fishdogs Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 Hey everyone, I am looking for a good species that will eat algae in my 20H tank. I currently have 3 Molly fish, 6 Cory cats (plan to get two more), and 2 nerite snails that I am not a fan of. I kind of have some pretty mild algae growth but I clean it weekly and it's back within a short time. I had a nerite snail with my betta and it did a great job! These nerite snails are constantly flipped upside down and neither one has moved in about two weeks....I don't really want to do the smell test either to see if they are dead. In terms of an algae eater, I would like to have something that would eat algae off of my single Anubias plant as I am planning to one day have a planted tank and eat algae off the walls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 (edited) Nerites should not be flipped upside down, they may have fallen (or been knocked around by cory) and don't have the ability to right themselves like a lot of snails. I would at least turn them right side up to see if they eventually move- if not they've probably been dead a while. Honestly Nerites are pretty much the best clean up crew in my opinion. You could also get some "pest" aka Bladder snails or Ramshorn- while they are great clean up crew they can reproduct prolifically if you are not careful about feedings as they will reproduce to the amount of food available to them. This is why Nerites are best IMO. There is no PERFECT algae eater. Your tank looks new, how long has it been running? Edited June 14 by xXInkedPhoenixX 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishdogs Posted June 14 Author Share Posted June 14 It’s been running for about a year. I’m not sure the Cories are messing with them as they are Pygmy cories (forgot to mention that). It’s really annoying if I have to keep flipping them right side up all the time…..it seems like it would be a daily thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 How old is your tank. I prefer mystery snails but they may not be best in new tanks. As long as you keep the water high and pull random clutches. They’re great. And really goofy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishdogs Posted June 14 Author Share Posted June 14 My tank is a year old. I have been very interested in mystery snails but some say that they don’t really eat algae. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 Mine are constantly grazing on algae. And everything else for that matter. All forms of organic matter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoFace99 Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 Personally, I would recommend Panda Garra, if you can get your hands on them. Bristlenose Plecos are reliable too, but Panda Garra stay smaller (4in compared to 6in), they’re one of the few that love to eat BBA, can do fine solo, and are active throughout the day (they rarely hide). However, Plecos are far more common, live longer, and come in different varieties. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 On 6/14/2024 at 10:22 AM, TwoFace99 said: I would recommend Panda Garra I like that idea, or florida flag fish @fishdogs It also depends on the type of algae. snails are great for surface algae, not good on hair algae. amano shrimp and these fish are good on hair type algae. so are your mollies btw. most people don't think of them as algae eaters, but they do okay. and I catch my platys grazing off of glass algae all the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 On 6/14/2024 at 7:10 AM, fishdogs said: ..it seems like it would be a daily thing? Shouldn't be, but if the fish are playing with them it's possible. Corycats are often very active they may not do it on purpose. If it happens constantly there could be other issues the Nerites are experiencing. Mystery Snails are more water pets than algae eaters, they need to be fed just like fish, usually veggies and other snail foods. They are fun and I do recommend them, but not a great clean up crew, which is what you're inquiring about. I like the idea of the Mollys/Platies doing work for you, this would sometimes require you to not feed them every day so they graze a bit more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 Panda Garra is an excellent idea. Personally, I’d swap those mollies for some platies and amano shrimp. JMO 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 On 6/14/2024 at 11:34 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said: Mystery Snails are more water pets than algae eaters Yeah. Mine actually do okay. Do they make the glass clean? no, that's my job. And they really do a good job on eating leftover organic matter. especially leftover food and sometimes including dead fish. Sometimes nano fish pass, and you see nothing. I usually won't feed mine more than a couple of algae wafers a week. I have 35 home grown ones in my 75g angel tank (with the rest scattered everywhere else). no water quality issues at all. but they're constantly foraging for food 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 (edited) I have not been too terribly impressed with any algae eating inhabitants. None that I tried seemed to make much of an impact even when I didn't feed the tank for a week to encourage more algae consumption.. I have tanks that are free of visible algae now, but I don't attribute it to any of the inhabitants… Edited June 14 by Pepere 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyxxl Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 On 6/14/2024 at 10:03 AM, fishdogs said: Hey everyone, I am looking for a good species that will eat algae in my 20H tank. I currently have 3 Molly fish, 6 Cory cats (plan to get two more), and 2 nerite snails that I am not a fan of. I kind of have some pretty mild algae growth but I clean it weekly and it's back within a short time. I had a nerite snail with my betta and it did a great job! These nerite snails are constantly flipped upside down and neither one has moved in about