Algae Eaters

[tenohfive]

I'm in the process of setting up a tank, and have already made a few mistakes which I've learned from. The eventual setup will have a mix of danio's, white cloud mountain minnows, gouramis and cories.

I'm looking to add a small number of either fish or shrimp that will deal with algae. Since setting up I'm getting some growing on the side nearest the window. I have blinds, so theres not alot of direct sunlight that gets through but enough to encourage some algae growth.

Given I only have a small tank (65 litres) I was looking at either small suckermouth cats or some form of shrimp. Any for or against pointers, or other fish I hadn't considered?

 

[snoopyfrench87]

gold ringed butterfly sucker - gorgeous fish, doesnt grow very large but does a great job on glass algae.

amano shrimp - good at clearing up left over food and fish waste off of the floor and other decorations

borneo sucker - generally stay small due to captive over breeding. good sucker fish, more interactive when kept in small groups if given the space

 

[Miss Wiggle]

i;m sure there was a pinned topic on algae eaters somewhere but I can't seem to find it. never mind though here's a quick run down.

in the fish shop you're likley to see several small suckermouth catfish type fish labelled as 'algae eater' it's really important that you make sure you identify exactly which species it is prior to making any purchases. some of the typical 'algae eaters' sold are common plecs which can reach a whopping 24" long and Chinese Algae Eaters which also get big and very aggressive as they mature.

So really the most important thing to note is to be careful to make sure you know what you're getting.

some good suggestions for algae eaters suitable for smaller tanks are, amano shrimp, otto's and bristle nose plecs

 

[tenohfive]

gold ringed butterfly sucker - gorgeous fish, doesnt grow very large but does a great job on glass algae.

Wow. Just wow. Looked up a photo here (my LFS is a chain, its their website)

http/www.fishkeeper.co.uk/databank_item....l=bdp&gid=0

I can't get over how much I want that fish. Having done some reading, they like very fast flowing water and work well with Danio's and WCCM's-which I already have in the tank. I'm on the point of forgetting the Gourami's just so I can have a tank with a couple of them in, maybe some guppies too-think they can cope with pretty fast flowing water.

Thanks snoopy, think you've just started me on a love affair.

 

[doresy]

Hi, watch your stocking levels. You are looking to stock it with some pretty lively fish and it's only a small tank. You mentioned Gouramis and I'm guessing Dwarf.....these like a quieter, fully matured and well planted tank.

Some algae eating specialist fish like SAE and Flying Fox (most fish will eat algea anyway) start off eating algae then as they mature they realise it is much easier to go for the supplied food.

Little 'Ottos are a favourite in 3-4's but are 'wild caught' and don't travel too well so only buy ones that you KNOW have been in the LFS for a while

You sound like you have an understanding of how to prevent excess algae from forming (prevention is better than a cure)

Personally, I am a 'hands in the tank' sort of person so I give the glass a weekly rub with an algae pad when doing a water change.
If I see a bit of a build up on the dec's I skip a couple of days of feeding, they all then get very busy on the algae

 

[jacko9901]

bristle nosed plec. my fav algea eater

 

[tenohfive]

I was thinking dwarves, but am on the point of just adding a couple more cories, a couple of guppies and a gold ringed butterfly sucker-I really have fallen for that fish.

Will hold fire for awhile until the tanks more mature, I've got a stick based algae cleaner and am quite happy using it (and onces its loose the cory tends to go for it) so I'm not in a desperate rush. And will give me a chance to see if anywhere nearby keeps gold ringed suckers, see what they're like in the flesh.

 

[Alverez]

id say bristle nose also ....

 

[doresy]

I was thinking dwarves, but am on the point of just adding a couple more cories, a couple of guppies and a gold ringed butterfly sucker-I really have fallen for that fish.

Will hold fire for awhile until the tanks more mature, I've got a stick based algae cleaner and am quite happy using it (and onces its loose the cory tends to go for it) so I'm not in a desperate rush. And will give me a chance to see if anywhere nearby keeps gold ringed suckers, see what they're like in the flesh.

Yes, keep us posted on the Gold Ringed Sucker.....quite interested myself

 

[pastabake]

That Goldringed Sucker is a hillstream Loach. Go to Loaches Online to read about what they require. From what I gather for them to have a decent crack at life they will need a lot of water movement, more than most other fish will tolerate and it will be a lack of algae that will be a problem not the other way round.
EDIT:

These delicate fish should really only be added to aquariums that are well mature. Such tanks will have a good established growth of algae for the fish to graze upon in order to consume the micro-organisms within, and will provide a source of nourishment whilst the fish may be adapting to the taking of prepared foods. The front glass can be wiped free of algae, but it is recommended that you allow algae to freely colonise the sides and back glass, and over the décor. Lighting should be bright in order to encourage a decent amount of algal growth.
Ideally, the aquarium will be at least 36” long, and contain a multitude of hiding spots amongst rocks, cobbles and bogwood. Flat smooth rocks should be placed in the path of the flow, where these fish will often congregate just as they would do in their natural boulder-strewn habitats. Plants can be incorporated into the river style aquarium, but not all species will fare well under the extreme flow conditions.

I have a similar sized tank with WCMM x10 and 2 Julii Corys and 4xOttos 4xSwordtails 2x SAE

It did have 5x Leopard Danios in it but they were far to frantic so I moved them. Soon I'm going to move the Swordtails because they are just too big for the tank. The Ottos and the SAE keep the tank pretty clean.

Also take a look at the different kinds of WCMM, Maidenhead Aquatics have the normal ones, Golden (albino??) and a Neon variety which is very nice.