# How many siamese algae eater for 60 gallon tank?



## ericwithac (Mar 19, 2015)

p2002 said:


> My tank already has a small army of algae fighters -- 5 ottos, 5 nerite snails, 1 mystery snail, 1 chinese hillstream loach, and 5 amano shrimp.
> 
> However, about 5-10% of my plants are still covered with black colored algae. I've heard great things about SAE. My two questions are:
> 
> ...


1. Do you have any other fish in your tank? If it were me, I would get more Otto cats. They do a great job, and full grown, are smaller than the siamese algae eaters. That might help the cluttered tank situation.

2. Buy from a respected, well known source, be it a LFS or an online source. I would be weary about buying a fish like that on AquaBid or something like that.

Hoped I helped!


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

My suggestion is 0. Your otos are already near my suggestion of 1 per 10g. The SAE could be hit or miss. There are some horror stories. I would tackled the root cause of the algae and then trim off the affected growth. If none of your new growth has black algae on it, then you've already done step one. I had some anubias that has black algae on it and it stayed there for almost a year. I had some swords that were affected and I just removed those leaves because they grow quickly.


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## p2002 (Nov 25, 2015)

ericwithac said:


> 1. Do you have any other fish in your tank? If it were me, I would get more Otto cats. They do a great job, and full grown, are smaller than the siamese algae eaters.


Thank you for your reply! I do see my ottos working hard at cleaning the glass. However they just don't seem to want to eat the black algae on the leaves of plants. In your experience do they eventually eat the black algae off plants?



Freemananana said:


> There are some horror stories. I would tackled the root cause of the algae and then trim off the affected growth. If none of your new growth has black algae on it, then you've already done step one. I had some anubias that has black algae on it and it stayed there for almost a year. I had some swords that were affected and I just removed those leaves because they grow quickly.


Thank you for your suggestions!

Would you mind telling me what horror stories you've heard? I'm very interested to know what can go wrong with SAE. 

:smile2:


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

p2002 said:


> Thank you for your suggestions!
> 
> Would you mind telling me what horror stories you've heard? I'm very interested to know what can go wrong with SAE.
> 
> :smile2:


Here's a thread to identify 'true' SAEs. Many are mislabeled and sold as SAEs despite not being one. 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/21-fish/871729-true-sae.html

I just searched SAE on this site and here are two threads with some negative stories:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/21-fish/874721-saes.html

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/2...e-all-my-algae-now-going-after-my-plants.html

My opinion is they do get lazy when they get older and they are big fish. They need a lot of tank. Most importantly, like all fish, you don't know the exact temperament of the fish you are buying.


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## p2002 (Nov 25, 2015)

Freemananana said:


> My opinion is they do get lazy when they get older and they are big fish. They need a lot of tank. Most importantly, like all fish, you don't know the exact temperament of the fish you are buying.


Yikes! Those stories are scary (and a bit hilarious). SAE does sound like a crapshoot. Thanks for the warning!


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## ericwithac (Mar 19, 2015)

p2002 said:


> Thank you for your reply! I do see my ottos working hard at cleaning the glass. However they just don't seem to want to eat the black algae on the leaves of plants. In your experience do they eventually eat the black algae off plants?


Ah, i must not have read clearly. No, they will not eat BBA. I had some dalmation mollies that would occasionally snack on it, but I don't think it would be enough to solve your issue.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

p2002 said:


> Yikes! Those stories are scary (and a bit hilarious). SAE does sound like a crapshoot. Thanks for the warning!


No worries.

Looking at your sig, you definitely have a lot of light for no CO2 in your tank. The Ray2 alone can carpet plants with a pressurized CO2 setup. You do not have a very wide tank, so you should be able to get even spread with a single fixture. 

Via Finnex on this forum:


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## p2002 (Nov 25, 2015)

Freemananana said:


> The Ray2 alone can carpet plants with a pressurized CO2 setup.


That's a great point. For context, I was already having algae problems before I added the Ray2 lights. Now that I have them both, my tank looks so much brighter. I prefer it aesthetically to either the Planted+ or Ray2 alone (although if I have to pick one, I'd rather have the Planted+ since the Ray2 gives everything a washed out look that I do not like.)

I am indeed looking into adding a co2 system. For now, I'm hoping my two-period lighting schedule will help keep the algae problem contained while I find and add the co2 system.


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## sohankpatel (Jul 10, 2015)

I personally have 2 SAE and i see no algae except some GSA, but nothing really eats that stuff. Mine have grown almost an inch in 2 months. They chase each other but have no issues with other fish, i dont know if this is normal, but after about a month, they started developing a yellow tinge to their fins, the SAE in the 500g at my LFS also has yellow-ish fins, may be the fish food?


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## Mikevwall (Jul 27, 2015)

I have 4 SAE I would give you. They're juveniles, about 2-2.5 inches. They eat algae like no other. Unfortunately, they have a fondness for any and all types of moss. I'm rescaping hopefully about a weeks time, id catch em up then. They make me angry. My poor moss.


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## Hooked on fish (Dec 15, 2015)

You don't have a "not enough algae eater problem"
You have a "too much algae problem"

Your best bet is to solve the imbalance of light vs ferts vs CO2 and just get rid of the algae.


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## p2002 (Nov 25, 2015)

Freemananana said:


> Via Finnex on this forum:


By the way, that PAR chart was super helpful! I looked for that thread and didn't see a similar chart for a 48 inch Planted+. Was that information shared in another thread?



sohankpatel said:


> I personally have 2 SAE and i see no algae except some GSA, but nothing really eats that stuff.


I'm pretty sure nerite snails eat green spot algae (at least I'm sure they eat it off the glass). I've personally observed them eating it off my aquarium. Now, do they get all of it? No. But they do work hard at it. 



Mikevwall said:


> I have 4 SAE I would give you. .


Awww you're too nice! Luckily we do have SAEs pretty often in the LFS I frequent, so it should be pretty easy for me to pick them up if I decided to get them. I appreciate the offer though! I know what you mean about getting mad at fish for eating plants. I'm pretty sure my thick lipped gourami is single handedly destroying my Vals.



Hooked on fish said:


> You don't have a "not enough algae eater problem"
> You have a "too much algae problem"
> 
> Your best bet is to solve the imbalance of light vs ferts vs CO2 and just get rid of the algae.


That's a good point. I do need to figure out the fundamental problem!


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

The planted+ never had an official release of par information, if I am remembering right. But it is around 3/4 or 1/2 of the Ray2. That's a ballpark guess.


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