I need help choosing...?

Question

My aqaurium is flourishing with algae! I have 4 danios and 2 guppies plus an albino corydoras in a 10 gallon tank. My otocinclos died and now the algae is going crazy. I need help choosing a type of algae eater or getting a magnetic algae scraper? Also, why do people act like coryies are algae eaters when THEY AREN'T! Give a good answer and you can get 10 points. ( if suggesting an algae eater keep it to a pretty cheapish one like no clown loaches lol)

Answer 1

Their is the golden Algae eater which is a fantastic algae eater but can grow to 6 inches which may be too big. also snails such as onion, zebra, and apple snails are good algae eaters and will eat a suffient amount. Plecs will also eat algae but you need to also suppliment their food with algae wafers, or pellets, but with plecs you will also need bogwood as they need it to digest their food. Also if your phosphate levels are too high then that can make algae grow at a much faster rate and their are many liquid and pellet treatments that can help lower your phosphate levels and reduce algae growth. hope this helps.

Answer 2

You need more cories!  I know they aren't algae eaters, but you only have 1 and they are very social fish, so yours is lonely!  Cories should really be kept in groups of 3 or more.   If you get more you'll see why.  You're cory will suddenly perk up like crazy and be all lovey-dovey with the others.

My personal favorite of all the algae eaters is the bristle nose pleco.  Well, actually the albino bristle nose pleco.  The babies are so cute!  I'm sure everyone will tell you a 10 gallon is too small for one (they max out at about 5 inches) but I keep mine in a 10 and he does fine.  I even bred him in a 10 and kept a bunch of babies in with him until they got to be about 2 inches.  They do need some wood in the tank and some kind of cave or hiding place.  As for expensive, you just have to look around for a good price on them.  They can be up to $15.00 in the pet stores, but I just gave about 15 of my baby ABNs away, so you never know.  :p   Apple snails are also pretty good algae eaters.

Answer 3

I have tried many different types of algae eaters over the years. Plecos are my favorite. There is a nice variety of them, though they tend to get large over time and leave long strands of sh*t when they get older. There a few that stay small, the clown, rubber mouth and if you can find one the  butterfly pleco. He is cool, he has more of a round shape and his whole body stick to the glass like suction cup. One time I found an albino Pleco and he cleaned a 20 gal. tank that you could not see into cause the algae and polished all the glass in less than 48 hours.The only problem was that when he was done with all the algae he devoured  all the plants in the tank also, lol.

Another favorite of mine is Siamese Algae Eaters, Crossocheilus siamensis. He is a little fellow and mild mannered fish. He can clean and polish those had to reach areas.

What ever you do don't get a Chinese Algae Eater. They do alright when they are young but they get to big for a 10 gal. tank and they a punks and will bully other fish in the tank.

Snails are another option but They are uneventful and can over populate aquariums depending on which type you use.

Note: You re correct about Corydoras, they are not algae eaters. They are good grounds keeper though. They are also gergarous in nature. The more you have of them the interesting they are to watch.  They are one of my favorite Genera of cat fish. There are over 100 known species.

Answer 4

algae scrapers are great for getting rid of algae overload.  Some algae is good to keep on the plants and decor because the fish will occassionally eat some of it and it holds lots of nutricious value for them.  However, just get an algae scraper for the tank sides.  That should fix it.  I would recommend a siamese algae eater as they are small and would work well in your tank if you want a fish to help you.

Here is a good site with a list of algae eating fish.  http://www.aquariumsecrets.com/Algae%20E...

Answer 5

Hi If you are looking for an algae scraper. Try looking in your kitchen for old scotch bite pad or go to the grocery store and buy a pack of them. They cost about $3.00 per pack of four. If you use a old one from the kitchen it will cost you nothing at all. Just make sure you rinse it out with just plain water first. I would also suggest you get another Otocinclos in time.

Answer 6

If you want to get another algae eating fish, I would stick with the oto's since they don't get very big.  Most other algae eater fish will quickly outgrow your tank.  I have algae in my tank also because it is by a window.  I love my magnetic algae scraper.  They are so easy to use and well worth the price in my opinion.  I would get both another oto and invest in a magnetic algae scraper.  I usually clean off my glass with the algae scraper before the weekly water change.  I rinse my plants off once a month if they have algae on them (but my 2 oto's usually take care of the plants on their own).  Just to warn you, when I first got algae, my fish store recommended a liquid algae remover to add to the tank - I tried it, and it did absolutely nothing.  I would stay away from snails, as they can multiply rapidly and take over your whole tank quickly.  

For your question about the corys - I have no idea - I don;t have them myself and don't know that much about them.