I wanted to get an algae-eating fish that would not harm the other fish in my tank like the orante bichir. I have read that plecos can target bichirs and other fish. I read about the otocinclus catfish, but it only grows up to two inches long. I will have a 4-6 inch ornate bichir, a 4 inch clown knife and a 2.5 inch gold severum in my tank after it finishes cycling. Do you think my catfish will be safe or will these fish make snacks out of my algae-eating catfish when they get bigger? Any ideas for algae-eating fish that will not do any damage at all to my other fish and will be safe from my other fish?
Algae-eating fish
- Thread starter ClownKnife28
- Start date
The use of fish.
live bearers such as swordtails,mollies and platys won't work
in a Polypterid tank as they would most likely end up as snacks as would
members of the Otocinclus family.
Some memebers of the Loricariidae,trichomycterid catfishes often develop a taste for
slimecoat this is not a desirable trait.
So if the most commonly know algae eaters won't work and chemicals are not
good to use in a planted tank.What to do?
Below are 2 lists of fish known to eat algae.
List one.Rift lake cichlids the following species are know to eat algae
in nature and are reported to be among the less agressive cichlids from Africa.
two caveats.Caveat 1 for this to be sucessful do not overfeed (fish can go 2 weeks)
between feedings with no ill effects.
Caveat 2 avoid breeding pairs of these cichlids as they can become very agressive and
territorial during mating and rearing of fry.
List#2 the catfishes mostly plecos.I tried to find ones that were reported as vegatarian as
possible.those reported as omnivore or carrion eaters were left off the list
List#1 CICHLIDS
This is by no means a complete list of possibilities but I feel its a good starting point
for you to do research from.Some of the below might be hard to find localy this is where
online sellers and also the American Cichlid Association should be helpful.
Astatotilipia burtoni-Burton mouth-brooder(males 4.5 inches)
Astatotilipia brownae-Browns Mouthbroder-((4.5")
Astatotilipia Nubia-(5")
Cheilochromis euchilus-Big-lipped-chcilid (12")
Ophthalmotilipia ventralis(6")
Ophthalmotilipia boops-(5")
Anomalchromis thomasi-African butterfly cichlid (males 4")
Pseudotropheus tropheops-Golden tropheops-(6")
Pseudotropheus barlowi-(6")
Oreochromis mossambicus-Mozambique Mouth-broooder (4-15.5")
Oreochromis niloticus baringoensis-Baringo Nile Tilipia-(12-14")
Oreochromis niloticus niloticus-Nile tilapia-(12-14")
Oreochromis pangani pangani-(20")
Oreochromis spilurus niger-(12")
Oreochromis spilurus spilurus-(20")
Oreochromis tanganicae-(15")
Tilipia mariae -(12.5")
Tilipia sparmanii-Sparmans tilapia-(8")
Tilipia guinasana-Guinastilipia-(7")
Tropheus duboisi -White-spotted chiclid(4.5")
Tropheus moorii-(6")
Tropheus polli-(6")
Tropheus brichardi-Blue-Eyed Tropheus-(4.5")
Neochromis nigricans-(4.5")
Petrochromis famula-(6")
Petrochromis orthognathus-(6")
Pseudosimochromis curvifrons-Thick-headed pseudosimchromis-(7")
Sarotherodon melagaster-Black-throat tilipia-(8")
Sarotherodon galilaeus-(15")
Sarotherodon lohbergeri-(8")
Asprotilipia leptura-(4.5")
Maravichromis formosus-(5.5")
Haplochromis taeniolata-Spindle hap-(5")
Steatocranus irvinei-(6")
Thorichthys socoloff-(5")
Cyprichromis pavo-(6")
List#2 CATFISHES
Acanthodoras cataphractus-(4")
Amblydoras hancocki-(6")
Platydoras costatus-(8")
Ancistrus dolichopterus-(4.5")
Ancistrus adonis-(30+")
Ancistrus lamboensis-(6")
Panaque nigrolineatus-(9.5")
Panaque suttonorum-Blue-eyed plecostomus-(7")
Peckoltia vittata-(4-5")
Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps-(19")
Glyptoperichthys punctatus-Spotted sailfin pleco-(7")
Rineloricaria fallax-(4.5")
Chaetostoma sp.-Bulldog Catfish-(9.5")
Liposarcus anisitsi-Snow king sailfin pleco-(17")
Synodontis alberti-(6")
Synodontis angelicus-(22")
Hoplostermum thoracatum-(8")
Hemiancistrus annectens-(8")
Hemiancistrus landoni-(9")
Isorineloricaria spinosissima-Spiny suckermouth catfish-(12")
Loricaria nickernsis-Nickerie suckermouth-(6")
Baryancistrus sp.-(L18,L81,L177)-(6.5")
Leporacanthicus galaxias-Galactial suckermouth-(13")
Watch for any signs of slimesucking and seperate the offending party immediately
while slime removal is bad enough its the plecos rasping teeth delaminating the
bichirs scales thats the real concern-Anne
live bearers such as swordtails,mollies and platys won't work
in a Polypterid tank as they would most likely end up as snacks as would
members of the Otocinclus family.
