snails

[bahja]

i've got a 10 gallon tank that needs some algae eaters... will snails do? i'm taking this route because i don't know of any other fish, other than plecos, that will help keep my tank clean.

 

[vantgE]

maybe otos i don't know much about them but i'm pretty sure they'll fit in a ten gallon

 

[bahja]

ottos hey...? hmm.... thanks. i'll look into them... they're kinda ugly looking when they're on the glass tho...

 

[tstenback]

And a plec is cute with its lips all puckered up? An otocinclus is a great algae eater for smaller tanks. It stays small and likes to be in a group of 3 or so but they will have very little impact on your tank balance.

 

[bahja]

i'd rather not add a pleco... it'll grow rather large... i had one in there before, and the next thing i knew, it grew to almost half my tank... ha...

sides... i need the plec in my bigger tank that i have yet to set up

 

[Jaded_Pulse]

Yup otos are supposed to be great algae eaters & only grow to be 1 1/2" (approx.). But they do need to be kept in groups (the bigger the better), + I hear they can be pretty dang sensitive to water quality, & are prone to dying for no apparent reason....If I were you, I'd get a nice apple snail - they're good cleaners (I actually have to drop zucchini into my 15gal to feed my 1 snail coz my tank's so clean), & apple snails can't reproduce by themselves like many other breeds can. Sure, they're not the prettiest picture when they're suckered to the glass but then again, I don't think anything would be lol. Snails are really hardy too, I even use salt in my tank & he's still chugging away happily. Only thing to watch is that they like to escape so make sure ur tank's well covered if u do get one.

 

[bahja]

yeah... i just read up on ottos... nice looking, but as mentioned, really sensitive. on top of all that, a 10 gallon tank would not suffice in feeding a group of 2-3 ottos. they end up starving to death because there wouldn't be enough algae to eat.
i'll be looking up apple snails tomorrow then. thanks for all the help.