Dwarf Caiman - Help with Algae!!

[Courtneydean07]

I'm not sure if anyone is going to have an answer for me or not, I can't find any information on the internet about this.

My Caimans enclosure is having a really bad problem with algae growing on the rocks at the bottom of his water portion of his cage. Im not seeing any algae on him at all but it is really trying to overun the terrarium.

Does anyone know if it is safe to use an algicide that is safe for fish in his terrarium or if you know of a better way of treating algae besides doing water changes and cleaning his rocks every other day.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[John_White]

If you replace your basking lamp with a non-light emitting ceramic heating element you will greatly reduce algae growth.

When you preform your complete enclosure cleaning use bleach. The bleach will kill off any small, microscopic, live algae that normally jumpstart algae growth. Make sure to flush all the bleach from the enclosure using copious amounts of fresh water.

For additional information, check-out our Crocodilian Captive Care FAQ at: Crocodilian Captive Care FAQ (Caiman, Alligator, Crocodile)

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[telefrag]

How many hours of daylight is the enclosure getting?

Also, what type of algae is this, long filimentous algae, or more like a short carpet?
Or is it just a green tinge to everything?

Different types of algaes mean different things.

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[Courtneydean07]

Its just like a bright green slime over the rocks with some black spots in the mix. It develops a lot more near the light.

So if i replace my heat lamp with say a heat pad on the land side and only ceramic water heaters on the water side it should greatly reduce the growth of algae. Also, if I use a UVB strip light just for lighting the tank for viewing will the algae still grow out of control or because it doesnt produce heat should it be ok?

He gets 8 hours of the heat lamp a day

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[John_White]

Crocodilians do not require UVB. Dwarf caimans are mostly nocturnal this is especially true with juveniles. Even as adults they generally do not bask like most other species of crocodilians. As long as your temperatures remain within the proper range it does not matter how you heat the enclosure. The three main key factors with juvenile dwarf caimans are; 1. proper temperatures (refer to the croc faq). , 2. low stress environment, plenty of hiding spots 3. Clean water - feed bite size, whole prey items to reduce major enclosure cleaning.

Replace porous rocks with smooth plastic enclosure items. The caiman could careless about a fancy cage so make the enclosure as easy to clean as possible. Just make sure you provide hiding spots.

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[Courtneydean07]

Ok, thanks for the help.

He has tons of hide spots both on land and water and he stays hidden pretty much all day.

Im gunna remove all the lighting as well as do a full cleanout of the aquarium with bleach diluted in water and hopefully we can get this algae under control for this little guy.

Thanks again for your help, shoulda thought about the fact that algae thrives through the photosynthesis caused by that heat lamp....guess im having a small case of retard at the moment

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[John_White]

I housed my juvenile crocodilians in rubbermaid stock tanks (150 or 300 gallon tanks.) Only have a few old baby pics on this computer:


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Usually, just about at the 2 - 2.5 foot mark the dwarf caimans get a significant change in attitude. It's almost like someone throws a switch in their brain. They change from a shy illusive animal to a "Hey, you're not a threat and I want to be fed NOW!"

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[Courtneydean07]

My little guy is a little over a foot right now tip of nose to tip of tail so he is still a little guy. Eating on goldfish, chicken hearts & pinky rats. He is a good eater and all around a pretty healthy boy.

But keeping his terrarium clean is a full time job in itself it feels like.

Good thing I love the little bugger or I might have given up by now. jk

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