Looking for some input please. Have a 38 gallon low tech planted tank. Already pretty well stocked with 2 angels, trio of apitos and 15 cardinals. Dont want to do a bn pleco, has them eat plants in the past and too much poop. Thinking either 5 or so ottos or 5 or so amano shrimp. Amano shrimp probably would be angel food? Although they haven't gone for the cardinals. So maybe that counts for something?either way which would give me the best algae eating potential? Would 5 of each be too much? Looking mostly for sonething to help with algae on the plants and thr glass and rocks would be a bonus. Cheers.
Algae eater for planted tank
- Thread starter Louie13
- Start date
Amano's won't help on the glass, and they wouldn't live very long. Otos will work well. Nerite snails are very good as well, and my preference.
It also depends on what type of algae you have. Ottos won't touch any type of hair or thread algae.
If you have soft algaes, ottos, farlowella, and bristlenose are your best bet.
Hair algaes, siamese algae eaters and amano shrimp, as well as florida flag fish.
Bristlnose plecos, however, do not eat plants. At all. Their mouths aren't designed for it. Everyone seems to blame algae eaters when their plants aren't growing properly.
If you have soft algaes, ottos, farlowella, and bristlenose are your best bet.
Hair algaes, siamese algae eaters and amano shrimp, as well as florida flag fish.
Bristlnose plecos, however, do not eat plants. At all. Their mouths aren't designed for it. Everyone seems to blame algae eaters when their plants aren't growing properly.
I actually witnessed my bn pleco mow down some amazon swords in a day or two. I could actually see him on the leaves sucking holes in them. They were mutilated by the time he was done. I've heard that they some do eat swords. I don't have any amazon swords now so maybe I will give it another shot. This bn was kinda wierd though, he even ate dried up oak leaves in a blackwater tank. I also had an l200 at one point that i caught eating some anubius nana. He didn't keep it up though, must have tasted bad. I was supplementing with zuchinni and or algae wafers twice a week. Maybe this was not enough?
If he was rasping through a plant leaf, then the leaf was probably starting to decay.
They regularly rasp on driftwood, so an oak leaf isn't a huge suprize. Probably very similar feel to them.
Try adding some protein to their diet. Mine love bloodworms, earthworms, shrimp and such.
They regularly rasp on driftwood, so an oak leaf isn't a huge suprize. Probably very similar feel to them.
Try adding some protein to their diet. Mine love bloodworms, earthworms, shrimp and such.
I ended up getting some otto's today. All i can say is wow, within minutes of being put in the tank they starting going to work. A little army of algae eating machines. I've been fighting the brown stuff for around 2 months and they have already made a nice dent in it in only a couple of hours. You can actually see them wipe plant leaves and glass clean of it. I'm really impressed, and they are actually pretty cute to boot.