Algae Eater for a 55 gallon tank

Boy do I need an Algae Eater! I have 3 balas, 3 swordtails and a redtail. Could anyone tell me what algae eater would be the most compatible for my tank? Thank you

 

I'd find a pleco! Not a common pleco, as they get to be up to 30", but one of the permanently smaller varieties.

Either that or get a school of otoclinus catfish.

 

Thank you for your reply.  I read somewhere that catfish are not algae eaters.  As for the Pleco, I have read that they like lots of plants and driftwood which I have neither.  I don't want to put too much gravel in the tank and all of the plants require this don't they?

Also my fear is with my redtail as I have read that they can become aggresive with other bottom dwellers.... maybe I read too much!

What about a Siamese Algae Eater would they be ok with my redtail?

 

Check out this site: - They have a great site and an even better compatibility chart.

 

well if you decided to get a minI pleco -- (which I highly recommend - I have an emporer pleco that only gets 5 MAYBe 6 inches long, and he does a wonderful job on algae) they are pretty much ignored by any fish, because they don't move around a lot and they don't really establish territory, so other fish are not constantly fighting them them for space. They kind of just move out of the way of other fish and get to work

 

first of all not all your fish are compatible the balas can get a little over a foot each second I don't think they will get along with the rtbs don't quote me on this but they are aggresive fish and the swordtails are peaceful

on the aglae eater topic your best bet would be a bristlenose pleco as the get 6-8 inches and are cheap

 

lol sry marc but common plecos do not get 30" long

commons get to 18 inches and should be fine in a 55 gallon.


If you don't have many plants or driftwood ottos would be good and you are partially right... catfish do eat algae but not all catfish... Cories and the unfortunately misnamed Chinese Algae Eaters do not eat algae... there are also many other that you would think eat algae but dont...


Here are some renowned algae eaters:
Pleco's
Otto's
Amano Shrimp
Siamese Algae Eater

Good luck I would reccomend a pleco or 4-5 otto's

 

IMO, (and maybe it is different for some others) but I wouldn't recommend a common pleco for a 55 gallon tank. They may be able to survive in a 55 but definitely wouldn't be able to thrive. I would recommend at least 80 gallons for this fish.

 

first of all not all your fish are compatible the balas can get a little over a foot each second I don't think they will get along with the rtbs don't quote me on this but they are aggresive fish and the swordtails are peaceful

on the aglae eater topic your best bet would be a bristlenose pleco as the get 6-8 inches and are cheap

I am extremely lucky then as all of my fish get along great.    My redtail pretty much stays in his cave the balas and the swords pretty much stay out of each others way.  I know that the balas will get too big for my tank but they are such beautiful fish I have a friend who also loves balas and has a tank large enough to house them so I will give them to him when they outgrow my tank.

I was hoping to avoid the Pleco's as they are not my favourite fish.


[ Quote **If you don't have many plants or driftwood ottos would be good and you are partially right... catfish do eat algae but not all catfish... Cories and the unfortunately misnamed Chinese Algae Eaters do not eat algae... there are also many other that you would think eat algae but dont... **Quote]

I also read somewhere that mollies eat algae have you heard this?  I am thinking that the Otto is for me, do you know how they will be with the redtail?   Are they easy to find?

 

I can't readily find ottos at my LFS ( they get shipments in often, but go as fast as they come)

Yet other people seem to have no problem finding them

I guess it depends?

Good Luck

 

easy to find around me and Jon siasmese algae eaters are hard to find in the U.S. I bielieve

you could get a nice school of otos Jan I would suggest freeze dried tubiflex worms and algae wafers as a suplement and some veggies get maybe 7-8 otos

no you are not lucky your fish get along my fish got along for a few months but then my rtbs stating being mean once he was big enought and I got rid of him

 

Siamese algae eaters are hard to find in the u.s. I was just throwing out some good algae eaters... as you see I did not reccomend them merely said that they do there job well.

 

well what country do you live in

did you just say you threw out algae eaters

 

There are several online pet stores which sell SAE for pretty cheap - and if you buy enough fish it's often worth the ~$30 shipping/handling fees.

 

hmm I didnt look for them online cool marc.

