Small algae eaters
- Thread starter fishrex
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
cgthebeast
Aquarium Advice Addict
How old is the tank, what size, what stock?
Yes we need a lot more information before suggesting a suitable fish or invert for your tank. Plus are you wanting it for an algae problem? If so not all algae eaters will eat all types of algae and some types of algae no algae eaters will eat.
Garra species max at 3 I believe. They are really really cool fish. Very active. Also otocinclus. I would get a bunch of either one.
cgthebeast
Aquarium Advice Addict
Otos are my input, they are super alage eaters, stay under 3in, love to be in schools, and thrive in planted tanks. They can be fragile and most are wild caught sadly, but IMO they can't be beat. Nerite snails are also great alage eaters
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Agreed, nerites and amano shrimp are the best bet.
I agree. Otos are great fish, but really require a very well established tank and most of the LFS stock is weak.
Zebra Oto's are beautiful but very pricey and hard to come by plus they too need a well matured tank since many oto's will not eat processed or fresh foods. Many of my oto's have learned to eat blanched zucchini and some Repashy Algae Superfood but often oto's have rely on a good supply of bio-film in a tank to survive when they won't eat other foods.
Very true.
Fishfur
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you decide you want Otos, whether Zebra or the ordinary ones, a few tips for buying. Do not buy those just arrived in stores. Wait at least one week, two or three is much better. Because they are wild caught, [using cyanide], and then held for shipping, they are starving when they arrive. They rely on gut bacteria to digest the cellulose of their algae based diet. So many die in the first weeks. The fact they appear to have fat, full bellies does not mean they are well fed. It means they ate something, but if the bacteria are not present to digest it, they can still starve to death.
Go to see them at feeding time if you can. if you see any eating algae tabs or whatever the store offers, those are the ones to get. But get the ones showing some life, swimming or cleaning glass rather than those lying motionless on the tank bottom. Once home, if the tank has plenty of biofilm, they may be ok.
If they are still alive in two months, generally you are home free. It takes at least six weeks or so, from what I have both observed and read, to regenerate the gut bacteria they rely on for digestion. They are true 'aufwuchs' eaters. German term for algae grazers who also get micro fauna, infusoria etc., as they take in algae. So not really a pure vegetarian diet, and one that's near impossible to completely replicate in a tank. I think that Repashy stuff might be the closest thing, if they'll eat it.
I keep a big jar of clean marble chips.. the stuff they use for gardens, in a very sunny window, full of tank water. The rocks get green fuzz on them and I toss them in the tank for the Otos, and they love it. Clean them off fast, and back in the jar for more fuzz to grow. It is hard to grow enough to keep even a half dozen Otos happy, but it's a good supplement to the biofilm. Even though they are limestones, they are not in my tank long enough to have any effect on water parameters. I use them because they tend to grow algae well. Some other rocks work too, some won't grow any algae at all. Don't use polished stones, they don't seem to work well at all.
Don't get Otos for a tank less than four months old.. there won't be enough biofilm to support them. And if some die, it's not likely anything you did. It's pretty common to lose some. I've seen people lose 8 out of ten, at times. It depends on the fish, their age, condition when caught, how long they were held, etc. Some are stronger.. if you buy ones that have been in the store for a month, you have a much higher chance of their survival at home.
They aren't innately fragile so much as they are a fish that requires both a specific diet and it's bacterial buddies to digest it. If you ever have a chance to buy some that are bred in someone's tank, pay what they want and get those, as they will be fully adapted and likely will do extremely well for you.
Personally, I am also fond of snails as clean up crew and algae eaters. They won't eat every algae, but will eat many of them. Nerites love diatoms, more than almost anything. And amano shrimp also eat a fair bit of many algaes, but the fish you want to keep will dictate what you can keep with them. Snail eating loaches might do in Nerites, or shrimp, for example.
Go to see them at feeding time if you can. if you see any eating algae tabs or whatever the store offers, those are the ones to get. But get the ones showing some life, swimming or cleaning glass rather than those lying motionless on the tank bottom. Once home, if the tank has plenty of biofilm, they may be ok.
If they are still alive in two months, generally you are home free. It takes at least six weeks or so, from what I have both observed and read, to regenerate the gut bacteria they rely on for digestion. They are true 'aufwuchs' eaters. German term for algae grazers who also get micro fauna, infusoria etc., as they take in algae. So not really a pure vegetarian diet, and one that's near impossible to completely replicate in a tank. I think that Repashy stuff might be the closest thing, if they'll eat it.
I keep a big jar of clean marble chips.. the stuff they use for gardens, in a very sunny window, full of tank water. The rocks get green fuzz on them and I toss them in the tank for the Otos, and they love it. Clean them off fast, and back in the jar for more fuzz to grow. It is hard to grow enough to keep even a half dozen Otos happy, but it's a good supplement to the biofilm. Even though they are limestones, they are not in my tank long enough to have any effect on water parameters. I use them because they tend to grow algae well. Some other rocks work too, some won't grow any algae at all. Don't use polished stones, they don't seem to work well at all.
Don't get Otos for a tank less than four months old.. there won't be enough biofilm to support them. And if some die, it's not likely anything you did. It's pretty common to lose some. I've seen people lose 8 out of ten, at times. It depends on the fish, their age, condition when caught, how long they were held, etc. Some are stronger.. if you buy ones that have been in the store for a month, you have a much higher chance of their survival at home.
They aren't innately fragile so much as they are a fish that requires both a specific diet and it's bacterial buddies to digest it. If you ever have a chance to buy some that are bred in someone's tank, pay what they want and get those, as they will be fully adapted and likely will do extremely well for you.
Personally, I am also fond of snails as clean up crew and algae eaters. They won't eat every algae, but will eat many of them. Nerites love diatoms, more than almost anything. And amano shrimp also eat a fair bit of many algaes, but the fish you want to keep will dictate what you can keep with them. Snail eating loaches might do in Nerites, or shrimp, for example.
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