Best Fish Or Other, For Combatting Algae?

[MermaidMel]

My tank is quite near my back doors and the gravel/decorations are getting more algae than the other tank, what are the best fish or other for keeping them clean and clear? I have the magnet for the glass! (I used to have japonica shrimp but they mysteriously disappeared, even though I don't have anything large in my tank)

 

[nukeonekitty]

otos and plecos. Be careful with otos because it is my understanding that once the algae is gone, it is extremely hard to get them to eat anything else.

 

[paul_219]

but i recommend a group of ottos will be best.

 

[lighter]

Ottos!!

 

[rob newland]

mollies are under-rated as good removers of algae - otherwise look in to a tetratec gs45 algae scraper - I purchased one this week and got rid of a couple of years worth of unsightly algae that had grown on the back of the tank (I can hardly reach it to clean it properly) in a couple of minutes - tank now looks much better.
Rob

 

[MermaidMel]

mollies are under-rated as good removers of algae - otherwise look in to a tetratec gs45 algae scraper - I purchased one this week and got rid of a couple of years worth of unsightly algae that had grown on the back of the tank (I can hardly reach it to clean it properly) in a couple of minutes - tank now looks much better.
Rob

Nice idea, but it's on the gravel and ornaments, which I figure a scraper may be futile for

 

[BigC]

You need to address the light problem and use a phosphate removal agent such as Rowaphos in an effort to starve the algae. Tap water is full of nasties which also contributes to algal blooms, consider Reverse Osmosis. For fish to remove algae, over the many years I've been keeping fish trends have come and gone here are a few Mollies, true Siamese flying fox,amano shrimp, plecs, Otoclinclus, the list goes on, but in all honesty try to eliminate or at least minimise the causes of algal blooms in the first instance as the fish will only consume some algae and not it all and some algae species fish will not even touch.
Also consider blacking out the tank pane near the back door and use some floating plants such as Salvinia.
Regards
BigC

 

[dane261]

recomend a bn or some depending on your tank size

cheers dane