aquatic animals that clean for us

[SeanTrollope]

so at the moment i have a small algae problem in my curve glass tank (the only one set up at the moment) i would like to know what aquatic animals that do a good job of algae removal there are and what are the positives and negatives thereof.

 

[fluttermoth]

There are no animals, fish or otherwise, that will do a good job of cleaning. Even if they do eat algae, they'll do some bits and miss others, so if you want clean glass to look through, you'll have to clean it yourself anyway.

And they'll all produce more waste and add more bioload than they'll ever clean up, even shrimps.

 

[SeanTrollope]

well okay i guess i got to get cleaning

 

[fluttermoth]

Cheap washing up sponges work best, IMHO. Just rinse them under the tap before you use them, and do make sure they're plain sponge, not the kind with a soap or detergent impregnated into them!

 

[StevenF]

Neriite snail can do a good job of keeping up with a minor algae issue and do a good job controlling algae on glass as long as it is a soft algae. If it rubs off easily snails will eat it. They however cannot eat hard seen spot algae on glass.

Nerite snails don't reproduce in fresh water so they will not overrun and become a nuisance in your tank.

 

[Adohan]

I agree 1 Neriite in my 55l tank clear the glass in less then 2 days.

But really question is what type of algae are you trying to remove, what size tank and what fish are in the tank.

 

[SeanTrollope]

unfortunately its the hard green spot algae. and the tank is 120 l

 

[neoyyf]

Keeping live plants can help keep algae down. Or get some snails, especially the ones considered pests make a great clean up crew. Snails with long cones are not as good as the ones with spiral or rounded shells. I would also avoid larger types of snails like Apple/mystery snails, especially if you want to keep live plants as they will eat them and theyre not that good at cleaning up algae

 

[SeanTrollope]

i have a colony of ramshorn that i have in the past tried to get rid of but they kinda grew on me and i have since left them be.

 

[Adohan]

I hear Bristlenose plecs or Neriite Snails will eat green spot algae if not over feed.
Bristlenose plecs do not work well with sword like plants.

 

[thrujenseyes]

There are no animals, fish or otherwise, that will do a good job of cleaning. Even if they do eat algae, they'll do some bits and miss others, so if you want clean glass to look through, you'll have to clean it yourself anyway.

And they'll all produce more waste and add more bioload than they'll ever clean up, even shrimps.

I absolutely agree with the above post.
But I will add that I have a nerite in my little fluval edge and it works wonders.
He's always busy, I rarely ever see him still.
AND he's gorgeous.
....but he's a poop machine!

 

[Jordan_Deus]

After just setting up my tank I had some brown diatome algae growing on a Anubias Bonzai that I was, unsuccessfully, cleaning manually. After about a week I added Neocaridina heteropoda "wild". Cherry shrimp were originally bred from these, that said, I'm not sure if Cherries will eat the same variety or amount of food as I have never kept Cherries. They constantly clean up all the brown algae on the plants and most of the fungi that was growing on my spider wood. Personally I think that Neocaridina heteropoda "wild" look really cool full grown, when they get that greenish tint to them. They are completely clear as juveniles, but completely worth the wait IMO. As said earlier by fluttermoth, they wont clean your tank for you, you still need to put in the maintenance. Nonetheless they can help keep plants tidy by eating algae and dead plant matter.

 

[thrujenseyes]

After just setting up my tank I had some brown diatome algae growing on a Anubias Bonzai that I was, unsuccessfully, cleaning manually. After about a week I added Neocaridina heteropoda "wild". Cherry shrimp were originally bred from these, that said, I'm not sure if Cherries will eat the same variety or amount of food as I have never kept Cherries. They constantly clean up all the brown algae on the plants and most of the fungi that was growing on my spider wood. Personally I think that Neocaridina heteropoda "wild" look really cool full grown, when they get that greenish tint to them. They are completely clear as juveniles, but completely worth the wait IMO. As said earlier by fluttermoth, they wont clean your tank for you, you still need to put in the maintenance. Nonetheless they can help keep plants tidy by eating algae and dead plant matter.

I too have some neocaridina (blues and blacks ..and combos of each) and they are wonderful little cleaners and tons of fun to watch!

 

[NickAu]

Nerite snails lay eggs all over the place and it looks yuck. Mystery snails lay a sack of eggs above the waterline and its easy to remove.

There are no animals, fish or otherwise, that will do a good job of cleaning.

I agree.

Apple/mystery snails, especially if you want to keep live plants as they will eat them

Not quite right.

Mystery snail (Pomacea bridgesii, ), these are the ones most commonly found in pet shops will NOT eat live plants, They only eat decaying plant matter.

If you see a Mystery snail nibbling on a "live" plant its probably because the leaf is dying, there is something yummy on the leaf or they are starving and are forced to eat the live plants.

If you have Mystery snails you need to feed them.

Look at the photo in my signature, there are 5 Mystery snails (Pomacea bridgesii, ) in there, If they were eating my plants they would be removed.

I do not keep Mystery snails to clean my tanks, I keep them because they make cool pets in their own right.

 

[NickAu]

Ps.

Looked after correctly, some Apple/Mystery snails can get quite large.
Image NOT my work.