Bowfin

Always wanted a Bowfin and picked one up last may at a local LFS. He was about 3-4" when I got him and hes about 13" now. Feeding him mostly freeze dried krill but he loves his night crawlers and fatheads. I had Gar but unfortunately got rid of them for some piranha (HORRIBLE decision) So looking to get some new gar again soon with some locally collected Lepomis this spring prob Orangespot and/or Warmouth.

That's a real sharp looking fish, what size tank is he in and does he have any tank mates? Would like to see a full pic of the tank.

Thanks. Tank is 600G and it looks like crap atm. I had to pull my driftwood a while ago and the only thing green is the hair algae he loves to creep through. I have a 10" Pleco, Buenos Aires tetras hes slowly picking off and one Indo Dat that's the last of five I have been netting out. Will be driftwood hunting this spring.



The glass is clean its the algae growing on the back of the tank that is making it look dirty.

Hmm, that's a lot of algae. If you want it gone, you could remove all of the visible algae and then treat the water with an algaecide like Tetra Pond Algae Control. That will dissolve all the little algae bits that would otherwise recolonize the tank.

Or you could roll the algae into balls and use it as decorations, like Lake Akan in Japan: http://www.smh.com.a...__300x450,0.jpg

Or I guess I could think outside the box and suggest you try to sculpt the algae into a pretty shape like Tony Gomez did: http://showcase.aqua...=0&vol=1&id=102

Edited by EricaWieser, 22 December 2010 - 08:52 AM.

I was actually thinking of making a separate smaller tank that's above and to the side of this tank that has a light on 24/7 that I will intentionally grow algae in like SW fish keepers do with refugium, that way it pull all the nutrients out that the algae uses and I can just clean that once a week. Ive never been very keen on chemicals in my tank. Besides it will kill all my snails.

The Tetra Pond Algae Control didn't kill my snails. When I accidentally overdosed my tanks with it, my fish showed symptoms first (they got itchy).

Your comment about the refugium makes me wonder which is better at pulling nitrogen out of the water column; algae or plants? I think that the faster something creates new tissues and the more protein is in those tissues, the more nitrogen has to be pulled out of the water to make them.
My bet would be that fast growing, water-column-nutrient-based plants like ceratophyllum probably remove more nitrogen from the water column than algae does. And that slow growing (anubias) or substrate-nutrient-consuming plants (sagittarius, swords) might not intake nitrogen very quickly. But I'm just guessing. Does anybody have any studies? I'm curious now.
Anyway, the best plant for your refugium would be the plant that could remove as much nitrogen as quickly as possible from the water column. If that's algae, then use it. But that might not be the most optimal species.

Edit: This is interesting but not the answer I was looking for: http://theaquariumwi...ical_Filtration
That still doesn't tell me the rate of ammonia consumption of various plant species versus algae. *sighs*

Edited by EricaWieser, 22 December 2010 - 09:23 PM.

There is actually a site that has someone who constructed what I described for his tanks and from what he posted it works quite well. The lights are also kept on 24/7 over the refugium, which has to be cleaned weekly. PM ne and I can give you the link if you like.

The Tetra Pond Algae Control didn't kill my snails. When I accidentally overdosed my tanks with it, my fish showed symptoms first (they got itchy).

Your comment about the refugium makes me wonder which is better at pulling nitrogen out of the water column; algae or plants? I think that the faster something creates new tissues and the more protein is in those tissues, the more nitrogen has to be pulled out of the water to make them.
My bet would be that fast growing, water-column-nutrient-based plants like ceratophyllum probably remove more nitrogen from the water column than algae does. And that slow growing (anubias) or substrate-nutrient-consuming plants (sagittarius, swords) might not intake nitrogen very quickly. But I'm just guessing. Does anybody have any studies? I'm curious now.
Anyway, the best plant for your refugium would be the plant that could remove as much nitrogen as quickly as possible from the water column. If that's algae, then use it. But that might not be the most optimal species.

Edit: This is interesting but not the answer I was looking for: http://theaquariumwi...ical_Filtration
That still doesn't tell me the rate of ammonia consumption of various plant species versus algae. *sighs*

It's a good question, and not easy to answer, because of all the variables involved. At any rate, you can maximize nitrogen removal by making it the limiting nutrient in your system- i.e. the plants or algae have more than enough light, CO2, and macro- and micro-nutrients. Since CO2 is often the limiting nutrient in low-tech tanks, you can improve nitrogen removal with emergent, floating, or floating-leaved plants (which use atmospheric CO2), or with a turf algae scrubber, which provides a wet but emersed substrate for algae.

Judging by growth should work, except for the confounding factor of plants (and algae) undergoing apparent growth simply by taking on water. They get bigger, but they don't use nutrients to do it.



CHBGator- I kinda like your hair algae swirls. Algae is only a problem if you see it as one.