Cherry Reds and Algae

DanHagan · Post by **DanHagan** » Tue Sep 21, 2004 6:12 pm

What type of algae do cherry red prefer?

Mustafa I have read that you culture bga, do cherries eat this, and if so, how do you culture it?

Post by **Mustafa** » Tue Sep 21, 2004 7:29 pm

\Hi Dan,

Cherry Reds eat pretty much any kind of algae as long as it's not really tough string or hair algae. They love the blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), but they prefer the thin film of soft algae growth on the sides of the tank and on stones.

Culturing Cyanobacteria is really easy. Take a new tank of any size, fill it up with sand or some fine gravel (or anything really)...run it through the "fishless cycle" (you dump ammonia in it every day until you measure no ammonia and nitrites....everything is turned into nitrates which algae and cyanobacteria love), provide light, put some flake food into the tank, some detritus (for phosphates etc.) and voila! That tank will soon be covered with cyanobacteria...and I really *mean* covered. The bottom of the tank, the walls...the filter...everything!

Having said that...your shrimp do not absolutely *need* algae...they will do just great with flake food.

Mustafa

DanHagan · Post by **DanHagan** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 8:21 pm

Okay so they don't need it, but do you think the shrimp will do better with it? That culture you speak of sounds easy. I have plenty of Nitrate and Phosphate fertilizers for my planted tanks, I guess I could just OD a tank on ferts and have some algae in great supply for the shrimp!

Post by **Mustafa** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 3:32 pm

I don't know if they necessarily do *better* with algae or not. I am convinced that they will do just fine with substitute food.

Mustafa