algae eaters...recommendations?

[jb_lyndon]

Looking for advice on algae eaters in a 25g which will eventually contain:
12 neons, 2 dwarf gouramis, 1 weather loach. Wondering about behaviour, algae eating efficiency, and overall 'coolness'.

contemplating:
otos
bristlenose pleco
ammano, ghost, or other 'algae eating' shrimp. (not sure how much these little guys eat).

any favorites?

[belmont0182]

i have three otos in my 10 gallon and they are great...i love to put cucombers on the bottom and watch them go to town on it! they are in my oppinion the coolest algae eater around.

i dont know much about shrimp, but sometimes a snail can add an interesting touch to your tank, make it look more natural

[125gJoe]

They are not on your list, but I prefer Siamese Algae Eaters, not the Chinese Algae Eaters... SAE's will have a stripe going all the way through their tail, not stopping at the tail.

[snakeskinner]

a mystery snail will constantly eat and not disturb your fish but if you have any live plants, they will devour them overnight. I picked up some ottos myself and they do a great job of algae eating. The ghost shrimp are awesome scavengers that can reach through the substrate finding food but I have heard they can catch fry and small fish when they get larger. I wouldn't really consider them an algae eater but maybe I'm wrong. pleco's work great when small but get very lazy once they get larger. I'm not firmiliar with the bristlenose version though. Kyle

[adblair]

I love my otos. My SAE's don't eat much algae... they prefer fish food. My ghost shrimp keep disappearing and I couldn't understand it until I saw a couple of them eating another one yesterday.... yep, evidentally they do eat each other.... I've got live plants and a couple of snails - probably just pond snails - and they don't bother my plants a bit.

[delmore]

Do you have plants? I have some floating plants - wisteria and some kind of duckweed, and NO ALGAE. I also dose with flourish excel to add carbot. A single light strip is on for 6 hours a day.

The tank is in some kind of equilibrium - don't know what but things are good!

[yhbae]

I tried Ottos, Bristlenose pl*cos and ghost shrimps. At the end, all of them gave up to my environment and algae thrived until I cut down on the lights. Now the quantity of algae is constant and looks good overall.

If you must buy one, I suggest either SAE or Bristlenoses. At least my bristlenoses eat even hair algae at times.

[adblair]

:OT: Sorry for the hijack!
Delmore what kind of cory is that in your avatar? Is it really pink or is that a camera trick?:confused:

[jb_lyndon]

Originally posted by yhbae

If you must buy one, I suggest either SAE or Bristlenoses.

It's not that I need to get one (don't have an algae problem) I was however under the impression that having algae eaters was a very good idea for any tank. Am I wrong? Oh and do bristlenoses behave similarly to common plecos?

adblair I want to ask you about your otos...
could you give me an idea of their behaviour?
Do they have a tendency (like common plecos do) to spend most of their time just boringly sucking glass and hiding out. Or are they more active and interesting? Oh and your ghost shrimp... other than their ritualistic cannibalism, are you happy with them? Do they eat a significant amout of algae? and how big will they get?

[Ryoken]

Well, my Ottos are usually sucking on plants or driftwood, but sometimes they move around or go lay around next to/on top of each other. Depending on your tank size you sometimes dont see them a lot, but IMO they're interesting fish.

Ghost shrimp may eat algae, but I think what you're after is the "Amano algae-eating shrimp." It looks kind of like a glass shrimp but I think it has spots? Dunno anything about those though, never actually kept them.

[adblair]

my otos like to hide. I'm forever looking for them because I'm worried about them.:rolleyes: I had a bad algae problem when I got them and I added them, 2 SAEs and plants to my tank. It was clear in days. I think the otos did most of it because the SAEs appear to enjoy fish food more than algae. If you don't have algae now, I would wait on getting otos, just less to worry about because they DON'T eat regular fish food so you would have to supplement their diet. (Even if you had algae you'd still need to feed them occasionally though IMO) I love my otos, though I suppose they are a little boring.:)
Ghost shrimp are only in my tank because they are a "cheap thrill" - 29 cents each. You can't really see them in your tank unless you are REALLY looking, so they aren't that great if you want something interesting to watch. I probably won't get anymore when these are gone. I don't think they eat algae at all, they mostly just swipe fish food when they can, and pilfer through the substrate looking for uneaten food or maybe a little poop?. When I was at Walmart last week some of them were chowing down on a dead fish in the bottom of one of their tanks. I think I would like the Cherry Amanos better because they would be more visible and I think they may eat some algae.

[rodney10954]

i got 1 cae in a 55 gallon to clean the glass and 3 sae for the black beard problem
sae dont clean the glass at all
the cae clean the glass really good
i have had no problems with my cae

[Bear]

I've got two Amano shrimp - everything I've read about them leads me to belive they're going to be excellent algae eaters but I haven't had them long enough to give an opinion of that yet.
I do know that at this point they are just about the most entertaining thing in my tank - quite a bit of the time I find them digging through the gravel or cleaning the plants/decorations - but occasionally they'll go completely spastic - swimming around the tank as fast as their little legs will propel them. They definately add an "interest" factor to the tank.