two weeks....I don't really want to do the smell test either to see if they are dead. In terms of an algae eater, I would like to have something that would eat algae off of my single Anubias plant as I am planning to one day have a planted tank and eat algae off the walls. I like the otocinclus catfish I have for algae control 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricksonAquatics Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 Definitely depends on what type of algae you’ve got going on. If you’ve got flat, brown diatom algae then something like a bristle nose or clown pleco, otocinclus, or hillstream loach would do the job. At the end of the day, the best algae eater is you, and you balancing your tank. By balancing I mean aligning the amount of light you have, the amount of fertilizer you put in and the amount of live plants you have. More aquarium plants = less algae 🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyxxl Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 I am trying to get a little algae to grow to feed my otocinclus lol but not being successful lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 On 6/14/2024 at 6:01 PM, johnnyxxl said: I am trying to get a little algae to grow to feed my otocinclus lol but not being successful lol Mine don't even need the algae exclusively. They do a fine job of cleaning off the invisible biofilm as well 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rube_Goldfish Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 On 6/14/2024 at 6:01 PM, johnnyxxl said: I am trying to get a little algae to grow to feed my otocinclus lol but not being successful lol One trick I've heard of but never tried: get a couple of smooth, flat rocks, put them in a small bowl or something filled with tank water, then leave the bowl outside in the sun. It should develop some nice algae/biofilm growth. Then you put the rock in, the otos clean it off, and you can rotate it back to the bowl. It sounds like it should work, anyway... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 SAEs, Siamese Algae Eaters Mine are fun to watch, and always eating. In my small community, they have easily outperformed the Amanos and Nerites. They are social, so I would get at least two or three. Be sure that you are getting a true SAE. The flying fox looks very similar, but can be aggressive. Yes, the SAEs might get to be 4-6" in length, but they also might not. Mine are 3 years old and haven't made 3 inches yet. If your Nerites have been upside down in the same spot for two weeks, they are dead. The Cories might be knocking the dead snails over You may be able to smell them without removing them. I would move them into a corner, or a separate container and wait to see if they move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 On 6/16/2024 at 8:14 PM, Tanked said: SAEs, Siamese Algae Eaters Mine are fun to watch, and always eating. In my small community, they have easily outperformed the Amanos and Nerites. They are social, so I would get at least two or three. Be sure that you are getting a true SAE. The flying fox looks very similar, but can be aggressive. Yes, the SAEs might get to be 4-6" in length, but they also might not. Mine are 3 years old and haven't made 3 inches yet. If your Nerites have been upside down in the same spot for two weeks, they are dead. The Cories might be knocking the dead snails over You may be able to smell them without removing them. I would move them into a corner, or a separate container and wait to see if they move. 20High is too small for saes imo. Dont you think? I have three in 160 liter tank/ 100x4040cm tank and they are very active. Like VERY active in my experience constantly grazing and also chasing each other. I even feel like 160 liters feel kinda small 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishdogs Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 What about reticulated Hillstream loach’s? Would those be a good fit for a 20H? I figured I would just get one due to having the 3 mollies and 6 Pygmy cories. I want two but apparently with two they get aggressive and I’m not sure that I have room for 3 Hillstream loaches. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 On 6/16/2024 at 2:10 PM, Lennie said: 20High is too small for saes imo. Dont you think? I have three in 160 liter tank/ 100x4040cm tank and they are very active. Like VERY active in my experience constantly grazing and also chasing each other. I even feel like 160 liters feel kinda small I thought about that. Mine are also very active, They swim in one of the four directions, graze like cattle for a moment and move on to the next plant or rock. so far, I've never seen them swim the complete length of the tank. I have five of them in a 29, which is 6" longer and 2" taller than the 20H. Mine spend little time near the surface, so the extra 2" of height is not important. I think that due to their stop-start feeding habits, that a pair is doable, I have two more in a 65 gallon. They aren't as active as the others. This might be due to the lack of cousins to hang out with. They are young, so only time will tell if they will get bigger because they are in a bigger tank.. SAEs aren't the last word in algae control, but they are far better than any of the others that I've tried. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tike Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 On 6/14/2024 at 7:22 AM, TwoFace99 said: Personally, I would recommend Panda Garra, if you can get your hands on them. Bristlenose Plecos are reliable too, but Panda Garra stay smaller (4in compared to 6in), they’re one of the few that love to eat BBA, can do fine solo, and are active throughout the day (they rarely hide). However, Plecos are far more common, live longer, and come in different varieties. I second this opinion. My panda garra's rock in keeping algae way down on the glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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