Algae and the eaters of...

[nick amado]

I had a Golden Chinese Algae eater for a while. Apparently there wasn't enough algae in the tank for him, and he took to sucking the bodies of other fish (for the slime coat I presume?)

I had to give him away. And now, about four weeks later, I'm getting some algae on the side of my tank and on some rocks.

Do I get another one? Will he eat all of it and still bother my fish?

What should I do?

(If I don't get one, what is the best way to clean a tank? What do I do with the fish, tec...)

Thanks for any help!

Nick

 

[EddieW]

Found this comment about Chinese Algae Eaters: "Should be kept singly, and can get very territorial as it ages. Do not keep with Flat Bodied Slow moving fish, as these fish can be very tempted to attack tankmates."

I would suggest looking for a Siamese Algae Eater as these have been highly recommended to me as a very good algae eater. I may get one or two of these for one of my tanks in the future.

Another option is the Otocinclus affinis (Otto Catfish) - these only grow to 2" and are very peaceful.

Another option would be a variety of DWARF pleco - there are many types of pleco some of which grow to 12" or more so make sure the variety you get doesn't grow too large. There are some beuatiful varieties available in most good fish shops - I have my eye on a couple of Starlight (or Starry Night) plecos for my tank but I shouldn't be adding any new fish for a couple of weeks. If you are getting one for algae cfontrol make sure it does eat algae as not all plecos are herbivores.

If the algae gets too much on the glass you can get various long handled scrapers to remove it. With decorations, rocks, fake plants, etc. you can clean them gently in water removed from the tank at a normal water change - make sure you don't scrub them as that would remove the beneficial bacteria (also don't rinse under the tap as the chlorine will kill the bacteria as well).

Most algae eaters are omnivores and will accept flakes and pellet foods as well, you can also get sinking pellets and wafer specifically for algae eating species if you think they aren;t getting enough to eat.

HTH, Eddie