# Algae Eaters??



## AwesomeBean (Aug 23, 2007)

I'm curious to know if an Algae Eater really does eat Algae. I've never had one yet and I might get one for my tank. Thanks! :icon_smil 

P.S. Would an Algae Eater eat my Glo-Light Tetras because they are so small?


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## Homer_Simpson (May 10, 2007)

AwesomeBean said:


> I'm curious to know if an Algae Eater really does eat Algae. I've never had one yet and I might get one for my tank. Thanks! :icon_smil
> 
> P.S. Would an Algae Eater eat my Glo-Light Tetras because they are so small?


Otocinclus will clear up diatom algae. This is the type of algae that forms when a tank is ending the cycling process. The problem is that these fish are highly sensitive due to the way they are caught and most will die within a month, so you need to make sure that you purchase from a pet store that has had them in their tanks for quite some time - difficult at times as they are so popular and tend to sell out so quickly. I have not found them effective at eating other types of algae.

Siamese algae eater: Eats most types of algae including the dreaded black brush algae. The one I have seems to have grown lazy in his old age and rarely comes out to clean up any algae, even when I don't feed him.

Florida Flag Fish, Rosy Barb, and Black Molly Fish: These are known to eat string algae like spaghetti. But some say they are brutal on the plant leaves. My Kribensis Cichlids mutilated my Hygrophilia Compact leaves when they began feeding on the string algae growing on the tips. I have no experience with the Florida Flag Fish, Rosy Barb, and Black Molly fish but if they are anywhere as brutal as the Kribs were in feeding of the string algae of my plant leaves, I can see how they can cause problems.

Nerite snails: I have read that this is one of the few snails that will eat Blue Green Algae, but this snail leaves a mess of unhatched eggs in an aquarium that look like salt crystals. Some people don't like this.

I don't think that an algae eater would eat glow light tetras, and if you are worried about this, stick to a bottom feeding algae eater like a Siamese algae eater, oto, or even Bristlenose pleco. The problem with fish is that sometimes fish have their own personalities. A fish store staff member may tell you, oh don't worry about it Rosy Barbs are peaceful and don't bother other fish, so you buy it, get it home, and before you know it, it starts chasing your other fish trying to nip at them. Then, you talk to your friend, who says, I don't know why I your Rosy Barb is that way. I have one with the same type of fish as yours and he does not bother the other fish. It comes down to personality, and the only way that you can know for sure if any algae eater(s) will behave aggressively towards your fish or vica versa is when you get the fish home and put him in your tank. There are no guarantees when it comes to fish behaviour. All you can do is give all the fish a lot of hiding places and don't overstock a tank and create a situation where they constantly end up in each others' faces and start fighting for or competing for fish.


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## AwesomeBean (Aug 23, 2007)

Thanks for replying! :icon_smil 
I think I might get a Siamese Algae Eater. BTW, How do you know all that? Your a pro!! Again, Thanks!


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## Homer_Simpson (May 10, 2007)

AwesomeBean said:


> Thanks for replying! :icon_smil
> I think I might get a Siamese Algae Eater. BTW, How do you know all that? Your a pro!! Again, Thanks!



Thanks  No, not really a pro. I don't think anyone can ever to be. There is always so much to learn. I have had fish tanks and fish for over 7 years and these are just some of the things that I have observed in my own tanks and from fish that I have purchased. The Siamese Algae Eater can be a good choice, but these get quite big. I would not put him in anything smaller than a 30 gallon. I have one in my 40 gallon. I call him Nessie(like the Loch Ness Monster) because he is the biggest fish in the tank. When I got him he was only about a 1/4" and you could barely seem him. In 7 years, he has grown to at least 6.5" in length. Everyone that visits and sees him always says: "Holy Mackeral that is a big fish!"


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## rodney (Apr 10, 2007)

Err...What he said, But If you have say a 15-20 gallon you could get a Bristlenose pleco. Although they only come out at night they eat all sorts of algea and even come in different types Like the albino longfin blue-eyed marble Bristlenose pleco LOL. these fish aren't very rare so it should be easy to get one. BUT whatever you do, DON'T get a common pleco, well unless you don't mind getting rid of him after a couple years because they never stop growing lol.

In my ten gallon, I just have a regular oto affinis, These fish naturaly have alot of preditors so they are pretty jumpy. But if you want a pleco, I have heard of some small ones that only get a couple inches. Not sure there exact names though.

rodney


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## JenThePlantGeek (Mar 27, 2006)

> Although they only come out at night


You should tell my Albino Bristlenoses, they apparently didn't get the memo! Mine cruise around day and night sucking on glass and leaves, delightful little fish. Look for something in the _Ancistrus_ genus in general if you don't want it to get too big.


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## Homer_Simpson (May 10, 2007)

As Rodney pointed out, the Bristlenose Pleco is a really good choice for a smaller tank. I have a Bristlenose Pleco in my 10 gallon anti-algae tank(as per my signature). That wouldn't normally be a problem, but my tank is overstocked and the Bristlenose is a heavy pooper and produces a lot of waste  which doesn't help matters. So getting one limits how many other fish you can/should put into a 10 gallon(the rule is one inch of fish per gallon tank). In my case, I had no choice as my 30 gallon tank sprung a leak and I had no other tank to put all the fish in and could not afford to buy a bigger tank. 

Still, the Bristlenose is quite hardy and he does not bother/uproot my plants. When I first got him, I saw him sitting on the bottom of the tank and it looked like he was convulsing and a goner. He hardly ever came out and there were a few times I never saw him at all and thought he had died of convulsions. That was almost a year ago. He was alive and kicking and still is. He seems to have adapted being transferred from a 30 gallon(which was leaking) to a 10 gallon. He is just very shy and comes out at night, but if I ever turn on the room lights and make eye contact with him he quickly flees and goes into hiding. Its like I scare the s*it out of him when I look at him


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## reizao (Jul 9, 2007)

I like lda25 pleco.


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