algea eater

[jdcreigh]

hello,i have a 10 gal.tank with 1 male betta and 1 female betta.i am getting alot of algea in it.is there a algea eater that i can add to it?thanks

[rosita]

Call me overcautious, but if I were you I'd get a couple of mystery snails. They do a great job of cleaning up, and won't be nippy on your betta's fins--a tempting treat for smaller AE's. The Siamese Algae eater is pretty good, but you need to ensure that it is an SAE and not a Chinese Algae Eater, which can be quite aggressive even as a juvie. Pl*cos' get too large for the most part; the smaller species, from what I understand, get lazy. Just make sure that what you're putting in there will do the job, I often google for starter information. This is just from my own experience, for what it's worth. And the snails are entertaining, believe it or not. JMHO.

[jparnell]

Or shrimp - amano shrimp are great for algae. Depends on the algae type. see if you can determine the cause of algae. Do you have live plants?

[jdcreigh]

first off i will never go the snail route.they breed like rabbitsbut thanks.and it has a sandy bottom with live plants.i dont have this problem in my 2 55 gal or my 29 gal or 20 gal.i do have a algea eater in one of my 55gal cichlid tank(man does he keep it clean)it is the kind that looks like a catfish(does anyone know the name of those?)but he only come out at night.

[dorkfish]

try an aquarium sponge, works every time and will never die like an algae eater.

[jdcreigh]

try an aquarium sponge, works every time and will never die like an algae eater.

where do you get these?how do they work?thanks

[dorkfish]

Any larger pet store should have them, but in my tiny LFS mag floats are available, but haven't checked for aquarium sponges. I know big alls has them and many other algae cleaners for sure, if you plan on ordering on line or going to one of there stores.They are nothing more than a spnge without anti bacterial stuff in them(why I said aquarium sponge and not any sponge you may have) that you use to wipe algae from the side(s) of the tank.

EDIT: algae removal (http://www.bigalsonline.ca/catalog/category.xml?pcid1=3347;category_id=2927) note: I linked you to the canadian site just incase your buying something from there.

[jdcreigh]

i have that.i need somthing to clean the leafs of my plants and the surface of my sand.i scrub the walls.i need a A.eater to clean where i cant get to.

[khombre]

hello,i have a 10 gal.tank with 1 male betta and 1 female betta.i am getting alot of algea in it.is there a algea eater that i can add to it?thanks

hello, sorry this will be off topic, but is there some sort of divider that separates ur 2 bettas? i remember reading something that male and female bettas only live together during breeding or sumthing like that. :OT:

snails do eat algae.. maybe u should try having some..
although some bettas pop small snails

[misopeenut]

what kind of algae and where does it grow.
do you have any of these?
-poor filtration
-over feed
-too much lighting
-strong current
-too much nutrients

instead of getting algae eaters, you could put some water sprite and just let it float, kill the current and sucks all the nutrients.

get more plants, change water

i think you should find whats causing the algaes to grow first.

[Native American]

first off i will never go the snail route.they breed like rabbitsbut thanks.and it has a sandy bottom with live plants.i dont have this problem in my 2 55 gal or my 29 gal or 20 gal.i do have a algea eater in one of my 55gal cichlid tank(man does he keep it clean)it is the kind that looks like a catfish(does anyone know the name of those?)but he only come out at night.If you can get mystery snails to breed like crazy, I need to know your secret! ;)

v/r, N-A

[Gumby131]

get a CAE, i have one in my gal and its a great little fish

[khombre]

get a CAE, i have one in my gal and its a great little fish

CAEs can get pretty aggressive right? :confused:

[misopeenut]

not that i know of. i heard theyre good community fish.
dont they get over 3inches?

[jdcreigh]

what is a cae???

[Bitsy]

A CAE is a Chinese Algae Eater, and you do not want one!! They can get big, and the bigger they get the less algae they eat and the more aggresive they become. I finally had to get rid of mine after he killed everything I tried to keep in the tank with him, even my huge tennis ball sized snail. CAE are not a good idea for a 10g or a community period.

[beatle]

CAEs (Chinese algae eaters) do a great job of cleaning algae (I always see mine active) but as mentioned they can be a bit aggressive. I have one in my 37 and he chases my 4 gouramis around occasionally, but he leaves my adult angel alone. He harassed my girlfriend's male betta to no end, however, which is why he was put into the 37. :) I've read they can get big, but this is uncommon.

I keep an otocinclus in my 3g betta tank and he does a great job with algae as well. For a 10g I'd add two otos. They're only about 2 bucks each and you can get them at the "big box" pet stores. My betta flares and chases them from time, but they're much faster than he is and he doesn't seem to mind the excitement.

[DeRo316]

CAE is a Chinese Algae Eater and they are terrific for cleaning but they are aggressive and get more aggressive the bigger they get, which is about 6 or 7 inches in captivity. If I were you I would not get one.

[DaisyTattoo]

If you can get mystery snails to breed like crazy, I need to know your secret! ;)

v/r, N-A
I have a blue and an ivory apple snail that i purchased as "mystery" snails. They have been breeding great for me. Already 2 nests hatched since april. I haven't done anything specific for them. I give them peices of potato and lettuce every so often. Drop them an algae wafer every few days. They live in a 10 gallon with 1 male betta and a large peice of driftwood. They love the driftwood as well.

Jdcreigh, if you only buy one snail and it is a "mystery" snail(this is what the LFS will call it) you wont have any babies. You run a higher risk of infecting your tank with tons of snails every time you put a new plant in. Your general mystery aka apple snails will only eat dead plant matter. They will take care of your algae also. For a quick fix, I would buy the sponge and just scrape the sides. I dont know what to tell you about your plants and such without using a snail. Most of your algae eaters will grow too large for a 10g tank.

[dorkfish]

should have thought of this (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16892&page=1&pp=15) sooner.