algae eatters

[jiggerpolebill]

here's my experience with algae eaters so far. im not advising on anything, but its just how things have gone for me.

i started having the diatom problem a while back and tried to take care of it with ottos, but never could get a batch to live very long.

i got some SAEs(2 adult 3 juvi) that i really like alot. i think they are handsome fish and i love their coloration. BUT all they really seem to like is the fish food for all their tankmates.

i got a bristlenose pleco that i also like. i originally had the same plan as yourself. i wanted a pleco-free tank because i read that they were quite messy. im glad i got him now. he doesnt do very much with my diatom problem either(i know diatoms arent what they eat, but i figured id give it a whirl anyway).

i finally got fed up and broke down and bought 5 CAEs looking for anything that could help me get a handle on this problem. i didnt want them and still dont and plan on getting rid of them eventually, BUT theyre eating the stuff!! i noticed the difference overnight after adding them. one of them now is really fat(eggs maybe?)

when i watch my tank, the SAEs occasionlly graze on it, the pleco doesnt really go near it, but the CAEs(for the moment) are at it almost all the time. like i said, this is just whats happened for me and if i had my choice/wish, then it would have been ottos instead. im still planning on trying to add them(ottos) to replace the CAEs but for the time being, im just gonna leave it be. good luck finding a solution to your problem.

 

[Serrateeth_2002]

Maybe sucker loaches they look like electric rays in body shape they stay small but the are temperate water fishes.

 

[Richer]

The best fish I've had experience with that ate diatoms are otos... it is indeed hard to find otos that will survive, but there are a few things you can do:

Find a reputable LFS that sells these guys. See if you can get them to put a few otos on reserve for you for a week or two (give them a deposit if nessessary). A week or two (especially after a fresh shipment) should give you an idea of how well they will fare when you introduce them into your tank.
Accimilate the otos very slowly to your tank. Floating the bag in your tank, while adding small portions of tank water to your bag and emptying the bag as it gets full. I believe the last batch of otos I accimliated to my tank took about 1.5-2 hours.
If all else fails, find another LFS. IMHO, the LFS is one of the most important sources of failure when it comes to otos... I bought 3 otos from one semi-decent store and within a month all were dead. I bought 6 from another LFS, its been 3 months and only one out of the 6 has died. To this day I am still able to do a head count on all of my otos =)

FYI, I bought myself a clown pleco awhile back (cuz it was cheap, looked cool and was in very good condition), I haven't seen it touch any kind of diatom algae before. My SAEs nibble on hair algae, if there is nothing else to eat. I have American Flagfish which I hear will attack hair algae with gusto, but I don't know personally, since I haven't had a hair algae outbreak in a very long time.

HTH
-Richer

 

[jiggerpolebill]

i had a similar theory that i was going to try. i dont know how well this idea will be recepted but here goes....

meijer is local superstore chain(like walmart, etc) that carries them. everytime ive been in the fish dept there, people are always getting the "pretty" fish(bettas, mollies, etc). the ottos they have there, you really have to look for to find them. my thinking is that people that buy fish at meijer dont buy ottos. surely they dont get ottos in their shipments each and every week, so, the ones that are still there and alive, should have a couple of weeks on them. maybe they are a little more hardy than a place that sells out and gets fresh ones every week. still havent put this theory to test yet.

sorry if i hijacked the thread.