Algae eaters?

Many people suggest using a mixture, dependent on your algae that is growing and how big your tank is.

I always highly recommend Malaysian trumpet snails since they are hidden during the day, Otocinclus catfish, some shrimp, or even going as far as possibly as other fish branded as algae eaters.

The biggest thing to note is that just because they fall under the algae eater group, they require more than algae as a food source. Even Plecos which are known as the algae eating fish, do require protein in their diet or they will start sucking the slime coats off of other fish (similar to how Chinese algae eaters do this over time for the same reason).

I’d honestly avoid a pleco since they tend to be high waste fish, and a majority of them get bigger than the small juvenile size that is sold in stores. I’d also highly recommend to first figuring out why your tank has algae and trying to control it, as buying a fish to do that may not work out fully (since they could not eat that specific type or won’t be able to keep up with the amount of algae that gets grown).

100% recommend snails (specifically like Malaysian Trumpet Snails as they hide during the day), or try to get fish that aren’t just impulse buys to eat algae but can fit within your tank and play nicely with other fish. Otos are good for community style tanks, and Chinese Algae Eaters are also really good for more aggressive based tanks if Plecos aren’t your style specifically.

Also have you tried to just solve for what is causing for the algae to grow? Solving that is ideal compared to buying a fish to handle that aspect

I’ve heard starfish are great algae eaters. An asterisk starfish is one that I know of. A better view then a snail or shrimp.

Nice to know about Malaysian Trumpet Snails. But definitively, I would like to explore the starfish clue... They look awsome !

I have some pink ramshorn and 2 bristle nose plecos and they do a good job in my tank.

The trumpet snails are a good go-to. Let us know what you end up using!

Quote from JennyorAlice

What about a plecostomus? Is there anyone out there that uses those?

I’ve have a few, I think the biggest problem is that many tanks are just too small for their adult size, unless you get one of the smaller breeds (which still get around 6-8 inches long).

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Quote from JennyorAlice

What about a plecostomus? Is there anyone out there that uses those?

Those are really cool! I've never had one though.

I'd be interested in the starfish. Has anybody had one before? How well did they do versus other algae eaters? Do they have a good personality? Our older algae eater, you could tell, he didn't tolerate when the fish were in his way.

I have been making use of snails for as long as I can remember and they have worked perfectly well for me when it comes to eating them algae. I also heard that shrimps are good too.

After reading this thread, I guess I don't know all the technical names of the algae eaters like I thought! We had 3 or 4 different kinds in our tank and they were mostly just ugly ones that swam at the bottom. We've had Otos before and some bristlenose pecos (looking at the official names online). Mollies and barbs are known to eat algae too and I loved having those in the tanks.