# Snails and Algae Eaters



## Underwater City (Nov 6, 2011)

Things are getting a bit better in the tank although I'm noticing a little bit of algae growing again. Sigh. Turning the lights back off. (I did add three more plants to the tank...that shouldn't cause more algae, should it? Shouldn't that cause less algae? Or am I completely backwards on that?)

The snail that I finally noticed last week has made an appearance today and...uh...woah. He seems to have doubled in size in less than a week. I don't know snails...is that normal?

Finally, as I continue, over the weeks and months, to add more fish, I would like to know THE best algae eater available. I always thought it was the pleco. I would get a small one, the kind that stays small but am wondering, IS the pleco the best?

What about corys? Are they great algae eaters?

And loaches...seems the more I read, the more I see that I'm supposed to get a "school" of loaches, (some sites say no less than 6...really?), but I'm wondering if that will end up overcrowding?

Right now I have 3 platys and a danio. In a day or two, there will be three more danios.

Then I wait and wait and wait. I wanted to get a betta or something else for the next fish addition but I'm thinking I better get an algae eater.

Learning the hard way is what we have to go through, sometimes, but the hard way in this case is detrimental to the fish so I'd prefer to know the best solution/option/choice before I mess with their little lives.

Also, are platys ok in groups of three or should I have more? And if I get corys, what is the least number to get and keep them happy?

Danios I think I'll be ok with 4 or maybe add one more but that would be it.

So for a 40 gallon tank, I would have:

4-5 danios

3-? platys

a betta

and then either A pleco or 

#-#? corys

or

#-#? loaches.

How many 2 inch fish is too many for a 40 gallon?


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

> Things are getting a bit better in the tank although I'm noticing a little bit of algae growing again. Sigh. Turning the lights back off. (I did add three more plants to the tank...that shouldn't cause more algae, should it? Shouldn't that cause less algae? Or am I completely backwards on that?)


The more plants to take up the nutrients will help in the cause of the algae. But remember the higher the light the more apt algae will appear if not adding co2.




> The snail that I finally noticed last week has made an appearance today and...uh...woah. He seems to have doubled in size in less than a week. I don't know snails...is that normal?


Normal and soon there will be more.



> Finally, as I continue, over the weeks and months, to add more fish, I would like to know THE best algae eater available. I always thought it was the pleco. I would get a small one, the kind that stays small but am wondering, IS the pleco the best?


A bristlenose is small enough for a 40 gal. Don't get a common as they get to big. Its also a good idea to have different algae eaters as one kind don't eat all algae. Ottos would be good for a second choice.



> What about corys? Are they great algae eaters?


Cories are not algae eaters, The will help keep the bottom clean of extra food and also need their own food.



> And loaches...seems the more I read, the more I see that I'm supposed to get a "school" of loaches, (some sites say no less than 6...really?), but I'm wondering if that will end up overcrowding?


The only loaches this tank would be able to handle is khuli loaches which you can have 6 or one of the other dwarf loaches.



> Right now I have 3 platys and a danio. In a day or two, there will be three more danios.
> 
> Then I wait and wait and wait. I wanted to get a betta or something else for the next fish addition but I'm thinking I better get an algae eater.


You need to add maybe 4 more danio's total. then wait a couple of weeks to add the betta. The algae eater should be the last thing to add so their would be some algae to eat.



> Also, are platys ok in groups of three or should I have more? And if I get corys, what is the least number to get and keep them happy?


The platys would be fine with just the 3, they aren't a schooling fish. The cories minimum should be 3 of the same kind, 4 would be better.


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

First off, corys are not algae eaters, they're omnivores that need meat and veggies and don't have interest in algae. 

I personally wouldn't say plecos are the best algae eaters either- the small ones work decent, but they won't replace good cleaning. 

My favorite is the little oto. It stays very small like about 1.5", but they like to be in groups. They're adorable though. A larger option is a siamese algae eater, which looks a bit like an oto, but gets bigger, and should be one per tank. I think they get like 4-5" They work well too. Still, you will have to do some cleaning, even with an algae eater.

Personally, I would understock your tank, always more helpful than stocking to the max. I would leave the loaches out, they aren't algae eaters anyways. You can get the rest of the danios, and the betta if you want, though the danios might be fin nippers. The platies are livebearers, so if you've got plants in your tank, you might end up getting more fish than you bargained for, LOL. Also, if you can still see gravel, get more plants, preferably live ones. There's a couple people on here that sell plants at very reasonable prices. The more plants and hiding spots you have, the less stressed the fish will be.

So add the rest of the danios if you want, and more plants if you can get them. Then sit and look at your tank long and hard and figure out if you want more fish. Then try and find where there's not much movement in your tanks, the bottom, the middle, or the top. After this, research what fish hang out in those areas, and what their needs are. Some fish like corys have unexpected needs, like a soft smooth substrate so they don't scratch their bellies. Look at ways to figure stocking too. 

