Algea eater fish for cold water tank??

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fishboy123

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
81
Hi,
I have a cold water 64l tank and need an algea eater. Any suggestions??
 
Fl flag fish. Ive keep them at 67. But...the best algae control is you lol
 
Some pleco species can handle temps down to about 68 F, but not all can, so you would need to research each species. Or, as nirnhao said, try nerite snails.
 
Common plecos can tolerate cold water but my tank is way to small for them. I have nerite snails in my tropical tank. I always thought they were tropical snails and can not go in cold water
 
Several years ago, my wife threw 2 chinese algae eaters into out koi pond because she thought they were too ugly for display. She put them in the pond at about 5" hoping the catfish would eat them, I think. The next time we saw them, they were about 11" long, fat and healthy (and still ugly). They had survived a midwest winter in a pond that was frozen over with ice about 8" thick, with seemingly no adverse affect. I don't believe that chinese algae eaters are very efficient at actually eating algae however.
 
Several years ago, my wife threw 2 chinese algae eaters into out koi pond because she thought they were too ugly for display. She put them in the pond at about 5" hoping the catfish would eat them, I think. The next time we saw them, they were about 11" long, fat and healthy (and still ugly). They had survived a midwest winter in a pond that was frozen over with ice about 8" thick, with seemingly no adverse affect. I don't believe that chinese algae eaters are very efficient at actually eating algae however.

The fact she actually caught them alive is amazing in itself!!

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I have a goldfish tank that I keep around 21 C but in the wintertime sometimes it's gotten down to 16.5. I have a Chinese algae eater and holy moly he keeps the tank spotless!! And he is super hardy and has outlived all of my goldfish for years. He is also adorable. However, one big downside is that CAEs are very territorial. Make sure you have a big tank with lots of room or else they will bully your fish mercilessly. When we had a small tank (25 liters) he was a major jerk but once we got a huge one (180 liters) he now generally keeps to himself and still keeps the place very clean.

Some snails are also good, however you need to carefully research which breeds are hermaphrodites because with these you'll have a tank full of snails within weeks and population control is impossible. The two snails I have had for a couple years have not reproduced and also do a lovely cleaning job.

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I might consider a Chinese algae eater. I have a wether loach but he doesn't do a good job at cleaning the sides. Also the tank is only 64l and I don't want the Chinese algae eater to attack my goldfish. I might get one when my goldfish go in the pond in summer though! I will do some research about what snails are good. Thanks for the help![emoji4]
 
Hi[emoji1][emoji1609] can someone tell me? Are Chinese Algae Eaters and Otocinclus the same?[emoji15][emoji1][emoji1474] thanx in advance[emoji1609]
 
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