Some memebers of the Loricariidae,trichomycterid catfishes often develop a taste for
slimecoat this is not a desirable trait.
So if the most commonly know algae eaters won't work and chemicals are not
good to use in a planted tank.What to do?
Below are 2 lists of fish known to eat algae.
List one.Rift lake cichlids the following species are know to eat algae
in nature and are reported to be among the less agressive cichlids from Africa.
two caveats.Caveat 1 for this to be sucessful do not overfeed (fish can go 2 weeks)
between feedings with no ill effects.
Caveat 2 avoid breeding pairs of these cichlids as they can become very agressive and
territorial during mating and rearing of fry.
List#2 the catfishes mostly plecos.I tried to find ones that were reported as vegatarian as
possible.those reported as omnivore or carrion eaters were left off the list
List#1 CICHLIDS
This is by no means a complete list of possibilities but I feel its a good starting point
for you to do research from.Some of the below might be hard to find localy this is where
online sellers and also the American Cichlid Association should be helpful.
Astatotilipia burtoni-Burton mouth-brooder(males 4.5 inches)
Astatotilipia brownae-Browns Mouthbroder-((4.5")
Astatotilipia Nubia-(5")
Cheilochromis euchilus-Big-lipped-chcilid (12")
Ophthalmotilipia ventralis(6")
Ophthalmotilipia boops-(5")
Anomalchromis thomasi-African butterfly cichlid (males 4")
Pseudotropheus tropheops-Golden tropheops-(6")
Pseudotropheus barlowi-(6")
Oreochromis mossambicus-Mozambique Mouth-broooder (4-15.5")
Oreochromis niloticus baringoensis-Baringo Nile Tilipia-(12-14")
Oreochromis niloticus niloticus-Nile tilapia-(12-14")
Oreochromis pangani pangani-(20")
Oreochromis spilurus niger-(12")
Oreochromis spilurus spilurus-(20")
Oreochromis tanganicae-(15")
Tilipia mariae -(12.5")
Tilipia sparmanii-Sparmans tilapia-(8")
Tilipia guinasana-Guinastilipia-(7")
Tropheus duboisi -White-spotted chiclid(4.5")
Tropheus moorii-(6")
Tropheus polli-(6")
Tropheus brichardi-Blue-Eyed Tropheus-(4.5")
Neochromis nigricans-(4.5")
Petrochromis famula-(6")
Petrochromis orthognathus-(6")
Pseudosimochromis curvifrons-Thick-headed pseudosimchromis-(7")
Sarotherodon melagaster-Black-throat tilipia-(8")
Sarotherodon galilaeus-(15")
Sarotherodon lohbergeri-(8")
Asprotilipia leptura-(4.5")
Maravichromis formosus-(5.5")
Haplochromis taeniolata-Spindle hap-(5")
Steatocranus irvinei-(6")
Thorichthys socoloff-(5")
Cyprichromis pavo-(6")
List#2 CATFISHES
Acanthodoras cataphractus-(4")
Amblydoras hancocki-(6")
Platydoras costatus-(8")
Ancistrus dolichopterus-(4.5")
Ancistrus adonis-(30+")
Ancistrus lamboensis-(6")
Panaque nigrolineatus-(9.5")
Panaque suttonorum-Blue-eyed plecostomus-(7")
Peckoltia vittata-(4-5")
Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps-(19")
Glyptoperichthys punctatus-Spotted sailfin pleco-(7")
Rineloricaria fallax-(4.5")
Chaetostoma sp.-Bulldog Catfish-(9.5")
Liposarcus anisitsi-Snow king sailfin pleco-(17")
Synodontis alberti-(6")
Synodontis angelicus-(22")
Hoplostermum thoracatum-(8")
Hemiancistrus annectens-(8")
Hemiancistrus landoni-(9")
Isorineloricaria spinosissima-Spiny suckermouth catfish-(12")
Loricaria nickernsis-Nickerie suckermouth-(6")
