Suggestions for an Algea Eater?

[kristian18f]

I could have sworn that I had posted this but I was offline for a while and I can't find my post now.

I have a 20G with a pearl gourami, 4 harliquen rasboras (sp) and 3 leopard danios, oh yeah, and a ton of ghost shrimp.

I had a pleco in there (don't jump on my case, he was my first fish, no one told me) and he has passed away after about 4 years.

I definately don't want another pleco. I also don't want otos, they just don't ever do well here. I'm also afraid to do snails because they multiply & I don't think one will be enough for a 20g.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions. I'll try to keep up with my post this time.

[Chaos553]

you could try chinese algae eaters, but they supposedly get somewhat large and form what ive heard, like to attack fish sometimes.

is your algae that bad that you would need some type of fish to get rid of it? if it really isnt bad, you could just manually clean it since its not that large of a tank, but that also could be a pain.

[COM]

Chinese Algae Eaters get very large and tend to not eat algae. Their preferred activity is usually killing fish.

Perhaps you should consider what is causing the algae buildup and mitigate it that way.

[kristian18f]

Yeah, no chinese, I've heard they like to suck on gourami's fins.

There really isn't too much algae in my tank but there is enough to make me not want to scrub it as often as I do. All I can tell is maybe the lighting? The tank is by a window, but there is no solution to that, well, except getting rid of the tank.

My test levels are normal.

[COM]

I have a tank that is set up in the middle of a very bright area of my house. I purchased a foam-board fold out display (like you would use for a science fair) and I keep that blocking light from three sides of the tank most of the time. When I entertain I remove it. Since implementing this technique my algae growth is down at least 90%. Just a thought...

[justintrask]

What about Flying Fox? They are algae eating machines on my tank, but I need to replace them every week because my arowana has found that he loves their taste.

[Ghost Knife]

I would suggest Apple/Mystery Snails. I have three in my community tank and they do an EXCELLENT job of keeping algae in check. They also have trouble breeding in captivity without perfect conditions so you don't have to worry about an explosive snail population as with Ramshorn snails.

[lohachata]

may i suggest "SIAMESE" algae eaters.although sometimes a bit hard to find;they are peaceful and don't bother other fish like the chinese algae eater does.they don't get any more than 4 inches and they will eat almost any kind of algae.

[justintrask]

siamese algae eaters and flying fox = same fish!

[trashion]

I've seen SAE that were at least 5 inches long, and I've read they do well in schools.

I've heard great things about the American FlagFish, Jordanella floridae (I think that's the Latin name) as far as an algae-eater goes.

How long are you keeping your lights on? How often do you do WCs? these could have a lot to do with your algae.

[justintrask]

A lot of time CAE's are mislabeled as SAE, and there's a lot of other fish that are mislabelled SAE.

http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/

[Pac-Man]

Get an ancistrus pleco. They stay really small, and will eat your algae.

[JustOneMore20]

Flying fox and SAEs are not the same thing. They are 2 different fish, but look similar.

I've seen pics of rather large ones (both flying fox and saes)...atleast 5 inches. I've read they get lazy as they get older too and don't eat as much algae, but I've never kept them, so I don't know by experience.

If you don't want another pleco or Otos, there aren't a ton of options for your tank size. A single mystery snail would be fine. They need more than one to reproduce, unlike ramshorns and pond snails.

Another option would be identifying the algae and figuring out what is causing it.

[lohachata]

Epalzeorhynchus Kallopterus is the flying fox..they tend to get more aggressive with age,very much like the chinese algae eater..they do not eat thread type algae....

Crossocheilus Siamensis is the Siamese Algae Eater.....they do not get quite as big as the fox.considered to be the best of all of the algae eaters.has transparent fins and a single pair of barbels on the upper lip;unlike the fox that has color in the fins and 2 sets of barbels on the upper lip.very peaceful;but they do sometimes fight with their own kind...

[lohachata]

oh...i forgot..SAE's do not eat plants..will eat almost every type of algae..they even love to eat planaria..(you know...them tiny squiggly wite worms that suddenly appear out of nowhere in your tank..
most species of snails will devour plants..i like the malaysian trumpet snails..they eradicate algae..keep the tank really clean..aerate the substrate..add fertilizer to the plants roots and mostly come out just at night...

[kristian18f]

Thanks for the comments, my fiance has a Siamese algae eater (or so he thinks) and it completely ignores the algae and goes for the flake food. He tried very hard to get a real one, but it may not have worked. Is this common practice? or does he probably have a fake one?

I like the idea of the apple snails, assuming they wont breed, I will look at them.

As for exposure to light, I have a background over the two sides that are near the window, and my problems aren't that big, it's just that I seem to get the spot algae.

I change 10% of the water every two days. I syphon once a week and get about 5g out of a 20g.

[Blue Cray]

Originally Posted by lohachata

may i suggest "SIAMESE" algae eaters.although sometimes a bit hard to find;they are peaceful and don't bother other fish like the chinese algae eater does.they don't get any more than 4 inches and they will eat almost any kind of algae.

Not always I was at an auction and they had a huge one around 7" and it was fat and no doubt it was a SAE I keep both SAE's and Flying Foxes in my tank and I know the difference. Wait I actually have one over 5" so maybe you ment flying foxes? I'm a bit confused seeing I know you know what you're talking about.

[kristian18f]

Do ancistrus pleco's poop alot? I disliked having a pleco in there because 5 minutes after I syphoned I'd have a tank full of poop again.

[kristian18f]

By the way, this purchase is temporarily on hold. My nephew just broke one of my tanks and I am going to *try* to combine everything in my 20g, pending responses to my other post. I'd still appreciate your input though.