 

I live in Canada and very rarely does anything get shipped here to us unless it is from Canada. I figured that the siamese algae eaters would be hard to find. Atmmachine816 you said to get 7-8 Ottos is this because they need to be in that large of schools or is it necessary to keep the tank free of algae?

easy to find around me and Jon siasmese algae eaters are hard to find in the U.S. I bielieve

you could get a nice school of otos Jan I would suggest freeze dried tubiflex worms and algae wafers as a suplement and some veggies get maybe 7-8 otos

no you are not lucky your fish get along my fish got along for a few months but then my rtbs stating being mean once he was big enought and I got rid of him

Sorry I am new at this what is rtbs (I am assuming it is the redtail) but I just wanted to check to make sure. My redtail is about 3 inches I think the maximum they get is 6 inches. I have had him for about 6 months now and I have not had any problems.... now you have me scared as I really like my redtail and it would break my heart to have to give him up.

 

red tailed black shark if I'm not mistaken...

you don't need 7-8 ottos unless you want that many... they need to be in small schools but 4-5 will suffice because they are very efficient at theif jobs...

if you get more than 4-5 you will definitely need to feed them algae wafers and such.

 

Thanks Jon for the info on rtbs......

Nww this may sound redundant but why do you say 4-5, can I not just get one in the beginning just in case there is a problem with the redtail?

 

what do you mean by a problem? are you thinking the shark will be aggressive towards the ottos? if this is the case it is imperative to have a small school to make them feel more assured... if you are thinking the ottos will be aggressive toward the shark then I'm not sure what you would do... could you more specifically describe your concern plz?

 

From what I have heard/read, the redtail can get pretty aggressive. I really like my redtail and would choose him over any new fish. Therefore I would not want to buy 4-5 Ottos and have to return them as the redtail is harassing them especially given he is a bottom dweller. He has already marked his territory very clearly.

 

yes the ottos could get harrased by the RTBS but if you are going to get ottos (which my not be a great idea now that I think about it) you would want to get a group to make sure they are comfortable.

quite a dilemma

I don't think ottos are the fish for your tank with the rtbs... hmm ever think about snails or shrimp?

 

I don't really want to have snails.... I used to live in Greece and they are EVERYWHERE there so I have found them to be more of a nuisance than anything. As for shrimp I had never really thought about that, my question I guess would be the compatability with the rtbs. I will have to do a bit of research on shrimp.

Thanks for the idea!

 

amano shrimp especially are famous for there algae eating abilities... do some research, especially on availability and compatability.

Plecos are always a choice but don't get one if you don't like them.

 

No, I don't really want a Pleco. I was hoping to get a Siamese Algae Eater but again was worried about my redtail, plus it sounds like it would be pretty difficult to get one. Have you heard anything about the mollies being algae eaters?

 

no I don't believe they would unless you starved them.. fish will eat anything when in dire situations but I don't believe a molly would eat algae if properly fed.

 

I am not having too much luck here! :-\ I just checked out the shrimp and I don't think that they are for me either.

Thanks for your time and advice Jon 8)

 

np keep your eyes peeled you'll find the algae eater that's right for you...

if you can't find one just fill your tank with plants... more plants = less algae

plants = gg pwnt craI nob algae

 

Sorry to continually ask you questions.. but since I have very little gravel I was told that I could not have plants because they need to establish a root system under something and without gravel they would just die. I do have gravel just a thin layer of it.

 

not true...

look at these plants-
Java Moss- Can float in aquarium or be attached to rocks/ driftwood
Java Fern- Attach to rocks/ driftwood
Lace Java Fern- Attach to rocks/ driftwood

these 3 are very basic beginners plants and are easy to find... they need very low light <1wpg and do not need to be planted into a substrate (aka gravel)... If you put a rock or a peice of wood in your aquarium you could string these up to it with fishing line then after a couple o weeks when the roots attach you could cut the line.

 

Thanks! That is good to know, I guess I have some plant shopping to do!

 

Well, I bought myself two Ottos today. So far the rts has not even noticed that they are there... they have way to much work to do.... I have a second tank so if I see trouble I can put them in the other tank but I sure hope that they work in my big tank. Thank you everyone for your advice!

 

hope you enjoy wathing them

 

We are kind of diappointed so far as all they do is eat algae ;D

WE could not find them when they first got put into our tank as they were so happy to see so much algae they did not know where to go first!