Baryancistrus sp.-(L18,L81,L177)-(6.5")
Leporacanthicus galaxias-Galactial suckermouth-(13")
Watch for any signs of slimesucking and seperate the offending party immediately
while slime removal is bad enough its the plecos rasping teeth delaminating the
bichirs scales thats the real concern-Anne
beblondie;2142365; said:
I confirms beblodie's statement on the potential for slime sucking by plecos from slow moving fishes like catfish and gars. I say this from personal experience, i had a common pleco that loved to suck on RTCs and gars which resulted in scarring of RTCs and leisions on gars. Needless to say pleco was removed.
PS: i do intend to try it again since there are numerous people on this forum who have kept succesfuly plecos with slow moving fish ... lets just hope a small pleco does not become lunch itself
ClownKnife28;2142396; said:
No its not.In fact using fish to combat algae is probably the worst option -Anne
ctoychik;2142429; said:
Will the pleco also hurt my clown knife? Also, I thought gars were fast fish.
Lupin;2142015; said:
The Ancistrus sp. is an algae-eater. Is this pleco less hazardous than the common pleco then? I know it is MUCH more beautiful: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+837+1006&pcatid=1006&N=0
Algae control
There are some 200,000 plus species of algae existing in the world today
and sooner or later you will have a visit from at least one of them.Why
you ask? There can be one reason or several in combination.
CAUSES
Too many fish(over crowding)
Poor plant growth
Overfeeding
Accumilation of waste
Excess nutrients(overfertilization)
Too high nitrate levels combined with excess phosphate or iron
Lighting of wrong intensity or unfavorable wavelength
PREVENTION
Use healthy fast growing plants
learn to properly feed the fish
regular maintenence to prevent build up waste
regular water changes
replacing lights especially flourescents(yearly)
water testing
CURING
SCRAPING AND SCRUBBING
Yes good old muscle power.There are commercialy made products like the scraper and
sponge on a stick they seem to work kind of ok however i find either a single edge razor blade
(for glass tanks) or an old credit card(acrylic tanks) work best to remove algae
from the tanks viewing surface.
Algaecides
Common ingredients to almost all commercial algaecides are either copper
or simazine both are toxic to fish and higher plant life.The dosage needed to kill
algae without harming fish or higher plants is hard if not impossible to determine.
Dying algae may releas toxins into the water or its decomposition may deplete oxygen
from the water and cause an amonia spike.
Water clearing agents
Flocculents should not be used in tanks with fish.Flocculents are positively
charged compounds that bind negatively charged particules so they bind together
and fall out of solution resulting in clearing.Since algae cells are negatively
charged Flocculents will clear green water.
Theres a possible problem tho,the gill surfaces of fish also carry a negative
charge.The Flocculentscan bind the gill filaments together destroying the gill
structure.
ULTRAVIOLET STERILIZERS
How do they work?Simply put the water flows from the filter thru a chamber around or under an Ultra violet lamp then back into the tank.Sounds simple huh?
