lyndatu

HELLO

The day of the redo is nearly here.........the clock is ticking.........but time is running out..........

I'm thinking of what fish(or other creature) can serve as a janitor of my 20 gallon community tank. I'm thinking plecos, but I learned that they are more of a pest than of help so kick the pleco off the list. I'm also thinking of otocinclus catfishes(ottos) but it seems that there isn't any in the stores. What other water creatures are capable of cleaning algae and other dirt in my tank?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

swords3711

Corys are good with cleaning up food, but Chinese algae eaters are the way to go.
They are extremely active and don't get very big. By their name, obviously, they clean up algae.

0morrokh

Actually CAE's do get quite big, and by the time they reach adult size they lose their interest in eating algae and become aggressive.

A good choice for your tank, if you can't get Otos, would be a Bristlenose Pleco or any other small species of pleco.

swords3711

really i didnt know they got big
Mine is aggressive toward my male mollie who is the boss of the tank. I tis quite funny

0morrokh

I googled them and most sites said a max size of 11 inches.

swords3711

DANG, I thought maybe two or three inches!
I know plecos get huge but I never thought theyd get that big

lyndatu

I was also thinking of snails(Gold Inca, maybe?). Are they good cleaners?

0morrokh

Gold Incas will eat some algae. Snails are not nearly as efficient algae eaters as Otos and Plecos though. Most snails prefer fish food and will just nibble at algae now and then. A snail could be a cool addition to your tank though.

swords3711

see i never really had luck with plecos.
I had a great oto that died a few months ago. I realize they are probably nocturnal, but the ones i had never really did much

COBettaCouple

if you don't have fish that would eat the shrimp and can't get otos, then bristlenose plecos or shrimp would be good cleaners.