# What is the best algae eating fish/invert.



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Nerite snails.


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## guppygolucky (Nov 9, 2009)

RCS. They keep my tank CLEAN and they reproduce thus continuing the cleaning cycle and the circle of life


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## LilGreenPuffer (Sep 23, 2010)

It depends on your tank. Nerite snails, oto cats, and Amano shrimp are arguably the best in their own categories. It really does depend on what your needs are, though. For example, if your tank is new, otos wouldn't work because they need well-established tanks. Amanos might get eaten by larger fish. Nerites can't live in super-soft water for too long before their shells start to erode.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Haha, the first thing that came to mind was a Yellow Tang. But back to freshwater...Ottos.


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

LilGreenPuffer said:


> *otos wouldn't work because they need well-established tanks*. QUOTE]
> 
> negatory...
> 
> ive never lost one of these... they seem to be the hardiest fish ive ever seen, and don't need a well established tank... just someone who cares to make sure its cycled and theirs stuff to eat, especially a lil driftwood for fiber


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## LilGreenPuffer (Sep 23, 2010)

Most people aren't as lucky as you. Most otos, especially wild-caught ones, are pretty delicate in their first few days and weeks in their new homes. After that period of settling in, then, yes, they tend to be very hardy.


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## AW0L (Jan 15, 2004)

American flag and SAE for me followed by amanos


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## LICfish (Oct 9, 2010)

LilGreenPuffer said:


> Most people aren't as lucky as you. Most otos, especially wild-caught ones, are pretty delicate in their first few days and weeks in their new homes. After that period of settling in, then, yes, they tend to be very hardy.


+1 I've never had any luck with them. My LFS also told me that sometimes they lose the whole stock of them even before they can sell them.

I now have SAEs and an ABN and I think they're both really great at eating algae.


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## Captivate05 (Feb 23, 2010)

The only problem I had with otos was when I accidentally gassed a few to death. They were literally the first fish that went into my 29g, when it was only a couple weeks going. They munched on romaine lettuce, zucchini, and the occasional frozen bloodworms for a while. Mine eat everything

Then again, my LFS gets them from a reliable source and quarantines them for at least two weeks before selling them. They are top notch.

I'm not sure about algae eaters in general. Amanos aren't too bad, and the otos are fine. But if I have a true algae outbreak in my tank, they aren't going to keep up with it.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Bristlenose Pleco,Farlowella,otocinclus would get my votes.


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## oaomcg (Sep 24, 2010)

a team of otos


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

Nerites!


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## ycbs (Jan 30, 2008)

In almost every tank I have, I have a team of otos, nerites and amano shrimp. I also have a florida flagfish in a tank that had some hair algae and don't have hair algae anymore. I have a SAE in a tank that had some BBA and don't have BBA anymore. I haven't had to use an algae scraper in any tank in well over a year now. I also employ ghost shrimp to help with detritus cleanup.


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## tadpole2 (Nov 7, 2010)

with out a shadow of doubt! chinese algae eaters (brown or golden)
they need algae as part of their diet, so the more algae the happier and healthier they are! everyone's a winner!
ther awsome things the way they do away with algae.
"bare in mind when they reach adult size they can become semi-aggresive"

or you could try "red claw crabs" tho that idea being a new ball game all together.

any pleco will do the job aswell.
all depends on your needs at the time.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

wendyjo said:


> Nerites!


I am with you on this one. I have horned nerites in my 10 gal, and Zebra and Tracked in my 36 gal. They are phenomenal algae eaters. Although the larger nerites cannot get on plants due to their density, they will eat the algae off anything that can support them in quick order.


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## Chrisk-K (Oct 12, 2009)

My 40g and 20g were constantly attacked by diatoms and algae. I put in amanos in May and haven't seen an iota of diatoms or algae.


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## hillville (Sep 28, 2010)

I'd go with the bristlenose also.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

As cool as my bristlenose plecos are, I have never seen them eat a substantial amount of algae. Otos, nerites, and florida flagfish are the best IMO. Otos eat diatoms, nerites eat green spot algae, and flagfish eat hair algae (and I've even seen them snack on black beard algae occasionally). 

I hear amanos do a great job also, but I cant say from experience as I have never had more than a few at one time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Batch (May 10, 2007)

Garras are the best algae eaters. No contest.


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## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

IME, it's the siamese algae eater by a long shot. Very hardy, eats all types of algae and it planaria.

I'd agree with the folks who stated that otos aren't very hardy. They only really flourish in warm (80 F) acidic water and they don't work as quickly as SAEs.

