# The Ultimate Algae Eaters!



## DancingBetta (Jun 28, 2007)

What is the ultimate algae eater? A pleco? A snail? An Oto? The ultimate algae eater is something you wouldn't expect... a platy.

Today I bought 5 platies for my 29 gallon tank. I have a lot of algae on the walls of that aquarium... it is a very clean tank, just has a lot of algae. Anyway I kept checking on them every half hour, noticing that they were constantly picking at the algae and pooping like they were incinerators... if that makes sense... just eating and pooping, eating and pooping, constantly. Well, I told my mom about it and she said they were "keeping house". LOL. She doesn't even know anything about fish, but I just felt like I wanted to include that. I went up again and- lo and behold- no algae whatsoever on the walls. Now they're moving on to the decor. 

I was thinking about getting a pleco but nevermind that!


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## musho3210 (Apr 23, 2007)

cool, it was hair algae im guessing?


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## DancingBetta (Jun 28, 2007)

No, I don't think so, it's just a thin sheet of it on my walls. I think slime algae


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

Siamese Algae Eater... cleaned the back of my tank in a day, and it was COATED in algae.


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## Apotheosis (Jul 2, 2007)

American flag fish are amazing algae eaters, too (especially with hair algae).


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

Platies.ottos and SAE's don't touch hair algae in my experience.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

ah, my oto's ate a small amount of hair algae that had generated at the top of one of my fake plants. Granted it was a small area, but they DID eat it


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

I beg to differ as far as SAE's not eating hair algae, they are just about the only thing that WILL eat it and love it. But be careful some LFS will mislabel Chinese algae eaters as Simensis, and no, they will not eat it. In fact as they mature Chinese algae eaters don't eat algae at all but mostly protein. You can tell the difference in them by looking at the end of their dorsal stripe, the SAE's will continue into the tale to a point, and the CAE's stripe will stop before the tail. I have 4 mature Simensis that actually come to the net, they travel from tank to tank as hair algae grows, clean one & move on. 
The only other thing I have found that eats it totally gone is my Giant Peruvian snail, but hes 6 inch wide, so there's not many places he can go, so he cleans the outside and the Simensis clean the hard to get spots. But a little warning, if you do find a Giant Peruvian, when the Algae is gone, your plants will be next, and fast! So I have learned that if its on a movable piece, I take the piece to him, LOL


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## musho3210 (Apr 23, 2007)

No your getting all mixed up. CAE yes wont always eat algae, but the tail and everything differences are all wrong. CAE look VERY differing IMO. Its the False siamese algae eater (flying fox) that can be incorrectly sold.


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

Oh sorry, I guess my 40 years and 2000 tanks worth of knowledge has let me down again. I'll try not to let it happen again.


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## Ice Prince (Jun 15, 2007)

Lol. Well you've got him there.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Chinese Algae Eaters
http://tropicalfishgallery.com/species-gallery/cyprinid/aymonieri.html

Siamese Algae Eaters
http://tropicalfishgallery.com/species-gallery/cyprinid/siamensis.html

This shows some really clear pictures. The CAE looks to have more varied types, many of which are easily distinguished from the SAE. There is one picture (the top picture in the CAE row) that shows a CAE that could be mistaken for an SAE. However you will also note that the CAE has spots on its head and the SAE's do not. That does make them distinguishable by more than just the stripe. 

I can honestly see this argument from both sides. I have not seen pics of juveniles and maybe it is more difficult to determine in juvy's.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

Juvenile CAEs can look like juvenile SAEs... but on the whole I find them much easier to differentiate than SAEs and Flying Foxes. If you're going to get SAEs, look at lots of pictures online, and compare to Flying Foxes, to see the difference between the two.
CAEs will look pretty different, but you can look at the mouth to be sure - CAEs have a "sucker" mouth.


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## oliesminis (May 7, 2007)

how about molly fry

i put them in there nursery tank with an ornament and filter with a fair lot of algea on it and it was all gone next day i have to try and find them more


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## musho3210 (Apr 23, 2007)

what looks more like this:

http://www.petresources.net/fish/cyprinid/pics/SaeJF.jpg


This:
http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/false-sae.jpg

Or this:
http://www.aquariumlife.net/profile-images/algae-eater.jpg

i think your knowledge let you down, as well as 40 years experiance, good thing you will try to not let that happen again.


