Algae Eater for 180 Gallon Acrylic

[BizTodd]

Hi everyone I will try to be as specific as possible. I am looking for an Algae eater for my planted 180 gallon aquarium. The primary issue I am having is algae on the back wall because of the high light and I get some on the bare bottom as well.

I am attaching a picture of the tank, so you can see what I am starting with. It is designed to be a bare bottom and has an underflow weir. It will be home to about a dozen Bosmani Rainbowfish (Water Temp ~81), so the bottom will be unoccupied. I considered dwarf cichlids, but I think a pleco might be the answer as a bottom dweller and an algae eater. I was looking at The Blue Phantom but read it wasn't really focused on algae.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Ancistrus plecos do a pretty good job of eating algae. Dwarf cichlids will not do very much. One thing I will say though is all that algae will be turned into poop. So it will increase maintenance needed if anything. I think increasing plant density and dialing in light/nutrients would be a better long term solution to outcompete algae. Algae usually can become out of control from imbalance of light, nutrients (from fish waste, also c02, ferts etc) , and plant density. Without adjusting that, the algae will keep growing, and plecos won't fully do the job.

 

[celebrist]

I am a fan of ancistrus as well. You could also consider a group of Ottos maybe

 

[BizTodd]

Ancistrus plecos do a pretty good job of eating algae. Dwarf cichlids will not do very much. One thing I will say though is all that algae will be turned into poop. So it will increase maintenance needed if anything. I think increasing plant density and dialing in light/nutrients would be a better long term solution to outcompete algae. Algae usually can become out of control from imbalance of light, nutrients (from fish waste, also c02, ferts etc) , and plant density. Without adjusting that, the algae will keep growing, and plecos won't fully do the job.

The dwarf cichlids were for looks, not the algae. Given I am using planters with space between them for water flow, the density might be hard to achieve. But I am adding more fast growing stems like hornwort and Anachris. Most of this initial algae is new tank detritus and I don't think will be a long term concern. I wanted a pleco that will eat algae mostly because it is hard to reach the back wall behind the planters to keep it in check. I've also dialed the lights back to 70% for now.

I have a nice school of Otocinclus in another tank, and I really like them. I considered getting a SAE for this tank also.

When it is all said and done, the pleco is there to help fill gaps as I try to keep the tank balanced, not to eat unlimited algae.

 

[Gourami Swami]

The dwarf cichlids were for looks, not the algae. Given I am using planters with space between them for water flow, the density might be hard to achieve. But I am adding more fast growing stems like hornwort and Anachris. Most of this initial algae is new tank detritus and I don't think will be a long term concern. I wanted a pleco that will eat algae mostly because it is hard to reach the back wall behind the planters to keep it in check. I've also dialed the lights back to 70% for now.

I have a nice school of Otocinclus in another tank, and I really like them. I considered getting a SAE for this tank also.

When it is all said and done, the pleco is there to help fill gaps as I try to keep the tank balanced, not to eat unlimited algae.

I think for that purpose, and as a supplement to the ottos/sae, ancistrus would be a solid choice. Rubber and clown plecos also seem to do a pretty good job and stay similarly small.

 

[Fishnerd360]

If you want to have cichlids, keyholes cichlids look great and will graze on some algae. I also agree on ancistrus or otos as the primary algae eaters.

 

[Killduv]

Panda Garras may be another option. Good luck

 

[altums85]

Nerite snails also do good job on algae

 

[BizTodd]

I didn't realize Bristlenose came in so many varieties. I still want some kind of dwarf cichlid, so what we did was move the planters around in a more checkerboard pattern, so it breaks the line of sight in most directions. Because the planters are 5" tall, it has the effect of raising the floor. The thought was 3 dwarf cichlids and a pair of Green Dragons can own the bottom (I have not found much information about how they do in pairs, and if need be, I would take a single Pleco). I have already ordered 10 terracotta watering spikes to use as caves. Then the 10 or so Bowsmani Rainbow will occupy the upper 18 inches.

 

[YankeeJack]

Great tank. Would love to see picture updates. My favorite for algae is an albino bristlenose pleco. They do poop a lot, but looking at your pic, the water circulation and overflow will manage the algae-aesthetics. The bio load in the sump will have two be managed, but that algae will be taken care of . If you get a pair, they'll spawn in the terra cotta spikes and you'll have precious little baby plecos to enjoy.