Best algae eater?

[BBouchard]

I Ann trying to find an algae eater that would be okay I'm my tank. I have the capacity abd have a brown algae growth. My tank is 55 gal. Any suggestions? I gave a moonlight gourami, 4plattys, 3guppies 3 rams 2 bettas 2 angels 4 danios. And a butterfly loach.

 

[Cactuspixie]

I Ann trying to find an algae eater that would be okay I'm my tank. I have the capacity abd have a brown algae growth. My tank is 55 gal. Any suggestions? I gave a moonlight gourami, 4plattys, 3guppies 3 rams 2 bettas 2 angels 4 danios. And a butterfly loach.

Can you post a pic of the algae?

 

[Khuligirl93]

Normally it's best to find the source of the algae and fix that. But I have found that bristle nose plecos are great algae eaters and only get 5-6 inches long.

 

[plantedtankman]

I'm not much of a Pleco person as they produce TONS of waste and can get big. My favorite algae eaters are Panda Garra and Otocinclus Catfish. I also enjoy freshwater shrimp as they are fun to watch. Just my opinion haha

 

[FallenRedeemer]

I totally agree that bristlenose Plecos are great for your tank. I actually have 2 in my 55gal tank. One albino and one regular. I never have any algae in my tank

 

[bettaowner]

I like bristle nose plecos since they are very hardy in comparison to otocinclus catfish

 

[PockX]

You shouldn't get a pleco to control your algae..their bioload is worse than the algae. However BNs like everyone was saying are good..rubberlips..anything that stays under or around 5" should be fine. Could get a bigger one but would have to rehome it later down the road.

 

[MMantelli]

Get some nerite snails. For a 55 I'd say get 5 eBay has them for like 20 bucks for 5 and you get 5 different kinds. There algae eating machines. My tap water chemistry has changed there's more silicates all of a sudden so I had a diatom outbreak got a few of theese guys for my tanks and within a week my plants glass and decorations was algae free. They don't reproduce in freshwater but will lay eggs. You can either pick them out or leave them.

 

[PockX]

Get some nerite snails. For a 55 I'd say get 5 eBay has them for like 20 bucks for 5 and you get 5 different kinds. There algae eating machines. My tap water chemistry has changed there's more silicates all of a sudden so I had a diatom outbreak got a few of theese guys for my tanks and within a week my plants glass and decorations was algae free. They don't reproduce in freshwater but will lay eggs. You can either pick them out or leave them.

People on here usually sell m for cheaper than that too. Aquabid is also a good place to get snails, eBay like you said too..LFS have them all the time too.

 

[MMantelli]

My lfs never has them and +1 aquabid is a good place and on here isn't bad on price if you find the right seller.

 

[BBouchard]

I agree with finding the reason, usually. But in this case I know its not from overfeeding, levels, or the lights. Plus I have always enjoyed algae eaters, and I am just wanting to make sure I get one fish that dies the job and I can enjoy looking at. My LFS has candy plecos, would they be ok?

 

[MMantelli]

How lo.g has the tank been setup?

 

[Jds1202]

I have 5 snails and a golden dojo loach, they do pretty good.

 

[BBouchard]

Tank has been up for 6 months. We had a loach but I killed him with salt....

 

[ddodad]

I would agree to figure out the cause of the algae,

As for an algae eater if your tank has been up and running I few months I would get 5-6 Otos. They might be delicate but personally never lost one as long as when you buy them you make sure they have been at the lfs format least 5-8 days and they have round bellies.

 

[kjacks]

I have a combination of otos and snails in my 55g and it is my cleanest tank all others get brown algae due to the minerals in my water and i havent had a problem with them really i have 5 now i had 6 but 1 died other then that no 1 no problems

 

[Oohitsae]

I love my bristlenoses!
Candy should be fine, I'd research them. Basically any of the ancistrius species would do okay. Green phantoms, starlights, inspectors, blue eyes (L144, not the larger ones), etc.

I have green dragons, calicos, albinos, super reds, and used to have starlights. None got over 5" and all do an amazing job with clean-up. Not just with algea, but left over food as well. Just make sure you have some sort of wood for them to chew if you go this route as they need it for digestion.

you COULD go with oto's, but IME they are pretty fragile. I only have 1 left out of 8 that I bought over time. This one has been with me since the beginning and does an okay job, but nothing like my plecos.

Apple/Mystery snails could work too. I'd get like 5 for your sized tank. Their eggs are easy to remove so you wouldn't have to worry about over-population of them. they get pretty large so it's really cool to watch them.

Nerites are okay but they don't get very big that you'd need a lot for your tank. With them being so pricey it doesn't seem feasable.

 

[Rivercats]

From the picture you have diatoms. Is the tank fairly new? Diatoms are very common and are self limiting. Run your lighting 6 hours a day to keep production of them lower. They use excess silicates in water and once they use them up the diatoms die out. IF you don't have a planted tank you can use a phosphate remover in your filter for a few weeks as it removes silicates from the water also. Nerite snails are one of the best diatom eaters around and the nice part is they add barely anything to the bioload of the tank.