Algae clean up crew for 20gallon high

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

exactionfigure

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
127
Location
taunton MA
I don't have anything to eat algae in my 20gallon high I don't really have any yet but I’m sure I will actually I already have a little bit of green stuff on my glass and rocks.

So I need a clean up crew, what do you suggest for fish/snails what ever else for my size tank?

I want to get some small shrimp too but I’m not sure if I should yet, are the sensitive creatures?
 
Otocinclus catfish, these little guys are a must in planted tanks or algea loaded tanks. Need to be in groups of 2+ http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/615.htm

Shrimp. So many different kinds. My favorites are cherry red and amano shrimp. They are kind of sensitive, but if you keep up with water changes and you have a cycles tank then they would be fine.

Snails... there are alot of different kinds you can get. I like MTS, they are very nice snails, they are nice looking and they burrow in gravel to get out harmful gas bubbles.

Cory cats: these are great for getting food that has fallen to the bottom or the tank. Need to be in groups of 3+. I know you want to know what will clean algea but cories won't do that, just though i would recommend them.

With a mixture of all these fish you couls have a VERY clean tank.
 
Cool, thank you
I’m going to the LFS tomorrow to pick them up
I thought I saw ottos there last time but I'm not sure if they are Siamese or Chinese algae eaters, I hope I don't buy the wrong fish by accident.
 
Nerite snails are apparently the best snail you can get for algae duty. MTS don't eat algae from my experience, but they do a great job of aerating the substrate. SAE's are considered the all around best algae eating fish, but as mentioned are often in fact chinese algae eaters. Oto's are a mixed bag for me. They are fun little fish and LOVE diatoms, but I am somewhat dissapointed with them in my tanks current state (BBA, staghorn algae, thread algae), as they don't eat any of it.

If I had to do it over again, I'd get 2-3 true SAE's, 2-3 cory's (if your fish don't kill them like my tiger barbs did), and some MTS and nerite snails. That would give you an incredible diverse cleanup crew that will consume almost anything your tank can throw at it.
 
I have two tiger nerite snails in my 20G tank and they are algae eating machines! I'm almost worried that theyare too good. They have decimated the algae in that tank, but they don't seem to travel onto plant leaves to eat hair algae. There may not be enough algae in the tank for them now.

I have a decoration in the tank that had a lot of algae on it. My pleco didn't touch the stuff. I put two tiger nerites in the tank and the next morning almost all the algae was done from the decoration.

I would love to put them into my 90G to help there too, but I'm afraid that they will be killed. I had two really large brown apple snails and my cichlids picked at them until they were dead. One I found in the morning with an empty shell, and the other had my convicts pick at it. Even my king scribble pleco had a go at the snail.

At my LFS, they only had the two nerites. I am looking for more to test in my 90G, but don't want to lose the only two that I have.
 
Yup, no local nerites around me. I can get them shipped (with a minimum order of $35) from a company across the country, and the shipping is a deal breaker as well. The other problem is most I am finding are the olive nerites, which really are not anything to look at (basically look like pond snails).

I'm really interested in finding some tiger nerites, as IMO, they are the best looking, followed by the staghorn nerites, for both their odd looks, and their possible better protection against predators.

I like you didn't want to invest the high amount of $$$ only to see my tiger barbs (which have killed 2 cory's and an Oto) decimate them.

I'm still hoping at some point someone around me gets a shipment in, as I would definately pick up a couple for my 20gallon.
 
I went to my lfs today and bought 3 corys and 1 SAE and 1 flying fox
only to find out that what I thought was a SAE is of course a Chinese algae eater! I’ll have to take him out of the tank at some point I really hope he doesn't get aggressive, all my fish are very peaceful.

The flying fox and corys are going to town the flying fox has already almost entirely cleaned one of the bigger rocks and to corys are just going around eating everything from the bottom

the Chinese algae eater hasn't done too much he's mostly been hanging out in my plants doing a little cleaning here and there but not half as much as the flying fox.

I'm going to give the CAE to a friend of mine(who has an awesome 90gal)
I was thinking about getting a couple more Flying foxes since I can't find ottos anywhere.

I’m going to have to order snails online I guess because there are none around here.

-Matt
 
exactionfigure said:
I went to my lfs today and bought 3 corys and 1 SAE and 1 flying fox
only to find out that what I thought was a SAE is of course a Chinese algae eater! I’ll have to take him out of the tank at some point I really hope he doesn't get aggressive, all my fish are very peaceful.

The flying fox and corys are going to town the flying fox has already almost entirely cleaned one of the bigger rocks and to corys are just going around eating everything from the bottom

the Chinese algae eater hasn't done too much he's mostly been hanging out in my plants doing a little cleaning here and there but not half as much as the flying fox.

I'm going to give the CAE to a friend of mine(who has an awesome 90gal)
I was thinking about getting a couple more Flying foxes since I can't find ottos anywhere.

I’m going to have to order snails online I guess because there are none around here.

-Matt

Wait. CAE are synonomous with flying foxes, as in they are the same thing. I believe flying fox is the common name for BOTH CAE's and SAE's, so if in fact you got an SAE flying fox, most definately return the CAE and get another SAE. Phew, these acronyms are confusing. :)

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_fox.php
 
I believe Flying Foxes, SAEs and CAEs are all different fish. They are listed that way in Axelrod's book. The big problem is they are all so similar when young.
 
rich311k said:
I believe Flying Foxes, SAEs and CAEs are all different fish. They are listed that way in Axelrod's book. The big problem is they are all so similar when young.

They might be, but I believe a lot of LFS's don't distiguish between them and so "flying fox" is a great way to sell a CAE and many people will think they are getting a SAE, especially since they look VERY similar to the untrained eye.
 
I would imagine a lot of LFS sell all 3 as SAEs since SAEs are the fish everyone wants, the ultimate algae eater per say.
 
Yes SAEs, CAE, and flying foxes are very different fish. However many LFS do label SAEs as flying foxes, thai flying foxes, etc and vice versa. If it is a true flying fox it will get rather territorial when older, and won't eat that much algae. Anyway you could post a pic?
 
Back
Top Bottom