Red Whiptail Catfish/Bristlenose Catfish

[charls]

I was in my lfs and was talking about small algae eating fish. Up until now I had decided I was going to get otocinclus catfish as my tank is only 18 gallons but the person I spoke to suggested a bristle nose catfish or a red whiptail catfish. Would either be suitable?

I've tried to research online but I couldn't find much information about red whiptail catfish. How big do they get? Are they suitable in a community tank?

 

[charls]

And are either alright with shrimp?

 

[NigelK8485]

The red whiptail is probably L010A. Look it up. What are the dimensions of the 18 gallon? They get about 4-5" but should have some good floor space to move around. They'd be fine with shrimp.


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[ScotJudd]

I think a BN is a bit big for an 18g tank. Also, they don't eat a lot of algae when they get bigger.
My BN totally ignore my shrimp and they are definitely not scared of him, quite the reverse.


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[NigelK8485]

If you're looking for a fish just to clean algae just keep up on the tank and you shouldn't have a huge algae problem. Otos are kind of difficult to acclimate and most people report that they randomly die a month later, plus they require a ton of algae.


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