Algae Eating Fish

matsya said:
I presume by Plecos, you mean Suckermouth Catfish. I have a couple of them in my 25 Gallon tank. I have seen some huge (10 to 11 inch) specimens, but mine are small- about 3+ inches. They are quite sincere fellas -- quietly cleaning up the glass walls and algae on the stones. If they do grow to their full size then they could pose a threat to the serene environment. I think mine won't, considering the smaller size of my tank and the amount of fish in them. They have not attacked the plants (though I've been warned), and they are innocent till proven guilty! But they are not so effective in eating algae on uneven surfaces (like ridged petrified wood).
I have a couple of rainbow fish and they eat up the algae too.

Algae need light to grow and restricting light will help. Unfortunately plants need light too, so this needs to be done in a selective, controlled way. One way of killing algae that grow on the surface of the rocks or drift wood is to periodically turn them upside down. That way, the surface that gets exposed to light gets "buried" and a different surface gets exposed. By the time algae starts appearing on the freshly exposed side you can reverse it again.
Another way to "slow down" algae growth is to create a "siesta" time. Let's say your aquarium lights are on between 7am and 9pm. Switch of the lights between 1pm and 3 pm. This cuts down the supply of light to algae.This of course is subject to the environment of plants you have and their need for light.
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there are hundreds of species under the name pleco, what type of pleco do you have?
 
I had 9 SAE, plenty of Shrimps and 2 black Mollies (still have), the algae were still growing like weed.
I experimented with increasing the dosage of fertilizer (have a planted 450l tank), and now I have less algae. I didn't believe the stories about when you add more fertilizer the plants take it up, leave less for the algae. But it seems to have to do with the right mixture. A shortage of some nutrients, and plenty of others for algae, the right mixture, and the needed ones are used, meaning less for the algae. But doesn't this mean aso less for the plants??? I still don't get it, but it works.
Can someone explain the real reason for me?
 
My otos are totally awesome when it comes to tackling diatom algae. But, they suck when it comes to thread algae. They ignore it. The armano shrimp, cherry shrimp, and mts(Malaysian Trumpet Snail) are also useless when it comes to thread algae. I am about to break down a 2.5 gallon planted tank that has been taken over by threrad algae. I pretty much tried all corrective measures(reducing photo period from 12 to 8 hours, 50% weekly water changes, overdoses of fluorish excel, cutting out fertilization, etc.,) and nothing seems to work. Once I relocate the inhabitants(dwarf aquatic frog, amano shrimp, and cherry shrimp) to my 5 gallon, I am going to thow in an unfed Rosy Barb for experimental purposes and try and independently confirm if it devours that thread algae. Once it finishes off the thread algae, I will feed it and if decides to go after the plants, no problem, the plants are extras.
 
I've got a rubbermouth pleco and he cleans brown algae like mad! For those of you who have Chinese algae eaters, let me clear this up.

* They don't eat algae (well, at first they do)
* They get very aggressive when older
* They suck onto other fish when older
* They can kill your fish by sucking on them
* The little ones suck rings, the big ones suck holes that kill
 
friends_forever said:
I've got a rubbermouth pleco and he cleans brown algae like mad! For those of you who have Chinese algae eaters, let me clear this up.

* They don't eat algae (well, at first they do)
* They get very aggressive when older
* They suck onto other fish when older
* They can kill your fish by sucking on them
* The little ones suck rings, the big ones suck holes that kill
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True. Not many people believe what I said. They'll regret it soon enough when they try to catch the fish.:footinmouth:

Chinese Algae Eater at its adult size:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124160
 
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Hello, I agree completely with the word lately on SAE's. Stay away from for a peaceful, or even semi-peaceful planted tank of almost any nature. They do get big and fairly obnoxious and really don't do such a great job on algae anyway...not long term at least. Fish, not too familiar with habits personally but through doing a little research on the ones discussed here it really doesn't seem as if any of them are worth it for various reasons and there are much better alternatives. Plecos, in general, are a mixed bag at best. Standard Plecos sold commonly do eat algae when small, but when they reach a size of about 6-8 inches they start to become lazy and become much more carnivorous...many times just waiting until you feed the fish and then stealing all the food. Aside from this they get absolutely monsterous in size and will tear apart a planted tank pretty quickly. They do also rasp the leaves of plants such as swords, apons, etc. to the skeleton. Bristlenose, Bushynose, and Bristlemouth (all variations in labeling) are excellent. They stay small (usually 4-6 inches), remain herbivores for entire life, are fairly peaceful but yet very active grazers, and are just the coolest looking little guys!! I have also read that they can be bred with decent success. I also currently have an Angelicus Pleco, a Gypsy Tiger King Pleco and a Royal Pleco in my planted tank. They will all stay much smaller than a "common" pleco. Aside from that though the jury is still out..... I am pretty confident that the Gypsy and Angelicus are ok, they are both good algae grazers. As for the Royal I suspect he may be rasping my swords. I have noticed that the Royal has fairly prominent little teeth, which would make sense. That being said, many of the more specialized Plecos require driftwood to eat. I know the Royal is one for sure, so again with the teeth. The Angelicus and Gypsy Tiger King do not appear to have prominent teeth at all. I may have to get rid of the Royal:sad:, he is so beautiful though!! I have only had these guys for a few months so I will keep y'all updated on them.
Oto cats are hands down my fave!! I have 8 in my 36 Bow and they are just the best little guys, and some variations can have really cool patterns and some color even. They eat algae non-stop, although they do not eat it when it gets too long or thick (not enough to make a diff. at least). They tend to stick more to diatom, and other types in its early stages of growth. Keeping the algae trimmed down manually will help overcome this however. They will also clean algae from anywhere, I have a dwarf narrow-leaf chain sword and they will even clean the algae off the airborne roots of the sprouts!! And my Micro narrow leaf Sword, cleans them too..and the leaves are like needles, oh yeah..Rotala Wallichi, that too!! They really help to keep detritus from settling on these types of plants and moss as well. Luckily I have not had blue-green yet so I cannot comment on that but the word seems to be no.
I personally love the shrimp too. Amano are awesome! They eat the algae well, are really fun to watch and I love the aesthetic appeal they give, esp. in groups. Cherry Red's and Orange Shrimp are great too, they both look beautiful, eat algae well (not quite as good as Amano IMO), and they have both been reported to breed easily in captivity....I'm keepin' my fingers crossed. :) One shrimp I would stay away from is the Six Legged shrimp, they are really cool looking but in nature they live in labyrinths and aquatic caverns where food is minimal. This is why their claws have evolved into little "fans". They catch particulate matter out of the water. I know these guys can be very hard to keep alive long term and they don't touch algae...really one of those that should just be left in nature. Just out of curiosity what bad experiences have others had with Amanos, Cherrys, or Oranges? I saw a few posts from people who don't care much for the shrimp in general. Please let me know your experiences as I am fairly new and am only reporting on my observations and research, and am always open to learning something new. Any ideas about the three Plecos I mentioned, anyone else had experience with them? Thanks a lot!!

--Tim
 
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Clown plecos get rid algae without a problem. When I got mine I just didn't feed them any bottom feeder food till they got rid of the algae and they don't seem interested in plants. Once they get rid of the algae, I feed them zuchinni that i stick in the gravel with a plastic paperclip.
 
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