the attack of the brown algae!!

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demon_surfer

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Jan 28, 2003
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ok i have something of an algae problem..ok so not really a problem yet but it is getting there.

its the brown kind ( and thats about as technical as i can get :D )

I know its probaby best for me to just scrub it off but the trouble is its growing on the leaves of some of my plants and i dont want to damage them. So what i really want to know is can anyone recommend any algae eaters that i can put in the tank to keep it under control?.
 

famman

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Aug 16, 2002
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otocinclus sp
otocinclus vittatus
otocinclus affinis

try www.planetcatfish.com

Very small dwarf suckermouth catfish looks similiar to siamese algae eater or flying fox but only get to be 1 inch or so. excellent algae eaters who prefer brown algae and like to be kept in groups of 3 or more.

good luck
 

jiggerpolebill

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Aug 16, 2002
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i had an extremely bad brown algae epidemic in 2 of my tanks. i could never keep ottos alive long enough to put a dent in it. tried a bristlenose pleco. no good. tried SAE's(siamese algae eaters). no good. these more than likely wont be recommended because once they grow large, the algae consumption drops and aggression increases, BUT, in my case, i got 5 CAE's(chinese algae eaters). they didnt do much at first, but once they started, they didnt let up until my tank was spotless. so i took 2 out and put them in another tank that was overrun with brown algae. you could sit there and watch them plow through it cutting clean trails. they cleaned that tank perfectly in about 2 days. and off of everything. plants. ornaments. filter intake. heater.

i may be the exception to the rule, but they have worked wonders for me. just my 2 cents.

ps - if you have a community tank i highly recommend SAE's just because i think they're great fish. they're very active and have beautiful coloration IMHO.
 
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demon_surfer

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i have one chinese algae eater in my ciclid and i have to agree they are so much more intresting than the plecos...they are very active and seem curious about what is going on around them. hehe ive even caught him playing witht he cicilids once or twice :)


but i had heard that it is the CAE that get big and agressive and the SAE that stay docile?

the SAE are silvery right? and the CAE brownish?

did you say that your CAE ate the algae off your plants? where they live ? did they eat the plants too? if not then i can probably transfer him over, the tank i have the ciclids in has always been spotless :0
 

jiggerpolebill

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Aug 16, 2002
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sorry about that. i might not have been very clear. yes they eat off of my plants, but then again, my plants are plastic. i used that as an example because the do their hardest to get in the tightest spots they can.

my SAE's are kind of a bronze/tan color on the top and white across the bottom with a thick black line running between. the entire body seems to give off a metallic shine which is why i like them so much. my CAE's are brownish in color.
 
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