Just wondering can anybody give

[faolteam]

Just wondering can anybody give me there top 5 Algae eaters , 1 been best ?

[fishmommie]

It depends on what kind of tank you have, what kind of fish and how many.
For instance otto cats are fantastic little algae eaters - but they can't be in tanks with fish that might see them as dinner because they are so tiny.
Nerites snails do a great job on some kinds of algae but not on others.
Plecos come in all sizes and kinds - they are also good with algae but again, depends on the kind of algae and the size of your tank and your stock.

If you have a large algae problem, then it would also help us to know what your cleaning routine is and what kind of algae it is. Your tank could be getting too much light or not enough. You may not be cleaning adequately. There are a number of issues involved
Can you give us some details?

[faolteam]

8 BRONZE CORYS
8 PEPPERED CORYS
8 WHITE ALBINO
4 OTTO
15 CARDINAL TETRA
2 GOLDEN GOURAMIS

I have the otto 2 weeks but the green algae is not making any great shift

[fishmommie]

how large is your tank? how often do you make water changes? How long has the tank been set up?
do you have plants? what kind of substrate.
Where all is the green algae? on the glass or on decorations? or is it free floating?
A photo if you have one could help.

[faolteam]

well its not to bad its mainly on glass some decorations

i use to have ramshorn snails there wasnt a bit of algae when they were there but they just all went one day

my tank is 36 x18x15

i do a 50%water change every week
gravel substrate

[sheamurai]

well for glass you are better off just getting a scraper and taking care of it yourself. Snails are really the only thing that like being on the glass, 5 minutes with a scraper generally takes care of things quite nicely.

[genocidex]

You should address the problem not try to just fix the symptoms... Whats the photo period for the tank? Ie how long do you keep the lights on for? What color spectrum is the plants? How manh watts? Any live plants?

[Compass]

Or just embrace the algae. :) That's what I've done. I've got at least three kinds going in my tank and it never looked better. I do scrape it off the glass but it looks very nice everywhere else.

[Slaphppy7]

I have a teeny bit of algae myself, my otos love it.

[Compass]

One personal rule I follow. Get algae eaters because you want algae eaters. Not just because you have algae.

[Faded]

Well, since you asked for a top 5, I'm here.

I am not implying that these are the real top 5, but from what I know, these are the top 5 for eating algae in my opinion.

5. Bristlenose Plecos
These are not recommended to keep if you have an algae problem, but they do eat algae. If they feel like eating algae, they will, but with these it just depends on how difficult the algae is for the pleco to eat. They take care of brown algae, but not much other than that. A nice and hardy fish though.

4. Farlowella
Excellent fish to keep if you have plenty if plants in your tank. They are always eating algae, they destroy brown algae, and can even manage to eat some green algae on the glass. Downside to this fish though, they need well maintained water conditions and can become easily stressed.

3. Siamese Algae Eater
One of the only fish that can take care of Black Beard Algae, and excellent for taking care of hair algae. Pretty hardy and extremely active.

2. Amano Shrimp
One of the hardiest shrimp without a doubt, and these will take care of hair algae as long as they feel comfortable. Pretty much a good addition to any tank that doesn't have anything that will hurt them.

1. Nerite Snail
Without a doubt the best for taking care of algae on the glass. It takes time, but if kept in proper numbers they can keep your glass clear like no other algae eating fish can. Unfortunately, the downside to these is that they lay eggs that don't hatch in freshwater. So if you have a bunch of egg layers, your tank can be covered in them over time. But if you don't care about how the eggs look, that's fine. Also these don't like very soft water conditions.

I have kept all of these, but for the Siamese Algae Eaters, Farlowellas, and BNs, it was because they were interesting fish that I wanted to keep, not because they ate algae. Amanos and Nerites especially, are ok for keeping just for algae purposes since they don't take up much room, but just as long as they can thrive in your tank.