i know these fish arent the most popular and that they grow up to be a nuisance to other fish, but i have to tell you what these things are doing for me.
ive had a brown algae epidemic for about the last 3 months and after getting sick of taking out my ornaments and scrubbing them every week, i decided to buy some. i tried ottos, but they all died on me. i bought some Siamese Algae Eaters(some of my favorite fish), but they didnt do anything for me either as well as a bristlenose pleco.
the CAE's started eating it the week i put them in but then slacked off. i quit scrubbing ornaments altogether and the brown stuff built up pretty thick. then they started eating it more and more. this was in my 55g tank. its almost completely free of it now except in the really tight spots that the CAEs have trouble getting to. my son's tank(10G) was in the same shape as of last week. i had a magnetic tank scraper that i could get most of it off the walls with, but his ornament and plants were covered with it and it was getting all over his gravel(light blue) and in the seams with the sealant in the corners. his tank was really looking horrible, so i put 2 of the 5 from the 55g in his tank last sat.. as of today, his tank is spotless. the gravel looks brand new, the plants look new and so does his ornament. its even out of the seams in the corners. i sat in front of the tank the other morning and watched them plow through it on his ornament. im REALLY satisfied with what theyve done.
i expect that they will do what everybody elses will do...grow up and turn mean and not eat algae, but for everybody that has a brown algae problem, i would(IMHO) at least get some young ones and give them a try. i know alot of people advise against this and i may be the exception to the rule, but i figured id share my experience with them. mine are all appr. 2 - 2 1/4 inches in length.
ive had a brown algae epidemic for about the last 3 months and after getting sick of taking out my ornaments and scrubbing them every week, i decided to buy some. i tried ottos, but they all died on me. i bought some Siamese Algae Eaters(some of my favorite fish), but they didnt do anything for me either as well as a bristlenose pleco.
the CAE's started eating it the week i put them in but then slacked off. i quit scrubbing ornaments altogether and the brown stuff built up pretty thick. then they started eating it more and more. this was in my 55g tank. its almost completely free of it now except in the really tight spots that the CAEs have trouble getting to. my son's tank(10G) was in the same shape as of last week. i had a magnetic tank scraper that i could get most of it off the walls with, but his ornament and plants were covered with it and it was getting all over his gravel(light blue) and in the seams with the sealant in the corners. his tank was really looking horrible, so i put 2 of the 5 from the 55g in his tank last sat.. as of today, his tank is spotless. the gravel looks brand new, the plants look new and so does his ornament. its even out of the seams in the corners. i sat in front of the tank the other morning and watched them plow through it on his ornament. im REALLY satisfied with what theyve done.
i expect that they will do what everybody elses will do...grow up and turn mean and not eat algae, but for everybody that has a brown algae problem, i would(IMHO) at least get some young ones and give them a try. i know alot of people advise against this and i may be the exception to the rule, but i figured id share my experience with them. mine are all appr. 2 - 2 1/4 inches in length.