What kind of algae eater is good for this tank?

Question

So apparently the woman at the pet store who was SUPPOSE to know about fish, failed to mention that I was buying a chinese algae eater that when it matured will attack my other fish, a betta. I told her coming in that I wanted an algae eater to help keep up my tank, but I wanted to make sure my betta wouldn't hurt it and she pointed him out. Well, I forgot to find out what type he was while there, so I posted a question with this picture http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/miyuki_ayumi/ferrets/pico1.jpg and was told he is a chinese algea eater and will get aggressive with my betta when he matures.

Now, I would like to find a way to keep him, even if I end up getting another tank but that still doesn't solve my original problem of wanting a fish to be with my betta and help keep up the tank. This is the tank http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/miyuki_ayumi/ferrets/tank1.jpg it's not too big, and I would like something to help with my betta that won't get too big for the tank, or attack my betta eventually. Any suggestions?

BTW, my current algae eater is about an inch long if that helps with size comparisons.

Answer 1

You should have at least a six gallon tank for your betta. I would not recommend a snail. The majority of my bettas attacked and injuried the snails that I tried to put in with them. Snails also create a tremendous amount of waste -- they make more of a mess than they clean. The best thing you can do to combat algae is to put a bunch of live plants in your tank. Java ferns are particularly nice and so are marimo moss balls. Fish love them, they help keep algae at bay, and to top things off, they help keep the water clean & healthy! Can't beat that.