Need advice on a good algae eater

[jbn7474]

Hi all,
I have a 55 Gallon with a Convict, firemouth, rainbow, jewel, 6 australian rainbows, red tail shark, and 5 corys. The funny thing is none of the cichlids bother the corys at all. They've all been in the tank for 6 months and everyone gets along. I am getting algae build up and need a clean up guy to help out with algae control. Any suggestions on what I should get? Thanks for any and all responses...

[rocker92]

cut down on your lighting. saves money and you dont have to go get a pleco that prob. wont eat the algae.

[ChrisK]

I wouldn't buy a fish just for algae cleanup...get to the cause of the problem...which is probably lights being on too long. That being said otos are great fish.

[toddnbecka]

I keep BN pleco's for algae control. For some odd reason the albino's never work for me, they disappeared from 2 different tanks. I presume they died and the corpses cleaned up by the other fish. Regular brown BN's, no problem. I have them in several different tanks, they're even spawning in a 30 with my chanchito's (and their fry.)

[tonytheboss1]

:) I wouldn't.
1} Decrease your light time in general. (for now keep it dark for a few days)
2} Decrease your feeding amount.
3} Increase your W/C's & clean the glass while removing the water.
4} Save your money. You really don't need to buy fish just to remove algae.
5} You'll be fine in a week or so, promise. "T"

[huffmagx]

What if you just like the look of an algae eating animal ( like a nerite snail) or want to keep them to enjoy another element of a natural ecosystem. Snail, fish combination of the 2? What do you guys think?

[1oooop]

yea, I'd agree with that, but it won't necessarily fix the problem as some algae eaters don't eat all kinds of algae... they are a cool addition to any tank IMHO

[BioHazard]

I like the look of a lot of the algae eaters. Do some reasearch on otocinclus cats and nerite snails.

[Turbosaurus]

Ottos may be too small to go in with your cichlids. Look for TRUE siamese algae eaters (go to a reputable shop, in the big chain stores often you will find flying foxes incorrectly labeled as SAEs and flying fox can get territorial when they reach maturity) or adult size BN plecos. Both are hard workers when it comes to algae eating.

[rithunder916]

Im a fan of the rubber lip pleco. I have two currently and they are always beating down any algae that formes in my tank.

[tonytheboss1]

I am getting algae build up and need a clean up guy to help out with algae control. Any suggestions on what I should get?

:) If you just like 'algae eaters' non specific, there are a number of fish as mentioned above, that you can purchase. Some will assist better than others. If you really want to resolve your algae problem then I suggest you follow the instructions in my above post. It's the difference between putting a bandage on a cut or finding out what the heck cut you & fixing it so you don't get cut again. Choice is yours. "T"

[weezel73]

1 clown pleco wiped my 55gal tank clean in a week , and he keeps it like that
I also have several in my 90 and 220