I Need A Strictly Algae Eating Fish

[Ilya]

I want a fish that will strictly eat algae. And I don't want one that will get huge. I only have a 22 gallon COMMUNITY tank. So the fish shouldn't be aggressive. I was thinking of getting some CAE. What do you think?

 

[Hoobie]

Bristlenose Catfish might be nicer, information here; http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/ancist.htm We recently got a pair of these and they are fun to watch, I think they are smaller than CAE and from information I have read they have a nicer temperament.

Edited: More information on Algae Eaters here; http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=135919

 

[dwarfgourami]

If by strictly algae eating, you mean a fish that never needs any other food, then I'm not sure evolution has got that far. But if you want something that does a good job on the algae, supplemented by occasional other foods, then I would suggest either a bristlenose or (if the tank is mature) a small group of otos. For thread algae on plants and things, amano shrimps are good, but they will not scrape the green algae off your glass. CAEs eat less algae as they mature, they grow to a fair old size and they can get aggressive, particularly in small tanks.

 

[Ilya]

If by strictly algae eating, you mean a fish that never needs any other food, then I'm not sure evolution has got that far. But if you want something that does a good job on the algae, supplemented by occasional other foods, then I would suggest either a bristlenose or (if the tank is mature) a small group of otos. For thread algae on plants and things, amano shrimps are good, but they will not scrape the green algae off your glass. CAEs eat less algae as they mature, they grow to a fair old size and they can get aggressive, particularly in small tanks.

I don't have enough faith to be an evolutionist .

Spoiler

I don't have enough faith to be an atheist XD.

Would ghost shrimp work for threaded algae?

 

[rdd1952]

Would ghost shrimp work for threaded algae?

Actually, ghost shrimp are scavengers and will clean up excess for but don't eat algae. The key to an algae eater is what type algae you have. Different fish & shrimp (amanos) will eat different types of algae but won't touch other types so it's hard to say that any particular one is perfect and take care of the particular algae problem you have. Here is a pretty good article on different types of algae and the types of fish that may eat each one.

Edit: I agree about the CAEs. They pretty much won't eat algae after they get a little age on them and realize that there is other food in the tank. Also, CAEs and corys do not mix as CAEs are bad about eating the eyes out of corys. In general, CAEs aren't good community fish and will also outgrow your 22 gallon tank as they grow to 6 to 10 inches. And according to your signature, it looks as though you already have 2 of them.

 

[Ilya]

I'll start looking for SAE before my CAE get big.

 

[rdd1952]

SAEs are great. I have 3 (one for over 2 years) in my 75 gallon and they get along fine with the other fish. They are about 4" now but that's not too much for your tank. They eat a wide variety of algae and will eat flakes, pellets or wafers too.

 

[aquamike]

I had some brown algae growing at a rapid pace. I bought a clown pleco and i have seen the amount of algae reduce.

 

[Ilya]

The problem is that all the fish stores around me only sell normal plecos. And not Pitbull Plecos or Bristlenose Catfish.

 

[rdd1952]

You will probably have to find a true fish store and not a chain pet store. If you can, they should be able to order you one even if they don't have them in stock.

 

[Ilya]

I'm talking about real LFS. And they sell tattoo'd fish. I only buy ghost shrimp or equipment from him. Haven't seen any SAE though.

 

[Luketendo]

If they sell Tattooed fish then they aren't a good fish shop and are very cruel, buy somewhere else.

 

[rdd1952]

I agree. Tatooing, like dying, is a terribly cruel practice. I wouldn't buy (or take advice) from any store that sold tatooed fish.

 

[RopefishManiac]

You would definitely need some oto catfish. These little guys are great. You would only need 2-3 (but better if you have 3) and they do a great job cleaning algae. They are community fish. They won't go after anything and nothing (except for much bigger fish of course) will be aggressive towards them. They stay very small about an inch to 1 and a half inches. They are much better than plecos in most cases because plecos have a lot of waste. This means you have to clean the tank much more and it gets a little annoying. Also, plecos grow very large. The up-side to them is they get the job done faster but the otos have many more advantages. And hey, would you rather have the job done fast or have it done right?

 

[augustaranger]

What is an SAE?