the skinny on algae eaters

[pica_nuttalli]

since this gets asked all the time and someone has suggested we develop a pinned topic... information on "algae eaters":
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not all algae eaters are catfish and not all catfish are algae eaters. most catfish are in fact purely carnivorous; only some are algae eaters.

cories and loaches are just bottom scavengers and won't touch algae.
most community fish like to nibble on some form of algae or another.
most mbunas like and need to eat some algae as part of their diet.

oto's will eat most forms of surface algae but are generally on the delicate side.
chinese algae/sucking loaches/gold algae eaters etc are good algae eaters, but become large and very aggressive.
american flag fish eat hair algae (cherry barbs are also good at this, i believe)
siamese algae eaters are rare and like most loose algae.
flying foxes and false siamese algae eaters are more common and will eat hair/bush algae.
hillstream loaches/butterfly plecs/hong kong plecos are ok coldwater algae eaters.

ALL PLECOS REQUIRE SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING TO SURVIVE. THEY NEED LOTS OF FOOD AND MAKE LOTS OF POOP.
bristlenose plecos are pretty good on algae, as are rubbernoses.
common plecs are pretty good algae eaters but get huge.
zebra plecos, royal panques and many other plecos will barely touch algae and require meaty foods (like flat-bodied fish).
ALL PLECOS REQUIRE SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING TO SURVIVE. THEY NEED LOTS OF FOOD AND MAKE LOTS OF POOP.

DO NOT BUY AN ALGAE EATER UNLESS YOU ALREADY HAVE ALGAE TO FEED HIM. IF THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ALGAE THAT YOU CAN SEE IT, THEN THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ALGAE TO BE EATEN. IF THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ALGAE TO BE EATEN, YOU WILL NEED TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL FOODS.

supplemental foods include cucumbers, fancy lettuces/cabbage, and of course freshwater algae wafers (available at most LFS).

 

[LoachLover]

If you do buy a algae eater before you have algae make sure you give him some algae wafers

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I was also going to say on CAE's although they are little psychos of fish they are very, very efficient algae eaters and need alot of supliment algae wafers/tablets to survive as more than often they clear a tank out of algae and then starve.
Corys don't eat algae off the tank but they will nibble at wafers and if you have lots of them in a tank with say, a common plec(nocturnal), feed the plec his algae wafer at night when the tank lights are off so he gets enough chance to eat his own wafer before the corys eat it all up.
How much you feed your algae eating fish depends on what rate its growing at/its species and how big it is.

 

[Torrean]

rainbow sharks eat algae too but they don't seem to eat it off the glass. Since my common pleco died a good bit of algae has built up on the glass. I'll edit this some when I find out more.

Edit: from fish index and memory.

KEY

X" = Max size in aquarium

classifications of algae eating capabilities
will eat algae = eats some algae from rocks and plants but not enough to be considered an algae eater

Algae Eater = will do a good job at eating algae on gravel ornaments plants and glass

Scavenger = may eat some algae but mostly lives off of scraps in bottom of tank.

Non-Algae Eater = seems like it would eat algae but doesn't

Undecided = I need more information or I need to use more sources than the fish index. I don't know if I can do this or not can anyone inform me?

LABRYNTH

Banded Gourami - will eat algae Feeding: Accepts a variety of tropical flake foods. Also excepts live and frozen foods such as bloodworms and brineshrimp. Is also known to eat algae from leaves of plants and rocks.

Paradise Gourami - will eat algae (what should I call fish that eat some algae?) Feeding: Accepts a variety of tropical flake foods. Also excepts live and frozen foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, and planeria. Is also known to eat algae from leaves of plants and rocks.

EDIT: It seems most gourami's will pick at algae.

CYPRINIDS

White Cloud Mountain Minnow - will eat algae (again what should I call these and should I include them at all?) - 1.5" - Care: It can be kept in cool conditions, as low as 16C/60F, and some people keep them outside during summer months. Fishes that have been kept in outdoor pools over summer have more colour than the indoor fish due to the abundance of natural foods, from insect larve to ALGAE. It can also be kept at the lower end of the tropical scale.

Rainbow Shark - will eat algae - 6" - 1 per tank(voraciously when hungry in my experience, but doesn't seem to like the stuff on the glass) Feeding: Omnivorous, some vegetable matter is required in their diet as well as more meatier foods like bloodworms. They will except most foods ranging from commercailly prepared flakes to live foods. Sometimes they will also graze on algae.


CATFISH

Common Pleco - Algae Eater - 20" - (imho this fish is sold as a tank seller in most cases. People go into an LFS and say hey I've got algae. The LFS says well have I got the fish for you, He just loves algae and look how cheap the "little" guy is.
2 years later person returns to LFS and says my common got 12" long and he barely fits in my ten gallon anymore, I think I need a new tank. And just like that a $3 fish makes $150+ for the LFS.) Feeding: they need algae wafers to supplement there diet.

Sailfin Pleco
Bristlenose Pleco - Algae Eater - 5" - Feeding: These fish eat algae which form on the tank glass, decorations and gravel, but their diet must be supplemented with meaty foods such as frozen bloodworms, vegetables such as zucchini and cucumber and sinking pallets.

