Algae eater or snail??

[Mysticalkitten]

My ten gallon tropical tank is getting some algae spots on the glass. The plants are doing good new leaves on all the new ones I have.two java, some viney with little leaves I got free from ordering a plant off eBay for the gold fish to eat. But I don't want to get a pleco for this tank because if it gets big a don't have any were to put it and my larger tank already as a big one. What can I get that stays small won't eat my plants and gets along with my two frogs, female beta, two glass fish and two Corry cats? Snale I don't want tons of eggs I know they breed a lot. Any small algae eater??

[EOGoldfish]

I would say a nerite snail if you must get something but it probably be best to remove the algae manually

[Mysticalkitten]

That's what I been doing every four days. Is a nerite better than a ramsnale?

[Fresh2o]

Honestly, if it’s just on the glass, then use an algae magnet.
I have otocinclus, pond snails, rams horn, and Malaysian trumpet snails and they don’t put a dent in the algae on the glass. A nerite might though. The only reason I don’t have them is because the females may lay these non-fertile sesame seed like eggs.

[smallfry53]

If you don't want them to breed, my recommendation would be nerites. As Fresh2o said, they do lay eggs sometimes, but they aren't fertile in freshwater.

The white dots on the driftwood in this picture are nerite eggs.

[Autumnsky]

Maybe try a timer on your tank light and have it turn off after 4-6 hours for an hour or 2, and then on again for 4-6 hours. Timers might be on sale now especially for Christmas lights, manual dial ones are around $5-6. There are reptile strip plug things which come with a timer for lights and all other stuff stays on too, I think from Zoo Med /this
Zoo Med Aquasun Controller: Lighting

Try that and try doing a little more often pwc and also try to watch feeding too much.

An additional help might be getting this or similar product.
Seachem - PhosGuard

[nirbhao]

I agree that the only snails that are going to touch green algae are nerites. Nothing takes care of algae on glass as well as humans, though.

[Mysticalkitten]

Thanks every one I got the lights on a timer and cut back a bit on the feeding. I also added blinds on the side window I think they were getting too much sunlight coming in from the side in the afternoon. I'll see if it helps. Tank looks better after I got the algae cleaned up.