[fishyfaery]

There've been posts about favorite fish, so I thought this one might be even more useful. What creatures and methods do you use to control algae in your tank? Have any success stories, or nightmares?

I have a Pleco, an Apple snail, an Amano shrimp, and Dalmatian Mollies.
I also have a good many live plants which compete for the algaes' necessities, inhibiting growth.

So far not a spot of algae on anything. The snail seems to leave the plants alone, occasionally nibbling at my Moss ball. All in all he does nothing more than keeps it tidy. I add a slice of zucchini in the tank once a week or so to supplement the herbivores diet since I rarely see any algae for them to eat. I was using the sinking algae pellets daily (I was worried about the pleco getting enough to eat) but they seemed to negatively effect my water chemistry so I switched to the Zuc. I do add one of them about every week because my frogs and the snail seem to like them.

The Mollys are voracious eaters. The shrimp is probably my favorite cleaner because he cleans plant surfaces without damaging them. He gobbles up any food that falls to the bottom as well. I'd like to add some BumbleBee Shrimp as I've read they are also good algae patrolers.

 

[JBarlak]

well right now in my Jack Dempsey tank, the only thing that keeps algae down is the CO2. The Jacks eat anything in the tank, which I have mentioned in other posts. They crunched thru a walnut sized mystery snail with no problems. Now I know why the snail was on the outside of the tank this morning.

 

[Kogo]

Ill get you a 24" sailfin pleco... jacks wont get him! of course he'll destroy the tank bumpin around.


for algea control with the big cichlids i use several small (non common/sailfin) plecos and keep the lights low

for the tanks without snail eating fish, i like the ramshorn snail... if i get too many i just add a clown loach for a little while

 

[mskitty]

maybe i need to get some mollies for my tank...lol.

 

[gookaluda]

I take a tooth brush to my tank. Its great on the slates too.

 

[aconrad]

I use cichlids, plecos, mollies, or a toothbrush and razorblade for the rocks and glass.

 

[mskitty]

my fav form of alge patroll.......a razorblade and a scrubber. thanks for that jarred!

 

[djrichie]

I really like Otto cats and a Mag-a-Float

 

[MediaHound]

Magnet, scraper/scrubber, razors, freshwater refugium, water changes, denitrator, phosphate remover, light timer, fish that eat algae, UV sterilizer, the list probably goes on and on...

 

[djrichie]

Don't forget Flourish Excel.... It akes care of Hair Algea in planted tanks

 

[Kula]

I really love Otocinclus. Those guys never get big, constantly eat algae, and are not aggressive at all. I had two in my 29 gal aquarium, and I never had to scrub the glass.

 

[Enzo]

I have 3 flying foxes, 1 SAE a pleco and in my other tank, amano shrimp and oto's. They seem to work alright.

 

[DarkRevoultions]

I have in my 10 gallon tank a 2" pleco, and it cleans a lot, but in my 29 gallon tank, I have my 8" pleco that I had to move from my 10 Gallon Tank.

My plants will eat some of the wasted food that my pleco didn't pick up. I won't be getting any catfishes or algae eaters. They really aren't a hardy fish.