Recommend me a good algae eater

T

thelegend0210

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Jan 31, 2011
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So, I had bought a chinese algae eater a last month, not realizing they can be somewhat aggressive. He did an amazing job cleaning the tank, but of course, he was aggressive, especially towards my Dojo loach. So I brought him back last weekend and picked up a siamese algae eater, which are supposed to be less aggressive. My problem is, the algae is starting to come back. Should I get a few more SAE's? Or can someone recommend an algae eater that has a big appetite but won't get too big or aggressive?

I have a 55gal, planted tank stocked with loaches, dwarf gouramis, guppies, zebras, and a couple threadfin rainbows.
 
If your tank is planted there shouldn't be algae unless you haven't balanced the nutrients in the tank. I have a 55 gallon planted tank with one oto. No algae at all, at least visible.
 
otos or nerite snails are the best algae eaters IMO.

A bristlenose pleco is good too but it depends on what you have exactly in your tank and what filtration your running. BN's add much more bioload than otos or nerites, so I would make sure that theres plenty of room for one first. A good site to use is aqadvisor.com it's not perfect, but is a good indication of how your stocking is.
 
i would say you need to figure out why you are getting algae and fix that issue, instead of adding critters to eat the algae that will continue to come back unless you fix the issue.

how long are your lights on for? what type/wattage of bulb is it? what size is the tank? does any sunlight hit the tank during the day? are you dosing fertilizers or running co2? how many plants are in there? what kind of plants?

answering those questions can help us determine why the algae is getting a foothold/growing.
 
your hand + a tooth brush/sponge and 10 minutes = happy, algae-free tank :)
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys, I don't currently have co2, but I will within a month or so, right now I'm running T5NO, 54watts total for about 11 hours a day. Tank is only half planted at this point, was waiting till I got CO2 and better lights before I fully plant it.
 
It can also depend on the type of algae. My Otos keep the glass clean of diatoms and other algaes, but don't do a thing about the brush algae. Once my Flagfish is big enough she is moving to the 40g to complete the cleanup crew (she already immediately cleans off brush algae from any plants I move over. seems to love the stuff). :D


BTW, from what I've seen Otos prefer a group. Doesn't have to be big, and depends on the tank-mates, but you get a bit more out of them in groups.


Or like the others have suggested, find out what is causing the algae. Personally I really like the Otos and baby Flagfish so I don't mind letting the algae grow. But you should be keeping fish because you want them. The help they other should be a secondary consideration.
 
BettaFishMommy said:
i would say you need to figure out why you are getting algae and fix that issue, instead of adding critters to eat the algae that will continue to come back unless you fix the issue.

how long are your lights on for? what type/wattage of bulb is it? what size is the tank? does any sunlight hit the tank during the day? are you dosing fertilizers or running co2? how many plants are in there? what kind of plants?

answering those questions can help us determine why the algae is getting a foothold/growing.
Click to expand...

:iagree:

11 Hours seems to be a little long for a photoperiod, even when you do fully plant the tank. Do you have any other light coming in the room where the tank is? How often do you do Water Changes?

IMO, performing frequent Water Changes and reducing the time your light is on to about 7-8 hours should probably help. If you want to try to get rid of it yourself, I suggest removing as much of it as you can manually, and then start begin the WC's and light cycle changes. You will know if it is working in a couple of weeks if it dosent grow back.
 
I'm not a fan of otos or nerites. Both are mostly wild caught and I've never had much luck with either living for long. I have bristlenose that are 5+ years old and still do a good job for me, pretty good rate of return.

Reduce your light to 8 hrs and fill in the rest of your plants. The CO2 isn't needed for now. All CO2 is going to do is allow the plants to grow faster. Once you have enough plants in the tank to out compete the algae you should see a reduction. If you still have algae problems get a couple small bristlenose. They aren't going to increase your bioload by much and it's a non-issue as long as you keep your stocking reasonable.
 
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