What fish would you recommend???

[sidgolding]

I'm looking for one or two glass cleaning fish for my tank. It's 64 litres. I don't want big pleco's. Something that grows to about 4 inches or smaller. Any recommendations?


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[lovecatfish]

Otoclincus cats :thumbup:

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[sidgolding]

Thanks how big they get?


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[lovecatfish]

2inches max.

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[Puckhog429]

Plus one on the otos


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[Mebbid]

Unless you can find a very healthy supply of them from a privately owned lfs that's had them in stock a month or more then is avoid otos. They are collected with poor practices in the wild which results in the majority of them dying quickly.

Id suggest nerite snails instead.

[Coursair]

I have lost a couple of Otos when I first buy them BUT I usually have good luck with mine.

Look for good weight. Check the bellies in the collection cup before they are bagged up. Make sure stomach isn't hollow.

Put some smooth rocks into a pan of shallow water in a sunny window to supply soft algae. Plus try Rapashy gel foods. Many Otos won't touch Algae wafers. They are wild caught. Live Plants help as well. Try to buy at least 3 Otos, 6 or more are better ( if you have room ) as they are very social.

BUT there are no fish or snails that will completely eliminate all types of algae.

A balanced well-maintained tank will not have an algae problem.

If you're having an Algae problem it's usually an issue with either too much light , too much food , not enough water changes, or something out of balance.

Algae eaters only eat certain types of soft algae.

They also need to be fed, don't assume they will subsist on the algae in your tank.

Nerites are amazing algae eaters but I've had them starve quickly once they ran out of soft algae you need to make sure you have food for them. Mine refuse algae wafers.



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[emilygupps]

Nerites are my go to! I have a large algae problem in my big 180, so they're always eating something. But in my two smaller tanks I feed them algea wafers and cucumbers. Check this out: that WHOLE leaf was brown. They do a great job.

Also, my amono shrimp seem to eat hair algae.

[Mebbid]

Originally Posted by emilygupps

Nerites are my go to! I have a large algae problem in my big 180, so they're always eating something. But in my two smaller tanks I feed them algea wafers and cucumbers. Check this out: Attachment 241956 that WHOLE leaf was brown. They do a great job.

Also, my amono shrimp seem to eat hair algae.

In one of my guppy fry tanks I had a THICK wall of diatoms on the back of the glass. I put my nerites in there and one made a b line straight for that wall and in one pass he left a perfectly clear snail sized line right through the middle

[lovecatfish]

How about amano shrimp with otos with nerites :thumbup:

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[lovecatfish]

There's one problem with all of them, which is the water quality issue. Amano shrimp may jump out if the water quality is bad from my experience, otoclinclus are rather sensitive to water quality and ammonia. Nerite snails will escape the water if the water quality is bad and they will end up somewhere in your room if you can't find them. Another issue is what are you gonna feed them when the algae's out. For me, I'd slightly overdose seachem flourish and keep the lights on for 14hours a day to keep the algae spreading and growing fast so that my otos are always fat and healthy. However, if you don't like the algae, algae wafers and zuchinni and lettuce can be fed. As well as algae covered stone you culture with a dish with the stone inside, left under sunlight. In conclusion, your choice of algae eating fish/invertebrate boils down to: personal preference, upkeep and ability to keep water clean.

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[sidgolding]

Thank you for all your help guys. I will consider all these options if not 2. I went to the pet store and walked away with 6 fish but none clean lol. So will need another trip lol.


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[emilygupps]

My nerites don't escape but they will leave the water line if they can't find enough algae and they spot some from before the evaporation, but they usually go back down or if I'm worried I'll plop them back in myself and check the water.

[Glene20]

A small bn pleco. Will eat through algae very quickly. They grow to about 6 inches. So maybe after it does the job for u give him away to someone with a suitable tank

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[Crazyhermitcrab]

My otos are going strong...

[FrogFrenzy]

I would go with some otos or a small species of plecos, such as rubber lips. Rubber lip plecos max out around 4 inches.


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[lemurstampeed33]

Pygmy Cory cats, dwarf gouramis, rasbora, zebra danios, tetras,


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[lovecatfish]

???? They dont eat algae! Omg lol

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[sidgolding]

Originally Posted by lemurstampeed33

Pygmy Cory cats, dwarf gouramis, rasbora, zebra danios, tetras,


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Lol. Have you read this thread? Are they your fish or what?


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