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

Yet another case of novice arrogance vs experienced wisdom.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

Hmm I think my SAE is a bit lazy then. He scarfs down the cucumber I put in for the otto and is a beggar for fish food. 
Sue, I am going to try him in the tank that has a lot of hair algae. He never used to be interested in it in the big tanks. I hope he doesn't go after fry?
That is the tank I have most hair algae.Also The BN pleco is there so I hope the SAe will mind his manners and leave the green algae for the BN.
I have visions of your SAe's lining up for the trip to the next tasty tank!


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## Guest (Jul 9, 2007)

my flying fox is may fave fish he eats all the algea i get and he is so peacful and fun to watch!


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

I still say s tanierus is the best algae eater. I had a 5" in a 180g. Internal plumbing front and the back of tank were covered in brown algae. The plumbing had some green. No hair... but within two days the 5" fish completed cleaned the 180g. He hasn't been in there for months and it still hasn't even come back.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

> Hmm I think my SAE is a bit lazy then. He scarfs down the cucumber I put in for the otto and is a beggar for fish food.


Ease up on the cuke... he probably prefers the cuke to the algae, so as long as he's not hungry, he won't touch the algae.



> what looks more like this:
> 
> http://www.petresources.net/fish/cyp...pics/SaeJF.jpg
> 
> ...


Molehills into mountains... 
I think the main reason that CAEs and SAEs get mistaken for one another is that their names are so similar, and not that they look identical, but SAEs and FFs are obviously more similar in appearance than CAEs. But CAEs do have a similar look, with a partial strip and same general body strength, and they DO get mistaken for SAEs (and vice versa) at times. While it was a little silly to take it personally and start toting years of experience and number of tanks, but let's not turn nothing into something, eh?


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## kay-bee (Dec 6, 2006)

Bristlenosed plecos are superb algae consumers (plus they don't get large or create mass quantites of waste like larger common plecos). 

But rather than find a fish to assist in ridding the tank of algae, how about trying to solve the source of the problem and control what's causing the algae to grow? 

Factors such as lighting, high nitrates and phosphates among other things contribute greatly to the formation of algae. Control those and the algae should abate without the assistance of an 'algae eater'.


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## KiltyONeal (Jan 25, 2006)

For brown algae, the kind that pops up in most newly set up aquariums, I've had great success controlling it using Otos.

For hair and thread algae, I've found that SAEs, Rosy Barbs, and American Flag Fish all work well.


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## Ravynnm (Mar 5, 2007)

Bristle nose plecs. They don't get over 5", they scour the glass, just make sure they have hiding places. Once they're in the tank you probably won't see them again, nor will you see algae. 

R


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

KiltyONeal said:


> For brown algae, the kind that pops up in most newly set up aquariums, I've had great success controlling it using Otos.


Brown algae is actually just diatomes in the water, and no algae eaters can manage to clean that. It will go away on its own after a week.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Wow then I must have some super-duper diatomes. Mine has been present for 9 weeks now. It is taking 2 Oto cats and a change of lighting to finally make some headway on it. But it's still keeping those Oto's quite busy. It's not letting go anytime soon! Part of that issue is the fact that this apartment does not get any direct sunlight. It's a bit cavelike.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

I don't think 9 weeks is abnormal... it's just taking your tank a little while to stabilize.
I said "a week" but I should have said "a few weeks"


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## davedudeman (Jun 25, 2007)

haha that's great!~


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

Apple snails.


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

Brown algae may be diatoms and not really an algae at all, but a lot of fish happily eat it. Its very common in new tanks, especially planted tanks. It always seems like 1 or 2 weeks you have to deal with this algae as the tank balances out. 

True SAE are good against hair and string algae. But I've found they tend to stop as they get older, mine also got possessive of food. My favorite algae eater is the panda garra. Panda garras along with a lot of other fish love diatoms, I had 3 clean a heavily diatomed 55gal to spotless condition in 24 hours. They will eat a lot of the same stuff otos will, but are larger and overall are omnivores. They will happily munch on bloodworms, but like SAE if you feed them too many tastey prepared foods they will turn away from tank algae. These are my one of my top favorite fish, Piccy

I have 3 BN plecos and they are okay. Nothing amazing they clean stuff, but didn't stop they recent algae breakout I had of black brush and hair algae. They look drab and hide alot. I don't keep them for their algae eating.

Edit: I fixed the link...


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## Chaos553 (Apr 2, 2007)

i love otos for algae problems and they do a very nice job. plus, they look wicked cute .


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## Deino0oZ (Oct 25, 2009)

that..jk..i think it looks like neither,.


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