windymeadow

I have a tank with a Beta and a Mystery snail. Can I have a fish that eats algae in there? (I haven't learned the name of those yet). The snail is not doing his job, although he does keep the gunk off the bottom pretty well. So I guess I won't be to hard on him (I wish there was something that would eat all those pesky little snails, from my other post). Thanks again!

COBettaCouple

Otos are supposed to get along well with Bettas. They like to have at least 2 or 3, but can sometimes be happy with just 1, it depends on how much room you have.

sirdarksol

As long as you supplement both the fish's and the snail's diet with vegetables or algae wafers, and as long as the new fish isn't aggressive (aggressive bottom feeders tend to pick on mystery snails), it shouldn't be a problem. If you've got a small tank, otos (otocinclus sp? catfish) are good. Others have said that bristlenose plecos are good. Unless you have a very large tank (guessing not if you've got a betta in there, but you never know), don't get a regular pleco, they grow to be huge.
Not sure if the betta would go after the otos, (they're pretty small), but otos are fast, and if you give them hiding places, they can survive unwanted attention. Mine have taught the fish in my tank that it's just not worth chasing after them.

tan.b

yep, i'll vote otos too. i've heard they're good with bettas, although i dont have either fish i plan too one day (MTS kicking in!)
good luck. also with algae, make sure you dont over feed (enough for fish to eat in 2-3 mins) or the extra nutrients will feed the algae. if its really bad you can try a 3 day blackout as that will kill the algae, or to help keep it in check, cut back on the amount of hours the light is on in your tank. also do you have real plants? they will compete for nutrients and therefore leave very little for the algae to thrive on. hope this helps! tan

sirdarksol

Lighting is a good point. Try an make sure the tank isn't getting much, if any, sunlight. Only have the light on for feedings. If you have live plants and need to keep lighting on them, you can take an hour break in the middle of the day (if there's someone home who can turn the light off and on again). This screws up algae's photosynthesis cycle, slowing its growth, giving your mystery snail more time to finish off the algae on the bottom of the tank. I think, once it gets hungry, it will start on the walls.

vin

Rather than rely on someone to turn the lights on and off, you can do what I do...I have an inexpensive lamp timer with multiple on/off tabs. You can set the lights to go on and off several times a day. Limit your tank to 8-10 hrs. of light and you should be OK. And also remember that overfeeding promotes algae growth as well.

But as far as algae eaters go - Otos are great. Small and efficient and most fish won't bother with them...Betta won't even know they are there and they're compatible anyway so it shouldn't be a problem.