ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

[thomas]

Hi everyone. In addition to 2 alb BN and some Nerite snails, I want to add more species as my algae cleaning crew. SAE, Amercan Flag Fish, or Oto Cats? Which one did the best job and where are they available? Thanks in advance. I want to hear some idea from everyone.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

Flag fish are mean buggers...will nip other docile fish and eat shrimp.

SAE on occasion eat black beard algae but most are lazy, get big, eat moss and are often mislabelled in the hobby or confused with CAE's

Ocats are probably the best choice but they don't eat hair algae like the flag fish will.

Up the nerites and add some ocats.....the main thing is to accomplish a balance in the tank.

[armthehomeless]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

-I like Otocinclus (AKA Otos or O-cats) because of their small size and voracious appetite for Algae. They would be my number one choice assuming you don't have big tankmates.

-My experience with SAEs are that they get lazy when larger, and do not eat much algae. They work well when still small though. I would get them in groups, and would not put them in anything less thana 30g. ust my opinion though.

-As for flagfish, I like them. Depending on what type of algae you are trying to get rid of, they may not be the best choice.

-Amano shrimp have helped me with algae issues in the past as well.

-I know you didn't mention them, but I would stay away from CAEs (Chinese Algae Eaters) , Flying Foxes (false SAEs I believe), and Common Plecos.

Ultimately, If you get a mixture of these aquatic animals to get rid of certain types of algae, then you will assure yourself that one thing will happen. You will get the type of algae that your clenup crew does not take care of. There is something to be said to regular maintanence and keeping the aquarium in equilibrium. :wink:

[eklikewhoa]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

Forgot to mention SAE's will eat shrimp too.

[Mzungu]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

Hmm, well, those two didn't leave much to say!  :)

Is there a particular problem you're having, like algae on the walls of the aquarium, or on certain plant leaves...? Or are you just wanting to get more fish? The nerites and the ABNs should do an awesome job of cleaning up most of the algae in your tank, at least that's what I've experienced.

I think different people have different experiences with Flag Fish. I have a pair in a 40g, and they pretty much keep to themselves. They're actually kind of shy. I've heard that they can terrorize tankmates, but I haven't seen a problem at all. And I've got fish in there that are much smaller than them. But, again, I think they tend to have different personalities.

[jklntx]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

Another choice might be PitBull plecos. They dont get big and do pretty good job on algae.

[armthehomeless]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

True! I love my Pit Bull pleco!

Interestingly enough, I've had amano shrimp in with SAE's for over two years now...

[eklikewhoa]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

I don't consider amano's shrimp....those things are like baby lobsters....If they are not dead I think the tank he wants algae eaters for has CRS.

[PlanB]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

Since nobody mentioned free-floating algae, I'd suggest some kind of filter-feeding shrimp like a wood or vampire shrimp. They're big enough where small fish would leave them alone. Probably not crazy-efficient, but hey, it's an excuse to get more shrimp!

[thomas]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

Let's view some pic. It worth more than a thousand words. Thanks again all for the priceless information.

Sorry about my low quality photo. I don't know to take better pic.

[thomas]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

Like eklikewhoa and armthehomeless think, the main factor is imbalance in the tank. So, what will you do for it to reach equilibrium?

Right now, I am dosing ADA Step 2, Brighty K, and Excel every 2 days because I broke the glass diffusor last week, and the replacement is not delivered yet. So, the drop checker indicate low in CO2 due to the insufficient dissolving amount of CO2.

Ek was right, my CRS are still running in the tank, that 's why I am hesitating to throw in some amano. Some hobbist from plantedtank.net advised me the amano b/c it did good job with algae in HC as the sample tank below:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/photo-album/28520-snapples-90-gal-dec-6th-dslr-6.html

[eklikewhoa]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

Mollies are decent too....but they will snack on shrimplets.

I think what you need is amano shrimp....or more water flow/circulation.

[PlanB]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

Hey that looks nice, fuzziness and all. Go to target or walmart and grab a cheap tripod. Bump up the resolution on the digital camera and you can take pretty decent pics set on Auto.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

Perfect example of clado "moss balls" gone bad!

[Drew]

Re: ALGAE EATER for plant tanks

Otocinclis, my Clown Pleco, Amano Shrimp and "Roseline Sharks" have done a decent job at keeping the algae in check.