Goldfish and algae eaters

[mackdaddy81]

It's me again, and I'm sorry but I have more questions (LOL)


Since I planted my tank and increased the lighting I have had a lot more algae build up. I have been having to wipe the glass every couple of days. I dose with an iron supplement and some flourish gravel fertilizers. Is this too much and could it be contributing to my algae??

Also, I would like to get some kind of algae eater to help keep the algae in check. I had an apple snail for a while, but the goldies ate him!!!

What type of algae eater would be safe with goldfish and would be good in my 29 gallon tank? I have read the some algae eaters will latch on to goldfish and eat their slime coat so I don't want this happening. Any Ideas???

Thanks!

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

Whatever you choose, take note that some of them get pretty huge.
My pleco went from 2" to 12" in only a few years.

Choose an algae eater that will stay small and fit your tank.
I understand that some pleco types do indeed stay small.

I wish I had checked.
LOL

 

[jsoong]

You have a few choices:

1. Nerite snails - goldies should not eat snails that are bigger than their mouth, so make sure you get ones that are at least 3/4" big. <As for apples ... goldies are known to eat the tentacles, although that is usu. not fatal.>

2. Dwarf Pleco - Bristlenose or Rubberlips are your only choices. <BN is prob a better algae eater.> Commons get too big & may suck on the slime coat of goldies, esp. when not fed.

3. Otos - Some have kept Otos & golds without problems, others have reported that their gold will try to eat the Oto .... since the Oto has a spine, it will get stuck in the Gold's throat, killing both fish .... so you are taking a chance with this combo.

4. True SAE's - Simese Algae Eaters are good for algae in a planted tank, esp. when small. Mine seemed to have stop eating algae after the first year or so & go for fish food instead. With SAE, it is difficult to get real ones <lots of lfs sell SAE's that are actualy flying fox, etc.>. You will need to know how to ID them yourself. Also, they like to be in a school & will get quite big (4-6") so is prob too big for your setup.

I would think your best bet is nerite snails, or maybe 1 dwarf pleco.

 

[mackdaddy81]

Well I decided to go with the otos since my LFS doesn't have bristlenose plecos and I read that the rubberlips don't clean as well. The goldys an dthe otos seem to be doing well so far.

While I was at the store, one of the workers recomended that I get some ghost shrimp because they help clean up the crap at the bottom and they eat algae. They were twelve for 2 bucks so I got some. (it was really about 20 shrimp because he just swiped the net in the tank) Anyways, do these guys help. I am worried about there being too much crud in the bottom because my tank is 29 gallons and I have 3 fancy golds, 3 ottos, and now 20 ghost shrimp.

Thanks!

 

[jsoong]

I don't think the shrimp will add much to the bioload .... the golds, however, might see them as snacks.

 

[mackdaddy81]

Well thats ok. If my golds eat them, they are cheap to replace and they will provide a tasty snack. So far they are awesome to watch and they hide so well that it is entertaining trying to find them. Do you know if they actually help clean the tank? I heard that they eat the fish poop and leftover food.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Well thats ok. If my golds eat them, they are cheap to replace and they will provide a tasty snack. So far they are awesome to watch and they hide so well that it is entertaining trying to find them. Do you know if they actually help clean the tank? I heard that they eat the fish poop and leftover food.

Fish Poop... wishful thinking. Should only happen if they are starving. Same with alge. As I understand it, ghost shrimp are generally NOT alge eaters. Amano Shrimp are the alge eater (but again, they don't eat crap either).

 

[mackdaddy81]

Ugggghhhh!!!!

Well, I woke up this morning and saw that my oranda goldfish had one of the ottos in his mouth. I caught him and used tweezers to get the otto out of his mouth. The otto died and the inside of the oranda's mouth is pretty torn up. I hope he makes it because he doesn't seem like he wants to eat. I am taking the ottos back right now and I think I am just going to get some apple snails. I'd much rather have my plants get eaten than my goldfish get eaten.

I am so angry at my self!!! My goldfish are pretty tame and I thought they would be fine!


Ugggh!!

 

[jsoong]

Sorry to hear about that!!! I hope your Oranda makes it. They are pretty tough & can usu. overcome some injury. It is a good thing you caught him with the Oto still visible. The spine is likely not too deep in the throat & the damage is less severe.

He might not want to eat for a few day until things heals, but that's OK. Goldies can go without food for up to a week. Keep the water clean & we'll hope for the best.

 

[Halloween]

I know this is a very OLD thread, but I had to post this! Tonight, my 4 inch goldfish swallowed my 1 inch oto. Only the little tail was sticking out of Goldie's mouth. I scooped a bunch of the aquarium water in medium sized bowl, grabbed Goldie out of the tank, and held Goldie under the water. At first I gently tried to pull the oto from Goldie's mouth, but when it didn't come out easily I remembered about how breaking the barbs on the oto will kill the oto and quite possibly severely injure or kill the goldfish.

I don't know why I did this but it worked -- I gently squeezed Goldie's abdomen and the oto came plopping out of Goldie's gills!

PS I hope the Oranda survived. No more mixing otos and goldfish for me!

 

[sieski]

It's me again, and I'm sorry but I have more questions (LOL)


Since I planted my tank and increased the lighting I have had a lot more algae build up. I have been having to wipe the glass every couple of days. I dose with an iron supplement and some flourish gravel fertilizers. Is this too much and could it be contributing to my algae??

Also, I would like to get some kind of algae eater to help keep the algae in check. I had an apple snail for a while, but the goldies ate him!!!

What type of algae eater would be safe with goldfish and would be good in my 29 gallon tank? I have read the some algae eaters will latch on to goldfish and eat their slime coat so I don't want this happening. Any Ideas???

Thanks!

Bristlnose pleco.