How do they work? Since organisms are exposed to ultra violet rays cause a change in the chemical bonds of the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), This prevents the cells from multiplying, which will result in decline of the specie. Only microorganisms, like algae, parasites or viruses, floating in the water and exposed to the UV light are eliminated.This does not harm your bio-filter.
things to consider about UV sterilizers
CAUTIONS
The tubes of the UV sterilizer produce rays that can be harmful to your eyes
UV tubes have limited lives and need to be replaced every 6-12 months
the water must be pre-filtered
the water must flow at recomended rates
monthly maintence is needed for them to remain effective
they can add heat to the water
they add to the running costs of the tank
FAST GROWING PLANTS
The idea here is using higher plant forms to outcompete algae for nutrients
The below list has the plants name first followed by lighting requirement
and finally ideal *temperature ranges.(see note 1)
LIGHTING INTENSITY
1.5-2 watts of lighting per gallon=low to medium light levels
2-2.5 watts of lighting per gallon=medium to high light levels
2.5-3 watts of lighting per gallon=high to very high light levels
PLANTS
Azolla africanas (tropical Africa)
Azolla nilotica (Eastern africa)
Azolla pinnata (africa)
Azolla filiculoides (Africa)
Salvinia natans (Northern Africa)
Ricciocarpus natans (cosmopolitan)
Ricca fluitans (cosmopolitan)
Lemna gibba (cosmopolitan)
Lemna pauciocostata (cosompolitan)
Lemna minor (cosmopolitan)
Lemna Angolensis (cosmopolitan)
Wolffia arrhiza (middle and south africa)
TRUE FLOATING PLANTS
Eichhornia crassipes (egypt)
Eichhornia natans (africa)
Trappa natans (eastern africa)
Utricularia vulgaris (north africa)
Utricularia platytera (nigeria)
Utricularia neottioides (africa)
Utricularia stellaris (africa)
Utricularia flexousa (africa)
Utricularia foliosa (africa)
Utricularia exoleta (africa)
Utricularia gibba (africa)
Utricularia neglecta (africa)
Najas minor (africa)
Najas pectinata (africa)
Najas falciculata (africa)
Najas graminea (africa)
Aponogeton crispus-(medium-high)-(77-89F)
Aponogeton ulvaceus-(medium-high)-(71-80F)
Ceratophyllum demersum-(medium-high)-(71-82F)
Ceratophyllum submersum-(medium-high)-(71-82F)
Ceratopteris comuta-(medium)-(71-82F)
Ceratopteris thalictroides-(medium)-(71-82F)
Echinodorus bleheri-(medium)-(71-82F)
Echinodorus osiris-(medium-high)-(64-79F)
Echinodorus parviflorus-(medium)-68-79F)
Echinodorus quadricostatus-(medium-high)-(72-82F)
Hydrocotyle leucocephala-(low-medium)-(68-82F)
Hygrophila corymbosa-(low-medium)-(75-82F)
Hygrophila diffomis-(medium-high)-(75-82F)
Hygrophila polysperma-(low-medium)-(71-82)
Ludwigia palustris x repens-(medium-high)-(75-82F)
Ludwigia repens-(medium)-(71-78F)
Rotala rotundifolia-(medium-high)-(75-82F)
Sagittaria sublata-(medium-high)-(64-82F)
Vallisneria americana-(low-medium)-(71-78F)
Vallisneria spiralis-(low-medium)-(68-82F)
There are some 200,000 plus species of algae existing in the world today
and sooner or later you will have a visit from at least one of them.Why
you ask? There can be one reason or several in combination.
CAUSES
Too many fish(over crowding)
Poor plant growth
Overfeeding
Accumilation of waste
Excess nutrients(overfertilization)
Too high nitrate levels combined with excess phosphate or iron
Lighting of wrong intensity or unfavorable wavelength
PREVENTION
Use healthy fast growing plants
learn to properly feed the fish
regular maintenence to prevent build up waste
regular water changes
replacing lights especially flourescents(yearly)
water testing
CURING
SCRAPING AND SCRUBBING
Yes good old muscle power.There are commercialy made products like the scraper and
sponge on a stick they seem to work kind of ok however i find either a single edge razor blade
(for glass tanks) or an old credit card(acrylic tanks) work best to remove algae
from the tanks viewing surface.
Algaecides
Common ingredients to almost all commercial algaecides are either copper
or simazine both are toxic to fish and higher plant life.The dosage needed to kill
algae without harming fish or higher plants is hard if not impossible to determine.
