I've heard of Siamise algae eaters but I can't picture what they look like. The problem with small fish in this tank is that I have some very hungry large fish that will eat anything less than 3 inches. I have a pleco that cleans most leaves on the leaf tops and bottoms, but it dosen't clean the edges.

Thanks! Great site. It appears I have the black varient of red hair algae. I introduced this algae when I took a water lilly from my parents coyfish pond. Oops! I'm thinking of setting up another tank for tetras and other small fish (which may include simese algae eaters and shrimp), so maybe I'll put these fish and shrimp in the affected tank (minus the tetras) and temporarily put my gars and arowana in the new tank while I deal wiith this problem, and then when the algae is controled switch the fish back. I might experiment with a little copper in both tanks to try to completely eradicate it, but I'll have to do some research on that because it can harm some fish. Most of my plants seem to be the kind that do ok with copper except probably the grass I'm trying to grow in the forground. I'll plant that back later when things are fixed. I guess I have a lot to think about. I don't know weather to just use copper and no fish, or try a combo of algae eating creatures and copper with a measured amount of copper. I may even try a completely different approach after doing more research on water chemistry and nutrients. What a pain in the ass! This 100 gallon is so beautiful and I'm not looking forward to drastic measures that could really mess up the cycle and kill plants. I had a beautiful field of reed plants ( I forget the name) once and added a medication that killed the whole field. The tank was like a field of reeds with a couple of tree stumps and was beautiful. Then it was a death zone. I was pissed! I'll post what I do and what happens.

I'm too tired to register for that site right now but I'll do it asap. I do have a pleco and it seems to clean most of this stuff off the leaves except for the edges. I guess it cant get suction unless it's entire mouth can atatch to the leaf. I'll get through this. It'll just take me a bit to research the best approach. Thanks for the tip. I'll check out the kind of pleco you mentioned.

I'll definitaly check out the site. This algae looks like the fringe on Santa's sleeves on the edges of the older leaves,so It's kind of cute in a organic kind of way. I'm cutting the food to my fish in half to reduce fish waste produced nutrients and maybe that'll also encourage my pleco, shrimp, and talapia to eat it too. I have snail eating clown loaches which could be transferred to another tank so to get a snail population going as well. I guess I'm in no rush sinse it doesn't look that bad at this point.