Deciding Between Algae Eaters...

Snick · Jan 28, 2009

Hey people.
I'm making an order of algae eaters, but I don't know which ones to buy. Due to shipping issues and a whole lot of trouble, I can't really get the siamese algae eater (Crossocheilus siamensis) which I was told was one of the best.
So, under this little guy, what else is there? I've been looking at the Otocinclus (called ottos for short). Anybody know how effective these fish are at eating algae? Oh, even more importantly, how good are they with discus? I can't get any chinese algae eaters because they like to suck on the discus' body so...
Thanks!

ps. If anybody of you know any site that ships live fish internationally that carry both the algae eater that I'm looking for and discus besides the one linked above (click on Otocinclus), please do tell! Thanks.

Ficious · Jan 28, 2009

IMO ottos will be your best bet...not only are they better algae eaters but will look better with your discus. also depending on the size of your tank you could have a nice shoal of them...they do better in numbers and need to be acclimated carefuly. they are finicky with big changes of water...but you have discus and to me thats one of the ultimates of fish keeping.

CAE i heard dont even eat algae very well...and IMO look bland.

my ottos, 3 of em, always stay close to eachother and rocket across the tank after one another

have you thought about bristlenose plecos?

San O Fisher · Jan 28, 2009

I have heard some people claim that their oto's will latch onto their discuss, however, i have a group of oto's and 3 discuss and I have never had a problem. I would suggest getting a small plec, maybe a bristle nose or a clown. I have found oto's don't really clean the tank too well. as for sites. try riverwonders.com, i have used them before, but not to ship internationally.

Cheers mate

umlaut31 · Jan 29, 2009

I got myself a Bristlenose - and I'm really pleased with it =]

Tbh though, I've never keep a Discus - so I don't know how they will get along - but sometimes a Bristlenose can be better than Ottos.

Good Luck! :good:

loachman · Jan 29, 2009

Bristlenoses also make for good algae cleaners. They are bigger than ottos and don't clean small leaf things like vals well, but any large surface they do a good job on.

Ottos are good, especially at diatom consumption. Biggest issue with ottos is they tend to eat nothing but algae, and rarely take prepared foods. As a result, don't go overboard with them.

American flag fish (Jordanella floridae) are also supposedly very good algae eaters, but I've never had any. They're often overlooked despite being a more colorful fish than most of the algae eaters out there. Some people report they are aggressive, some say they're not.

stonedcamel · Jan 29, 2009

ok, we established that ottos are very good algae eaters, but how are they compared to corys? are corys better?

im asking also because im hopefully getting some this weekend

nosoup4you · Jan 29, 2009

Cories do not eat algae...

stonedcamel · Jan 29, 2009

ah right.... yea just looked and they are bottom feeders... dunno wot to get now then

WillyRBeek · Jan 29, 2009

My advice would be to stay away from the Chinese Algae Eaters. They're great when they're younger, but as they grow bigger they usually start to become aggressive and also will usually lose their taste for algae.

I've got 4 BN's in my 2 tanks, and they're great. They're peaceful, they don't grow too large(About 5-6 inches if i'm not mistaken) and they're dutiful algae eaters.

Snick · Jan 29, 2009

OK, thanks for the support, I think I'm going for the ottos as they are easier to get and cheaper.
Thanks again.

ps. I can't really get bristlenose plecs because I have a bunch of corners and tight places that need to get cleaned up... so yeah...