fbn

I would like to know what fish is the best algae eater that is readily available and pretty. Please say which you think is the best based on its color and algae eating abilities Thanks!

Toddnbecka

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if you want a good algae eater for a 29 a BN pleco is the best commonly available choice. There are different color morphs available, brown and albino being the most common, as well as calico and super red. There are also longfin varieties of brown, albino, and calico available, but I wouldn't advise mixing one with any nippy fish.

Tony G.

Hi IMO one of the cutest algae eater catfish would be the Otto. YOu could keep several in your 29 gallon. They are readily available in most LFS and are very cool fish to have. DOnt get confused and buy a CAE. THis happened to me and he bullied all of my fish. Otto's stay small all of their life

Bristlenose Plecos are also very interesting to watch as they show all the traits of a normal pleco PLUS, the whiskers

Toddnbecka

Oto's seem to do best in established, planted tanks. I've seen many posts about them being delicate/dying soon after they were taken home.

fbn

I have had ottos before, but I don't really want to buy a schooling fish. hmmm I don't know what to do...Do you think SAE or a type of dwarf pleco??

Tony G.

they are delicate, however with the proper introduction the otto makes a great addition.; What i meant by introduction was this: You have to be very careful while acclimating them. Most ottos die because of pH shock or different water parameters. What i would do is leave the bag floating for about a half hour. Then, slowly add a couple of drops from your tank water and so on. This process takes around 1-1 1/2 hrs so its very important to make sure your tank parameters are perfect.


As for the SAE and the clown plecos, i would go with the clown plecos since then you would re-assure they take care of all the algae. Notice how SAE swim around while pleco is attached most of the time to the surface he plans to feed on..

fbn

My tank has been running for a couple of months....My tank does NOT have dense foliage. thanks!!

fbn

Oh, and about the dwarf and plecos.. which does a better job?
1. SAE
2. pleco
Thanks!

Tony G.

i have not had experience with dwarf plecos. One of my favorite plecos is the rubberlip plecos. THey are very cool looking, get the job done, and look like they have funny eyes lol

fbn

Well, I mean by dwarf plecos ones that stay small.

Tony G.

the rubberlip pleco stays rather small. IT ranges from 4-5 inches at the most. The Bristle NOse pleco also stays small

Lucy

Even if all this is done, otos are just plain not hardy. They're wild caught sometimes the use of chemicals is involved. Which can hurt their internal organs or decrease their lifespan. Then of course they're shipped, lots of stress for a sensitive little fish.

They're really not recommended for a new tank.
Here's our Caresheet for otos

fbn

I think otos are probably out of the picture....thanks for the ide though....It is between SAE and plecos...

fbn

what about zebra plecos?

Lucy

I don't think zebras eat algea.
This is a great resource for catfish, perhaps you can find something that fits your needs:
PlanetCatfish

Instead of concentrating on a fish to take care of your algae, how about some preventative measures?

fbn

Well, I can't really take any. Sunlight gets to the tank. We put it close to sunshine, because at that point I didn't have a hood and didn't know if I was going to get one. This brown stuff gets on the glass. So, what can I do to prevent it??

Lucy

With sunlight hitting the tank there's not much of an option except keeping the curtains closed and who wants to do that? lol

Tony G.

i have sponges i use to scrub the brown algae wheneverr it comes up and it works great! i would also consider removing it from direct sunlight, not only because of the algae, but because of the temperature. There could be mayor temperature differences going on in there.

fbn

Well, it doesn't get sunlight the whole day....Do fish eat the brown algae? If so, do SAE and plecos? You all are being very helpful!! thanks!

Toddnbecka

BN's will clean up diatoms (aka brown algae) as well as most of the green types. True SAE are effective algae eaters, but there are multiple species sold under that name. Unless you're certain you're getting the real deal you may get a similar-looking fish that isn't quite as desirable.

fbn

What are you meaning? are there different types of SAE? or do you mean I might get CAE

Lucy

A lot of these fish are mislabled at the fish store. They look so similar and many times I've been to fish stores who had CAE lables as otos or SAE.
This article has a couple of good pics.
Identifying the Siamese Algae Eater

fbn

Do clown plecos eat algae?

midnightwolf

ottos dont need to be kept in large schools only about 4 or 5

Lucy

Clowns get way big, 12". Don't let their size in the stores fool you.
I don't think they eat algea. More like wafers and flakes off the bottom.

Borisbbadd

Clown Plecos are wood eaters.

Some people claim they are pretty good algae eaters, but most people ( me included ) would say they are not.

If you are getting a pleco just for algae control, a clown is probably not the best choice.

A far better choice would be a Bristle Nose Pleco.

fbn

I think I might get a Siamese algae eater and a clown pleco. I got the clown yesterday, but he is eating algae like crazy! I will have to research whether SAEs can be with clowns. Thanks!

mathas

Are you sure about that, Lucy? Or maybe something in your area is called a clown, and isn't the same species as the clown pleco sold around here Common names are often misleading, especially with plecos.

PlanetCatfish has them at 3.9", which matches the adults I've seen locally: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...species_id=734