Bear

[Hans]

if its algea on the glass, get a darn scraper and get in there! hah but if its on the leaves, that can suck, i think the ottos are the best bet, they are gentle lil guys

[yhbae]

Originally posted by jb_lyndon


It's not that I need to get one (don't have an algae problem) I was however under the impression that having algae eaters was a very good idea for any tank. Am I wrong? Oh and do bristlenoses behave similarly to common plecos?

adblair I want to ask you about your otos...
could you give me an idea of their behaviour?
Do they have a tendency (like common plecos do) to spend most of their time just boringly sucking glass and hiding out. Or are they more active and interesting? Oh and your ghost shrimp... other than their ritualistic cannibalism, are you happy with them? Do they eat a significant amout of algae? and how big will they get?

I own bristlenoses because of their look and behaviour and not for their algae eating ability. If you like them, you should get them but prepare to add some vegetables in addition to algaes in the tank. At least my bristlenoses are not shy - I can always detect 3 out of 4 all the time...

On the other hand, ottos are more difficult to detect. In fact I haven't seen one of them for over a week so I'm begining to wonder if it is still alive... I need to look for it..

[jb_lyndon]

Originally posted by yhbae


At least my bristlenoses are not shy

Thanks yhbae.
You said you have 4... was wondering siince I've read that they'll reach 4-8" will a single one be good for a 25 gallon (I doubt they need to be kept in pairs or more). How big are yours? and how long have you had them?

adblair, cherry ammanos do sound good... sounds like they'll share the load nicely with my potential bristlenose.

:OT: Finally got a weather loach yesterday. He's super cool. I'd recommend one to anybody. We stayed up late playing simon says ;) when I purse my lips like a fish and open my mouth he immitates me... no kidding... he seems super smart. Maybe he's just being a smart a%# and mocking me.

[jb_lyndon]

Will red cherry amano shrimp alone be sufficient in a 25g? I understand that they would do little to clean the glass, but I can take care of that myself. Thinking they'd do well on plants and driftwood though. Just unsure and worried about the biolad of a 4-8" bristlenose or 3-4 otos? Hoping shrimp will be enough. what do you think?

[jeffro426]

You might want to also look into a Rubber or Rubberlipped/nosed pleco...i put one in my 55 gallon Mbuna tank and hes done an AMAZING job at keeping it algae free, and in my opinion, i think its better looking than a bristlenosed! They dont seem to touch my live plants either.

[jb_lyndon]

I can't seem to find the adult size for a rubber nosed pleco.
ANy Idea?

[adblair]

Since you don't already have any algae maybe they (amano shrimp) would be fine to start with, and if you need more you could add something else later. I think adding plants to my tank helped a lot with my algae problems, and I plan to add even more soon. IMHO I would just start simple and add more later as needed. Of course, if amano shrimp are like my ghost shrimp, you may not have any after a month and you may need to add something else to take their place..... you know something that doesn't eat its friends....:D

[jb_lyndon]

adblair, how much more maintenance do your live plants cause you?
I mean what more do you have to do? More frequent water tests?? Trimming dying leaves of course. I would really like some leafy (not moss) ground cover over about 1/3 of my tank but I'm not sure how difficult it would make cleaning. Also need some advice about floating plants (as dwarf gouramis and neon tetras apparently love them). However I'm most interested in the difficulties surrounding the acquisition of plants?

[chris-in-sf]

I have 3 Oto's in my planted 40 gallon. They are thriving and keep the plants clean. The only area they have trouble keeping clean is the around the top of the tank on the glass. It appears that it's because the current is too strong for them to hang on for very long.

They don't hide and aren't scared when we walk in the room like all of my Cory's.

But to answer your question, yes they are sucking all time, but are active and jump from place to place.

I am told you want to get at least 3, because they are more comfortable in the company of other Oto's, but don't "school" all the time like Tetras.

I also have a SAE, who has gotten quite large, and he doesn't do as good a job on algae anymore because he's spoiled by prepared food. he's also become a bit of a bully, as where the Oto's keep to themselves and no one really bothers them.

my $.02
chris

[jeffro426]

Originally posted by jb_lyndon
I can't seem to find the adult size for a rubber nosed pleco.
ANy Idea?
As far as i can tell i think around 4-6 inches(pretty similar to bristlenosed)...i had one a few years ago in a 100 gallon that never got over 5 inches.

[Must4ng s4lly]

I think a razor blade is the best algea eater yet! I just razor the glass and do a water change. I have a few CAE and ottos and plecs ad they clean the plants fine! If a leaf gets beard algae I just cut it off.....
I have one tank in a North window and the glass gets a lot of aglae. the razor is great and the plants love the natural light!

[Must4ng s4lly]

Lyndon B Johnson, Live plants are a must esp with an overstocked tank!