Fish people

does anyone know good algae eating fish my tank is covered in green algae that i want to get rid of and keep away (as much as possible) My tank is 55 gallons.

What type of fish do you have now?

There are many species of pleco's that would do fine in a tank of that size.

My recomendation (this depends alot on the species already in your tank), is to go with a Bristlenose Pleco. Unlike other fish in the plecostamus family, they are pure herbivores as opposed to omnivores, and don't get as HUGE as it's common cousin.

You could also look into Apple Snails and various shrimp species, though I find that they aren't as thorough and are more fragile.

A major factor in algae growth is natural sunlight. If your tank gets a lot of light, then try moving somewhere darker.

Good luck.

~Tucker

Shrimp and pretty much any kind of algae eating fish do the trick for me

We've always had pleco, and they're awesome. Recently, ours passed away, so we're hoping to get another one soon. Good luck!

I'm a big fan of Otos but they supposedly do better in groups. I have, however, kept a couple of them in smaller tanks alone and they were fine. They're small, not sure what size you were looking at.

Go for a pleco or a chinese algae eater.

Granted, Plecos prefer the taste of newly formed algae.

First, you need to exactly identify the kind of algae you have: hair, brush, thread, staghorn, etc. This is very important. Most algae eaters eat only one or two types of algae. For example, otocinclus will eat mostly green encrusting algae, plecos prefer brown algae, and Siamese algae eaters will consume hair and red algae.

If you do get a pleco, do NOT get a common pleco. Get a bristlenose or other species that remains small. There are two reasons for this:
1) Common plecos get absolutely huge
2) As they get larger, common plecos actually stop eating algae and become mostly carnivorous. Not good for keeping your tank clean.

One of the main culprits of algae buildup is nutrient imbalance. How often do you do water changes? Too much nitrate is a big cause of algae. Also, you may be letting too much light in the tank.

Plecos are AWESOME, but they get acceptianally big.

I find Oto's to be quite delicate and are easily pushed out of the way and bullied by larger, pushier fish.

Gempress' response was good! Do find out the type of algae you have! Should have mentioned that...

Aother thing to remember is that Siamese Algae Eaters get biggish (not to big for 55g though) and can get AGGRESSIVE.

Be choosy!

~Tucker

well our pet store did not have the best selection, they had tons of plecos but most were the 24 inch ones. When i found one that only grew like 7 inches i had them bag it but i forgot to read the price. Turned out to be $40 dollars:yikes: so we put it back and got the next smallest which was to grow to be 18 inches, still huge i know, but that's the best they had. I had gotten a Chinese algae eater and they told me it would eat the algae, i recently found out that is not true, and that they are aggressive. So i knew i needed another semi-aggressive fish. I did look at the otos but they were too small. I have angel fish and they are also semi-aggressive and i thought they may eat the otos.

Bristlenoses are the best invention ever 6 inches or less, wont bother neons or other tetras and they can put up with my big cichlids. (My central american cichlid tank is planted, an odd tank!)

Be careful with other smaller plecos, many do not eat algae, and those that do often need special conditions.Rubbernoses are awesome but like cool water, 70, instead of the 82 I keep my tanks at. Clown and "candy stripe" plecos, dont eat algae. That $40 pleco is unlikely to eat algae anyway.