seeking advice before starting a planted tank

[Matt724]

Algae eaters will be 5 SAEs, yes, I know there is a false version, but I am pretty sure the ones I have are the good ones. I was also thinking of getting an Albino Bristlenose to help with the glass cleaning. Ottos would be fun later, as I love their antics, but I know they tend to starve if there is not enough algae, and there are so many different types of Ottos that it is very hard to tell them apart, and some of them have a tendency to enjoy discus slime coat. As such I would probably wait a while on the Ottos, and if I need a bit more algae fighting power I would add them. I don't think Shrimp are really possible as I feed ghost shrimp to my discus as a treat, and they rarely last more than a few minutes.

that is a wonderful idea, I almost forgot that you had such a big tank, SAEs and bristlenose catfish are much better options for your situation, though you should remember that SAEs get pretty big, I saw some that were a good 4-5" so they're not totally discreet algae eaters at full size. Bristlenose are a wonderful choice IMO cause they are infamous for taking care of large amounts of algae and still take wafers. And I totally know what you're talking about with the ottos, their behavior is one of my favorites. I have a couple in my 10 gallon planted tank and love watching them because they're not boring like normal plecos. It seems to me like you are set, so whenever you get this tank up and running be sure to take pics along the process and post them up here on MFK cause I want to see what it looks like for someone to set up a large planted tank cause you only see small planted tank geting set up on the internet, never large tanks.

 

[dannyboiiii]

i agree with matt in that adding a cpl bns are ur best option!!!
bns never stop working just make sure u dont over feed them to the point that they wont eat ur tanks algea!!!!
my bns even ate most of the hair algea i had growin on my ferns and anubias,
they latched onto a leaf and it was clean a minute later!!!
and i belive ottos should b kept to a small comm fish nabitat because they are so tiny and will kill fish if they try to eat them!!!
so unless u know for a fact ur getting giant ottos id skip the saes unless u like them...and grab a cpl bns