I need a algae eater for my cold water tank to go with my gold fish the tank is very big can you recommend one

Question

I need a algae eater for my cold water tank to go with my gold fish the tank is very big can you recommend one

Answer 1

Butterfly plec these are coldwater, I was also told they were good algae eaters and do not grow to large about 10cm.

Answer 2

weather/dojo loaches do not eat algea. plecs are tropical not cold water. snails are really your only option, either that or elbow grease and a new and clean scouring sponge. if you do get weather loaches even though they dont eat algea, and you have snails, the loaches will eat them, mine love them, and have at least 3 as they are social fish.

Answer 3

Weatherloaches and plecs

Answer 4

Weather loaches are quite good algae eaters. I have one in my goldfish tank and she does keep it reasonably clean. They tend to work better when there's more than one of them but my tank floor isnt really big enough to have more than one of them as they can grow quite long.  

Answer 5

the other day my husband went to our local specialist and got a polka dot something loach for our coldwater tank. Its great, it's cleaned all the algae off the side of the tank already.

Answer 6

Don't get a plecostomus.  They're tropical and need water temps in the mid-70's to mid-80's.  You might try snails.

Answer 7

I have had tremendous success with the Pleicostymus fish...it keeps the tank super-clean...I had one that was no bigger than my pinkie finger when we bought it and it lived for eight years...it did so well at cleaning the tank that we named it "Hoover".  They are flat on the bottom, and look like small rays...and they often attach to the side of the tank and suck the waste right off the surface; they also pick up the gravels in their mouths, remove the waste and spit the rocks back out.

Hoover only died at 8 years old because he had grown so big, and got stuck in the center hole while trying to swim through one of those fake rock formations that are used for tank decoration.  When he couldn't move through the water, he couldn't get oxygen...we found him tightly-lodged in the darn thing...

If your tank is very large, you might need to start off with two, but as they grow, the tank will likely only support one healthy one...so you will need to give the other one away...

Answer 8

Sea urchins