Nerites are the best algae eating snail.

I've kept amanos, and bred both cherries and crs. Shrimp don't do crap for algae unless it's a shrimp only tank.


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## GitMoe (Aug 30, 2010)

Love my Flying Foxes and Zebra nerites in my 36. In the 55 Ghost Shrimp and an army of MTS and Pond snails make the cleanup crew...


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

AzFishKid said:


> As cool as my bristlenose plecos are, I have never seen them eat a substantial amount of algae.


Mine do, especially soft green and brown algae.


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## tadpole2 (Nov 7, 2010)

chinese algae eaters! with out a shadow of doubt!
they will eat any form of algae...


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## oaomcg (Sep 24, 2010)

tadpole2 said:


> chinese algae eaters! with out a shadow of doubt!
> they will eat any form of algae...


is this a joke? they are probably one of the top 10 WORST fish you can keep. and they don't eat algae...


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

oaomcg said:


> is this a joke? they are probably one of the top 10 WORST fish you can keep. and they don't eat algae...


Ditto.

Well, they'll eat algae for a little while, when they're young... before they discover the joy of killing all their tankmates... :icon_conf


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## bklyndrvr (May 24, 2008)

Nerites worked the best for me. I had a algea all over the glass, a thick mat of it on my driftwood, after getting ten nerites from Zid here, after two weeks everything is totally clear. I'm worried that I don't have enough for them to eat and am now dropping algea wafers into my tank to help them supplement their diet.


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## Tsartetra (Oct 20, 2003)

As for inverts, Ramshorns work well for me.

Otos are fish I cannot keep alive, so I don't bother.

Bristlenose are pretty good, but the one fish I had that made an overnight impact was a Farlowella! Love these guys a lot. Within 20 minutes of introducing one of these, his impact was fantastically unreal. :icon_smil


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Tsartetra said:


> As for inverts, Ramshorns work well for me.
> 
> Otos are fish I cannot keep alive, so I don't bother.
> 
> Bristlenose are pretty good, but the one fish I had that made an overnight impact was a Farlowella! Love these guys a lot. Within 20 minutes of introducing one of these, his impact was fantastically unreal. :icon_smil


+one, The Farlowella is often overlooked.


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## odie (Dec 29, 2009)

I have heard Farlowellas are difficult to keep alive....at least in hardwater. Also back in the day when I kept planted tanks bristlenose were all the rage. But I have heard accounts of them treating a planted tank as a salad bar this also true?


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

odie said:


> I have heard Farlowellas are difficult to keep alive....at least in hardwater. Also back in the day when I kept planted tanks bristlenose were all the rage. But I have heard accounts of them treating a planted tank as a salad bar this also true?


Have not had trouble with Farlowella's in moderately hard water but they don't take heat very well. 77 degrees F seems to be about the limit in my expieriences with them.
I used to tell folks that Bristlenose if well fed would leave plant's alone,but in light of my expierience thus far with one particular Bristlenose, I am not so sure. It is one of a group of approx 50 juveniles I kept after trading it's siblings for store credit and thus far it has made a mess of an E Rubin plant that I am fond of despite nightly addition of veggies and alage wafers.
I have not cared for many that could not be discouraged from this with afore mentioned veggies but am not so quick anymore to suggest that this is the way to do so.:icon_evil


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## Tsartetra (Oct 20, 2003)

Farlowella's are pretty reliable when it comes to plants--generally, they leave them alone. But remember to put veggies in at least once or twice a week or they will starve. The two I had never saw tablets as food. It's either algae or veggies.


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## Wicket_lfe (Aug 21, 2008)

ycbs said:


> In almost every tank I have, I have a team of otos, nerites and amano shrimp. I also have a florida flagfish in a tank that had some hair algae and don't have hair algae anymore. I have a SAE in a tank that had some BBA and don't have BBA anymore. I haven't had to use an algae scraper in any tank in well over a year now. I also employ ghost shrimp to help with detritus cleanup.


is that the general consensus for ghost shrimp, good for the random junk i got laying at the bottom of my tank?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Wicket_lfe said:


> is that the general consensus for ghost shrimp, good for the random junk i got laying at the bottom of my tank?


Ghost shrimp are great overall scavengers. Just not much for eating algae.


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## cblwry (Sep 15, 2010)

I put 3 Ottos in my tank that was covered in Diatoms and algae. In less than a week it was clean and no problems since. Ottos will get my vote everytime....


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