic tiles with a green The experiment above also per-
biofilm. In addition, I injected a mits some degree of prediction as
green suspension of annoying algae to how many shrimps are needed.
that I had grown in one of my tanks A new tank is always much more
at home. Then, I added 4 Amano prone to disaster than a grown-in
shrimps to two of the tanks, 2 Ama- tank and thus, more shrimps are
no shrimps to another two and no needed in new tank. Normally, we
shrimps at all in the final two tanks. do not deliberately add algae to a
I think the photo speaks for itself! new tank (that was done on pur-
Three years after, the tanks are still pose in the study above) so half the
running. I have never changed the number of shrimps, i.e. 2 Amano
water—I am just adding water as it shrimps per 10 L (2.6 gallons) of
evaporates. The shrimps are dead water should do the trick. Later,
in three of the tanks and they look when the tank is stable, 1 shrimp
awful. However, in the fourth tank, per 10 L should be enough. But
the shrimps are happy and the tank these are only rough guidelines
looks like a million dollars. This is and if you have many fish and feed
not really a scientific experiment as a lot, more shrimps are definitely
it lacks proper replication but I am needed. If you prefer the beautiful
personally convinced that Amano cherry shrimp, many more shrimps
shrimps are a guarantee that a are needed according to Figure 1A.
Volume 24  Number 3  37

The set-up with Anubias barteri, Eleocharis parvula and three ceramic tiles in each
tank. This photo was taken after 3 days and it is already obvious that there are no
grazers present in the middle tank.
Three months later, the effects of grazing shrimps are even more obvious! The
tank to the left had four Amano shrimps introduced while the one to the right
had only two. The tank in the middle with no shrimps at all looks like a disaster.
In this case, I would recommend
15 cherry shrimps per 10 L [2.6 gal-
lon] water in a start-up situation.
For snails and fish, use the data in
Figure 1A to calculate how many
individuals you need in your tank.
Also bear in mind that the best re-
sult is always achieved if you have
a variety of algal-eaters in your
tanks as the various shrimps, fish
and snails are specialized in differ-
ent types of algae.
Small Print: Sometimes things
go wrong and the tank turns into
an algal soup. If so, many more
shrimps or fish are needed and per-
haps you also need assistance from
chemical warfare (Flourish Excel in
the States or Easy Carbo in Eu-
38  The Aquatic Gardener
View publication stats
Shrimp Tips & Tricks
The exoskeleton
Shrimps have an exoskeleton and from
time to time they moult to grow larger. The
first time you observe it can be a shocking
experience as at first sight it looks like a dead
shrimp! It is not, it is just the exoskeleton and
the shrimp is probably hiding somewhere as The exoskeleton of the Amano shrimp. Do not
the new exoskeleton is soft, so the natural be- remove the exoskeletons when the shrimps
havior is to hide from predators until the new have moulted; they eat them and they need the
exoskeleton has hardened. Do not remove minerals to form healthy new exoskeletons.
the empty exoskeleton. The shrimps will eat it in a few days and it contains minerals
that the shrimps need to form new exoskeletons. If you remove it, the new exoskel-
eton will be thinner and the shrimps will be more prone to infections.
Feeding shrimps
If you have a healthy planted tank and a large population of shrimps, you need to feed
the shrimps every now and then. Do not feed them with ordinary flakes or pellets
intended for fish! They contain too much animal protein. The shrimps love them; how-
ever, their growth can become too fast so that the exoskeletons become thinner and
thinner every time they moult and as explained above, the shrimps end up with infec-
tions. Instead, use blanched spinach and peas. Both are also high in protein, but not as
high as the fish food. It takes them much longer to digest it and it is good fun watching
a bunch of shrimps all sitting on one little pea. If you feed your shrimps often, it may
be necessary to use mineral supplements available from most serious internet shops.
rope). There also algae that neither
shrimps, fish, nor snails will take that new shrimps, snails and fish you do when you introduce new
such as the red algae of the genera constantly enter the market and the algal eaters to your tank.
Batrachospermum and Compsopo- various forums on the internet are
quick ways to disseminate personal Supplementary Material
gon, but that will be the topic of a
observations on good algal eaters. 1. Video of SAE, Amano shrimps
later article in this magazine.
It is also possible that a few of the and cherry shrimps grazing on
In summary, I never ever worry
big companies in chemical supplies Lilaeopsis sp. that was initially
anymore when setting up a new
come up with a new cocktail, which smeared in nasty-looking algae.
tank! I now know that if I invest in
is safe to use regardless of the fish The video is available from www.
an appropriate number of Amano
and invertebrates you keep in the aquatic-gardeners.org.
shrimps from Day 1, I am guaran-
tank. However, I find it so much 2. Video of Amano shrimps
teed success with the tank. Before,
more satisfying to solve the ecologi- grazing on ceramic tiles with a
I never slept well for the first 6 – 8
cal equation: final algal biomass = green biofilm. The tiles are similar
weeks before I was sure that the
growth processes + loss processes. to the ones described in the above
tank was behaving well. It is dif-
While the past has focused on experiment where the grazing ef-
ficult to predict what the future will
reducing the growth processes, it is ficiency of shrimps, fish and snails
bring in terms of good biological
a lot more fun to play with the loss was rated. The video is available
control of algae in planted tanks.
processes—and that is exactly what from www.aquatic-gardeners.org.
Recent years, however, have shown
Volume 24  Number 3  39