Algae eaters

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RockabillyChick

Kilt-lifter
Nov 5, 2005
1,050
0
0
38
Washington state
This is just a little rant.....

it seems to me that every time someone gets the teensiest spot of algae, they flip out and want to buy a pleco, or otos, or something to eat the algae.

what they don't ever seem to realized is that while, yes, plecos and otos and SAE's and CAE's etc. will eat algae, they won't eat all your algae, they won't eat every type of algae.

its almost as if they view these fish as one of those algae scrubbers or something. the truth is, most plecos get huge, otos are very fragile, CAE's get big and mean. they can be picky about the types of algae they will eat.

and on top of everything, they are fish. they poop and pee just like every other fish. they add to the bioload and create waste. sometimes i find it amazing that people can actually believe that because a fish is a "bottom feeder" or part of a "cleanup crew" that they somehow magically don't produce any waste of their own.

the bottom line, and the point of my rant, is don't buy another fish to add to your tank just to clean a little algae. that is YOUR job. YOU are the one who filled that glass box with water and put helpless living creatures in it who are at your mercy. it is your responsibility to keep that tank clean and healthy for them, not another fish, not a snail, not a shrimp, YOU and only YOU. so break out a sponge or one of those magnetic algae cleaners and scrub it yourself!

i just spent an hour on a water change because i had to pick and rub sheets of blue green algae off of every single plant in my tank.
 

rosita

Here
Jan 11, 2006
1,080
0
0
Cape Fear River Basin
Being a relative newb, I discovered on my own that cleaning the algae myself was the most efficient way. Didn't want to add more fish or depend on them to maybe do as well as I could. Doesn't take long. And I finally got a cleaning magnet--works pretty well on the stuff!! I'm with you, RC!! :cool:
 

fishcatch22

The Picotoper
Jun 13, 2006
4,214
2
0
33
Morris, Illinois
same here... the only reason I have my plec in my tank is because I love suckermouth catfish. I know waaay too many people who bought that adorable young CAE or common pleco to clean their tanks, have it work for a while, and then find out that it gets huge and will consider their tetras snacks in the case of the CAE.
 

RockabillyChick

Kilt-lifter
Nov 5, 2005
1,050
0
0
38
Washington state
i have 3 otos, but its mostly because i think they're adorable, because they don't touch the algae anyway, lol. all my algae is the wrong kind for otos.
 

fishcatch22

The Picotoper
Jun 13, 2006
4,214
2
0
33
Morris, Illinois
mine is hair. wrong for plecs, but just right for ghost shrimp! my pair love it!

oh, and yeah, otos are as cute as heck!
 

tmtpowers

AC Members
Jun 15, 2006
349
0
0
39
Burlington, NC
www.ferretvillage.org
I totally agree! Whats worse is almost always, as soon as someone sets up a tank, they come in saying, I need an algae eater! 9 times out of 10 they don't even have algae yet!!!
I don't own any algae eater fish. I tried a otto before I knew I needed three. Once I found out I needed at least three to keep the one I had happy, I decided I would get 4 more (all of which would get a full diet) but before I went to get the other four, my one passed so I felt that after reading that they are harder to keep that perhaps I shouldn't get any. Only thing I have that would maybe eat my algae is my mystery snails, my giant apple snails, and my Florida apple snail. I doubt they ever will touch algae though since they get a daily buffet of a wide verity of foods LOL!
I had a 10" rescue pleco that I took in and healed him up. After he healed up, I decided it would be best to find him a home with a tank larger than a 55G so he could have room to swim. Beautiful fish, but doesn't belong in a 55G.
 

khombre

58
Jul 18, 2005
1,081
0
0
42
Quezon City, Philippines
I agree. Besides, many "algae eaters" ditch the algae when they taste other types of food. I have a common pleco in a pond. I got it because I like the "form" of this fish. It looks like a spacecraft of some sort :p:
 

plah831

Am I mod enough?
Apr 29, 2006
2,788
0
0
46
Monterey Bay, CA
Here, here. I agree with everything my fellow fish-lovers said. I, for one, have 4 oto's. I never got them to get rid of algae, just because they were so cute. While they have done an excellent job on cleaning up diatoms, I am now committed to finding alternate sources of food for them. In fact, I just came back from Target after getting a large, clear container and 4 medium sized terra cotta flower pots to grow algae on. I set it up immediatley and can't wait until it starts to work! The container is sitting outside where it will get lots of light, and I 'seeded' the water with nutrients and two decorations that already have some algal growth on them.

In the meantime, they have learned how to eat bottom feeder wafers (that have spirulina and alfalfa as two main ingredients). While many would be satisfied with that, I want them to get as varied a diet as possible. Not only will they enjoy it, but it's healthier for them!

It's not a chore because I care about them and want the best for them. I took on that responsibility when I purchased them, and I will continue to look after them until they die (hopefully more than a few years from now).

My poor boyfriend... he's starting to feel neglected compared to my fishies :D He thinks I spend more time talking to my fishy friends than to him. He's one of my pets, too, but that's another story...
 

Alestro Bakai

Shaman of the Whills
Apr 20, 2006
160
0
0
RockabillyChick said:
the bottom line, and the point of my rant, is don't buy another fish to add to your tank just to clean a little algae. that is YOUR job. YOU are the one who filled that glass box with water and put helpless living creatures in it who are at your mercy. it is your responsibility to keep that tank clean and healthy for them, not another fish, not a snail, not a shrimp, YOU and only YOU. so break out a sponge or one of those magnetic algae cleaners and scrub it yourself!
Is it ok to keep nitrifying bacteria in my tank, or do I have to do that myself as well?
 
Last edited:

Gumby131

cod fishing
Feb 4, 2006
688
4
18
33
Melbourne, VIC
RockabillyChick said:
, CAE's get big and mean. they can be picky about the types of algae they will eat.
WRONG!!!
bought a CAE not long ago, at about an inch and a half, it is now about 6-7
inches long and is living happily with 6 neons, 6 cardinals, 6 zebra danios, and a guppy colony. it eats all the food scraps and all the algae. best fish ever. seriusly.
 
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