Clown Pleco - Non Algae Eater 5" Feeding: Wood is required and, in addition, vegetables (zucchini, cucumbers, etc.) are needed. Sinking pellets as well as algae wafers should also be fed to this fish. The clown pleco will NOT clean your tank of algae for you so do not get this fish if you want an algae eater.

Flagtailed catfish - Scavenger - 5" - Feeding: Seem to take very kindly to feeding on catfish pellets and anything else they can forrage for on the bottom of the tank. A bit of vegitable is always appreciated and keeps their colours bright.

Gold Nugget Pleco - undecided - 9" - Feeding: Seem to take very kindly to feeding on catfish pellets and anything else they can forrage for on the bottom of the tank. A bit of vegitable is always appreciated and keeps their colours bright. please elaborate

Oto- algae eater - 2" - groups of 3+ - Feeding: Algae wafers as well as some vegetables. Loves brown algae and driftwood

peppered cory - scavenger - 3" - group of 5+ - Feeding: Peppered cories are bottom feeders, they search the bottom for leftover food. They will eat flake food that sinks to the bottom. Shrimp pellets, in my own experience, has been the most popular food but they will eat most bottom feeder pellets.

Rubbernose pleco - undecided - 3" - Feeding: Algae wafers and veggies like cucumber, lettuce, and squash, some live or frozen foods.





edit: Can I find quotes from people who have owned algae eaters on here and post them in this thread? Please add/correct what I have posted. Am I doing this well? Shouls I put in more info? Like size and aggression?

EDIT: Can I take info from other websites? For instance albino long finned plecos eat algae and stay about 4-5 inch. and are relatively cheap, when compared to some other pleco. But I found this on another website. Can I include this? Do I need to cite the sources I used. Should I find it in several places before I include it in this thread? I really would like to do this well and get it pinned cuz common pleco is probably one of the most common mistake.

 

[The-Wolf]

Sorry to nitpick pica

oto's will eat most forms of surface algae.

but need a mature tank and are prone to unexplained deaths

chinese algae/sucking loaches/gld algae eaters eaters mostly eat squishy bits like eyeballs.

CAE's etc are excellent algae eaters, however they can become extreamly aggressive and may start to suck the slime coat and eys of other fish

flying foxes and false siamese algae eaters will nibble on hair/bush algae.

again a good algae eater, with a particular liking for hair/brush algae

 

[Iron Man]

Swordtails and mollies will eat algae, though they have a harder time getting it off of the flat surfaces such as tank glass.

Also it needs to be known that some types of algae eating fish,(someone else should know the specific fish) especially the suckermouth types such as plecos, should NOT be put in the same tank with the flat-bodied fish and fish that secrete more slime such as discus, angelfish, goldfish, and sometimes gouramies. I'm sure there's more that's just off the top of my head.

It needs to be noted that fish are not the only creatures that will consume algae.

Certain snails (apple and malaysian) eat algae and will not eat plants as some think.

Many types of shrimp eat algae although they have a hard time with flat surfaces such as tank glass.


The advantage with snails and shrimps over fish is that certain types will also eat detritus and left over flake food. Most all fish will not eat detritus although I'm sure there's a rare acception in a few people's tanks. The disadvantages is that some fish will pick on/eat shrimps.

Do NOT put shrimp with any reasonably sized goldfish......he will get swallowed whole.

 

[Ferris]

I would add that sailfin plecs are very good with green algae although I believe they become less active as they grow and mature. Mine is about 7 inches at the mo and keeps his tank spotless. Size is of course an issue as with common's they need a really large tank. I have mine in a 55 gal at present but he will soon be moving to a 125 gal, which is more appropriate.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Platies and guppies are like swordtail and mollies: very good at eating algae off ornaments, plants and gravel, but they won't polish your glass for you. They cleared up my brown algae in 2 days.

 

[Torrean]

Anyone know if Butterfly Pleco's will eat algae?

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Anyone know if Butterfly Pleco's will eat algae?

they'll eat a bit; mostly they like to munch on the critters living in the algae.

i've made several revisions to my initial post; if anyone would care to review it...?

 

[Torrean]

Oto's are only considered delicate for the first month right? I have read several places including tff that after the first month if your otto is still kicking he will probably be around a while.

 

[rdd1952]

Oto's are only considered delicate for the first month right? I have read several places including tff that after the first month if your otto is still kicking he will probably be around a while.

That may be the case. I haven't had much luck at all with otos. As previously stated, they die quite unexpectedly. I have lost 4 since January. Every one of them, I found laying on the bottom when everything seemded fine the previous day. All were relatively new to the tank though so the one month thing may be correct. I still have one left but don't know whether he was one of my first ones or from the last bunch I got. I wish I had someplace to take him and give him away. Their cute little fish but they need a school and I just hate to buy any more.

One other thing I have observed about my otos (this may not be the norm, only what I have seen): when first introduced into the tank, they go at algae like crazy, cleaning leaves like a vacuum cleaner. But once I have put in a piece of cucumber or zuchini in the tank as a treat, they seem to give up on algae all together and just hang on the side of the tank waiting for the next treat.

I have true SAE in my 75 gallon tank and they have done a great job in it. I would highly recommend them if you can find them.

 

[Torrean]

This post needs more info. So I thought I'd bring it back to the top. I think an algae eater sticky thread is important because so many people end up with monster's in there tank and think that it's the only option they had.