Otos are the way to go. Or you can get cherry shrimp, provided that you don't have any large predators in there with them. Neither will eat your plants. Don't scrape algae from your leaves, you will damage them. jm, why is it that whenever anyone asks about algae eaters, you insist on telling them to just clean their tank? Yes, proper maintenance should be done. Yes, people should watch how much they feed. Yes, they need to be careful about duration of light. However, those things won't guarantee the removal of all algae. An occasional algae eater isn't a bad idea. They are SUPPLEMENTAL to good maintenance, not replacements for it and can be good pets in and of themselves.
Darkelf, ottos do need to eat algae. They will pretty much only eat algae so shrimp pellets or flake food won't really help them. If you have some level of algae present in the tank, they'll be fine. They also eat micro algae. So even if you don't see it they will and could be fine. If you're worried about them not geting any food, you could drop in an algae tab every now and then. Don't do this regularly or they will stop eating algae and wait for the tabs. Give them a tab every couple of days.
Snails are also a valid option. Just buy some plants from the pet store and you're likely to get some that way. Most of these types of snails will only eat algae, excess food and dead or dying plant material. Don't overfeed your fish, keep your plants healthy and do regular maintenance and the snails will not get out of control.
