# I have a tank full of algae and driftwood **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 13, 2018, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019 "2018-06-13T13:13:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/21 "2018-06-18T03:19:04Z")
Fingerling catfish are about 4 inches long. Get thee to a fishery! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/22 "2018-06-18T03:20:09Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > How big is this tank? Do you have anything other than the tank, meaning filters and such? I may be talking crazy here, but your plans sound a mite ambitious. I have 2 canister filters, one fluval one Eheim with additional prefiter for the intake pipe. Finnex planted programmable LED with ramp up and down, moonilght, storm settings - the whole deal. I have a heater, a chiller (that needs some work, some old man on Virginia gave it to me for free - super nice guy). 5lb co2 tank with Aquatek regulator and atomizer to inject co2 into the filter tubing. I have all the filter media, water test strips. I also have an automatic feeder and timers for everything. I have some rocks also. If’s a 55 gallon tank. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/23 "2018-06-18T03:23:28Z")
OK. The driftwood had me worried. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/24 "2018-06-18T03:26:17Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Fingerling catfish are about 4 inches long. Get thee to a fishery! But what will I do when it grows? I don’t have a house, so I can’t get a bigger tank - its illegal to put fish from a tank into the creek in my state. That’s why i don’t have goldfish - I really like the plain looking goldfish, but I’d want 250 gallons for that, I’d put if with larger sunfish and open a bed and breakfast. Then profit. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/25 "2018-06-18T03:28:49Z")
Eat it. Do you need a recipe? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/26 "2018-06-18T03:33:19Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Eat it. Do you need a recipe? I guess I could do that, but it might feel too much like I’m in a bad remake of an early episode of the Simpson’s. It’d be like when Weezer did a cover of Africa and everyone’s like “that’s the same thing.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/27 "2018-06-18T03:35:11Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > OK. The driftwood had me worried. 🙂 My wife was also worried about the driftwood. She’s also worried about the cat eating filter media. I think these are reasonable concerns. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/28 "2018-06-18T03:45:44Z")
So…no Catfish. Hmmmm. I’ve decided maybe keeping fish is not the hobby for you. You could always build a terrarium in the tank. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/29 "2018-06-18T03:57:32Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > So…no Catfish. Hmmmm. I’ve decided maybe keeping fish is not the hobby for you. You could always build a terrarium in the tank. Why are you so hung up on catfish? I already have a cat, why do I need a catfish? They mostly hide anyway, and they eat any tankmate their size or smaller. I need a fish with personality. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/30 "2018-06-18T04:57:31Z")
They are bottom feeders they will eat shit nothing else will eat. Keep your tank clean. I am convinced they could clean water treatment plants. Jeremy (the monster fish guy) caught a type of catfish at Chernobyl. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/31 "2018-06-18T10:42:47Z")
I have a 55 gallon tank set up dry, with about 3 inches of soil under 2 inches of cypress mulch planted with various greenery. It is home to our 18 month old Suculta tortoise, Kjell (named for Kjell Samuelsson). He started in a 10 gallon tank, then spent time in a 20 long, now he is getting cramped by the 55, though he is summering mostly outdoors. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/32 "2018-06-18T16:46:26Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I have a 55 gallon tank set up dry, with about 3 inches of soil under 2 inches of cypress mulch planted with various greenery. It is home to our 18 month old Suculta tortoise, Kjell (named for Kjell Samuelsson). > He started in a 10 gallon tank, then spent time in a 20 long, now he is getting cramped by the 55, though he is summering mostly outdoors. Hey, there was a [great article on those](https://www.buzzfeed.com/catferguson/a-reptile-dysfunction?utm_term=.bbGdGVAQrK#.ja4KvmVZD3); I had no idea they existed beforehand. They’re beautiful but it’s hard to imagine a pet that will outlive me by decades. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019/33 "2018-06-18T17:14:13Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > Hey, there was a [great article on those](https://www.buzzfeed.com/catferguson/a-reptile-dysfunction?utm_term=.bbGdGVAQrK#.ja4KvmVZD3); I had no idea they existed beforehand. They’re beautiful but it’s hard to imagine a pet that will outlive me by decades. Well, I’m 60, so I would not be surprised if our dogs all outlive me.🙂 Kjell has gone from 28 grams shortly after hatching to 165 grams today. Still fits in my hand, but he is getting big. My son lives in Florida and has promised to take Kjell when he outgrows Pennsylvania or when I die, whichever comes first. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-tank-full-of-algae-and-driftwood/816019.md?page=1)