Best small algae eater?

[user_name]

The boss demands that his tank be algae free, and I'm not going to buy a pleco. Has anybody here had experience with chinese algae eaters or otos? Which would be a better fit for a 55 gallon community?

 

[jpappy789]

No CAEs. Too big for a 55g and they get nasty when older...minus a few exceptions.

Outside of diatoms otos are not good with algae IME. They wont touch anything hard, stringy, slimy, or fluffy which rules out most algae you will encounter.

I would suggest maybe some nerites and amano shrimp is it is a tank fit for inverts.

 

[user_name]

Not really, I plan on stocking

3 Zebra Danios 3 Red Wag Platys 5 Lamp Eye Tetras 2 Gold Twinbar Platys
2 peppered cory 5 Harlequin Rasboras and another school of neons or small danios. I also plan on getting 2 ADF's so I figured shrimp were out of the equation...

 

[user_name]

The greedy buggers at PetCo AND PetSmart both convinced me that the chinese algae eaters only grow to a few inches..... They also said that oto's will clean up algae great....

 

[jpappy789]

Both statements are wrong, at least IMO. CAEs will most certainly get to around 8" maybe longer.

The only stuff I've seen my otos go after is diatoms.

Nerites would work in the tank for sure. Amanos are certainly iffy.

Just another suggestion...increase the danios and corys to 5-6. You have room.

 

[user_name]

I plan on getting a few Glo-Fish to go with the danios. I love how they still think they are the same fish species.....

 

[SubRosa]

Garra rufa or Garra lissorynchus. They eat most problem algae and max out about 4".

 

[londonloco]

Why no pleco? A bristle nose pleco only gets 3"-4", I bought 6 long finned albino bristle nose pleco's off of aquabid. They were juvie's, all are growing slowly in my tanks. They are beautiful, look like angels...as angels with harps. I believe most will back me they are great algae eatters.

 

[jpappy789]

I cant LOL.

Mine would much rather wait for me to feed them.

 

[turtle99]

i personally would go with a bristlenose or whiptail catfish plecos are great algae eaters but will grow to big for the size tank i have two plecos there both 30cm i love them there great with algae. stay away from cae and ottos as they will not do what you after cae are great for ponds and cichlid tanks but start mixing them with placid fish your in for a long bumpy ride.