View Full Version : which fish is best for algae?
buckeyenut222
08-22-2006, 5:31 PM
what kind of bottom feeder is good for cleaning algae? that can go with african cichlids (smaller ones) btw they are in a 30 gallon, there is only 2 of them.
Tongue33
08-22-2006, 5:32 PM
Plants :)
ancistrus sp. (bushynose) plecs are the best. some max out at just under 3". either way... theres 55+ species so a lot to choose from too
DeLgAdO
08-22-2006, 6:03 PM
i think all fish do a ****ty job at removing algae
they eat it and crap it out to create food for more algae.
lol never kept enough bristlenose in a small tank then...
buckeyenut222
08-22-2006, 6:22 PM
would rubber lip plecos be good? i cant seem to find bristlenoses anywhere around here. anyone from columbus know where to find them?
PinkPanther
08-25-2006, 3:17 PM
Otocinclus
bignootch
08-25-2006, 6:43 PM
The so-called Chinese Algae eater does a real good job. They tend to be a little aggr. as far as scrubbing slim off other fish sometimes. They'er inexpensive, busy, they even have a gold version. And I believe they grow to a size of 8-9" I can't remember the tech. name for it, It's A.Ayonmarii, or somthing like that. You'd be best served to ask a moderator on the tech name... Good luck!
tb_077
08-30-2006, 7:50 AM
Otocinclus
Definately, but would be tough to keep alive in an african tank.
gomezladdams
08-30-2006, 9:28 AM
Id go with the bristlenose plec for your size tank.Nothing eats algae better than a common pleco but they get too big for your tank
sandtiger
08-30-2006, 4:42 PM
A rubberlip would work, at least the one I have does. He eats up all the algae in a 55g tank alone.
yea they would, but any half decent lfs should be easily able to order you in a couple of different sp. of bristlenose. i agree i would have said ottos, but they are small fish, and im not sure how theyd fair with your tank mates. youd need a few of them too
joeytoe
08-30-2006, 7:08 PM
Id go for a Bushynose or rubberlip pleco.
hewhorunswithscissors
08-30-2006, 7:46 PM
why not some algae-scraping africans?
Muillinaust
08-30-2006, 10:20 PM
I've had some good luck with SAE's and Oto's, but Plecs just don't seem to do a very good job of algae control in my tanks.
STATIC X
08-31-2006, 11:52 AM
i think algea eater or giant algea eater ,,,,,,,,,,,,or tilapia or redtail black shark that can survive in big fish tank (i use this in my aquarium)
importracer
09-21-2006, 12:35 AM
It's being ages since I owned a pleco...My tanks have always been tip-top-shape...If I do sense any algea, I simply wipe it off with a tank sponge....Recently, I've been observing how messy my rbp are....Yes, they do eat most of their meals, but there are still those little chunks that slip by them, falling to the gravel bed...It came to mind just now that a common pleco would work out...I mean it's pretty much the most common fish that survives well with p's....The pleco will eat a good proportion of what drops to the floor....Yeah, it is time that get one, maybe three and try it out starting tomorrow....
Redtail_Watcher
09-21-2006, 2:57 AM
the best i ever had to clean algae is a red-tail shark. it eats even the toughess stubborn algae! that is when there is no other food around for eight hours. i have a 6inch chinese algae eater that i have had for 2years already, it doesn't even eat alge anymore it eats plants pellets, shrimp, and cut up fish.
the chinese algea eater is an average algea eater when young but as it gets bigger it actually eats less and less algea and gets mean as hell, not a good choice. Oto cats are the way to go and they will prosper in an african tank