Dying algae may releas toxins into the water or its decomposition may deplete oxygen
from the water and cause an amonia spike.
Water clearing agents
Flocculents should not be used in tanks with fish.Flocculents are positively
charged compounds that bind negatively charged particules so they bind together
and fall out of solution resulting in clearing.Since algae cells are negatively
charged Flocculents will clear green water.
Theres a possible problem tho,the gill surfaces of fish also carry a negative
charge.The Flocculentscan bind the gill filaments together destroying the gill
structure.
ULTRAVIOLET STERILIZERS
How do they work?Simply put the water flows from the filter thru a chamber around or under an Ultra violet lamp then back into the tank.Sounds simple huh?
How do they work? Since organisms are exposed to ultra violet rays cause a change in the chemical bonds of the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), This prevents the cells from multiplying, which will result in decline of the specie. Only microorganisms, like algae, parasites or viruses, floating in the water and exposed to the UV light are eliminated.This does not harm your bio-filter.
things to consider about UV sterilizers
CAUTIONS
The tubes of the UV sterilizer produce rays that can be harmful to your eyes
UV tubes have limited lives and need to be replaced every 6-12 months
the water must be pre-filtered
the water must flow at recomended rates
monthly maintence is needed for them to remain effective
they can add heat to the water
they add to the running costs of the tank
FAST GROWING PLANTS
The idea here is using higher plant forms to outcompete algae for nutrients
The below list has the plants name first followed by lighting requirement
and finally ideal *temperature ranges.(see note 1)
LIGHTING INTENSITY
1.5-2 watts of lighting per gallon=low to medium light levels
2-2.5 watts of lighting per gallon=medium to high light levels
2.5-3 watts of lighting per gallon=high to very high light levels
PLANTS
Azolla africanas (tropical Africa)
Azolla nilotica (Eastern africa)
Azolla pinnata (africa)
Azolla filiculoides (Africa)
Salvinia natans (Northern Africa)
Ricciocarpus natans (cosmopolitan)
Ricca fluitans (cosmopolitan)
Lemna gibba (cosmopolitan)
Lemna pauciocostata (cosompolitan)
Lemna minor (cosmopolitan)
Lemna Angolensis (cosmopolitan)
Wolffia arrhiza (middle and south africa)
TRUE FLOATING PLANTS
Eichhornia crassipes (egypt)
Eichhornia natans (africa)
Trappa natans (eastern africa)
Utricularia vulgaris (north africa)
Utricularia platytera (nigeria)
Utricularia neottioides (africa)
Utricularia stellaris (africa)
Utricularia flexousa (africa)
Utricularia foliosa (africa)
Utricularia exoleta (africa)
Utricularia gibba (africa)
Utricularia neglecta (africa)
Najas minor (africa)
Najas pectinata (africa)
Najas falciculata (africa)
Najas graminea (africa)
Aponogeton crispus-(medium-high)-(77-89F)
Aponogeton ulvaceus-(medium-high)-(71-80F)
Ceratophyllum demersum-(medium-high)-(71-82F)
Ceratophyllum submersum-(medium-high)-(71-82F)
Ceratopteris comuta-(medium)-(71-82F)
Ceratopteris thalictroides-(medium)-(71-82F)
Echinodorus bleheri-(medium)-(71-82F)
Echinodorus osiris-(medium-high)-(64-79F)
Echinodorus parviflorus-(medium)-68-79F)
Echinodorus quadricostatus-(medium-high)-(72-82F)
Hydrocotyle leucocephala-(low-medium)-(68-82F)
Hygrophila corymbosa-(low-medium)-(75-82F)
Hygrophila diffomis-(medium-high)-(75-82F)
Hygrophila polysperma-(low-medium)-(71-82)
Ludwigia palustris x repens-(medium-high)-(75-82F)
Ludwigia repens-(medium)-(71-78F)
Rotala rotundifolia-(medium-high)-(75-82F)
Sagittaria sublata-(medium-high)-(64-82F)
Vallisneria americana-(low-medium)-(71-78F)
Vallisneria spiralis-(low-medium)-(68-82F)