Anyways, sorry for the rambling, but hope this helps!


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## Underwater City (Nov 6, 2011)

susankat said:


> The more plants to take up the nutrients will help in the cause of the algae. But remember the higher the light the more apt algae will appear if not adding co2.


I greatly reduced my lighting and it took care of the algae the first time, (went from a blue bulb and 10,000k white light to two blue bulbs) and keep the light off after 12 hours. I think I better keep it off for a day or two and then start turning it off at around 8 hours, (if I'm home in time).

This is my first time with a planted tank. I mentioned on my other post that I didn't do CO2, I just thought I'd learn as I went with the plants. Well, I don't know what I'm doing but the plants are thriving, they look great and even a few plants that the fish store sold me that they were sure were going to die right away, actually made a turn around in my tank and are growing well and turned from white to green, like they should.

So...I don't know much about this CO2 business...is it a liquid or something else? Explain to the newbie, please.




> A bristlenose is small enough for a 40 gal. Don't get a common as they get to big. Its also a good idea to have different algae eaters as one kind don't eat all algae. Ottos would be good for a second choice.


Originally had a pleco in there, (may have been bristlenose), but I managed to kill it with my stupidity...(see other thread of mine). But good point that more than one type would be better.



> Cories are not algae eaters, The will help keep the bottom clean of extra food and also need their own food.


Noted. I noticed that they hung around the bottom quite a bit so it looked like they were eating but maybe not. I know the platys have been picking at the algae....maybe I got the two confused. (Panda platys and had panda corys...again, until I stupidly killed them. Lesson learned!!! Things shall improve now.)



> The only loaches this tank would be able to handle is khuli loaches which you can have 6 or one of the other dwarf loaches.


I did have a khuli loach in there before. Before I stupidly killed him......sigh. We had a bad month. But since he hid and hardly ever came out except when I turned off the light for the night or did a water change, (man he danced around then), I figured he was ok. I like loaches so maybe I'll get some of those and something else.




> You need to add maybe 4 more danio's total. then wait a couple of weeks to add the betta. The algae eater should be the last thing to add so their would be some algae to eat.


So 5 danios in total? If so, that's about what I was thinking. As for waiting to get algae for the algea eater...I kind of have enough algae, I think, for an algae eater. The tank has been up going on 12 weeks now and there's a bit of algae on some of the decorations, (driftwood, rock and castle). Not a lot, just a small amount. 

Now, question: If I get algae eaters, do I actually need to feed them algae wafers? Or will my tank always produce enough for them to eat?



> The platys would be fine with just the 3, they aren't a schooling fish. The cories minimum should be 3 of the same kind, 4 would be better.


Cool about the platys then. I think I'll leave it at what I have. They all get along fairly well and I'd like to keep it that way. If I do get corys, (which I might not), I will keep in mind to get at least three or four.


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## Underwater City (Nov 6, 2011)

Don't know how to multi quote on there so had to make another post to respond to this one.



Kehy said:


> First off, corys are not algae eaters, they're omnivores that need meat and veggies and don't have interest in algae.


Ok. IF I were to get corys, would bloodworms be sufficient for their meat needs or should it be something else? And I've seen video of people putting carrots and cucumbers in their tanks...is this a good idea? 



> I personally wouldn't say plecos are the best algae eaters either- the small ones work decent, but they won't replace good cleaning.


Well of course I would clean, but it would be nice to have a little help. How about a pleco and khuli loaches or a pleco and otos? 



> My favorite is the little oto. It stays very small like about 1.5", but they like to be in groups. They're adorable though. A larger option is a siamese algae eater, which looks a bit like an oto, but gets bigger, and should be one per tank. I think they get like 4-5" They work well too. Still, you will have to do some cleaning, even with an algae eater.


Yes, I'm not looking to get these JUST to clean my tank. I of course clean my tank. I just want something that helps out in that department as well as having another excuse for interesting fish. 

I looked up some oto videos and found zebra otos that I really like. If I can even find those here, are their temperaments the same as any other oto?



> Personally, I would understock your tank, always more helpful than stocking to the max. I would leave the loaches out, they aren't algae eaters anyways. You can get the rest of the danios, and the betta if you want, though the danios might be fin nippers. The platies are livebearers, so if you've got plants in your tank, you might end up getting more fish than you bargained for, LOL. Also, if you can still see gravel, get more plants, preferably live ones. There's a couple people on here that sell plants at very reasonable prices. The more plants and hiding spots you have, the less stressed the fish will be.


I am trying to keep it understocked but it can get hard while daydreaming or window shopping...but yes, I would like to keep it understocked. I asked how many can a 40 gallon hold so that I would know to get a bit less than that.

Loaches are not algae eaters? Really? Then maybe my loach died of starvation not because my tank was all whacked out with cloudy water. Anyway, the loaches were more because I think they're cool. I thought it would be cool to pretend I have eels. (I know, but it's my tank and I get to pretend.)

As for more plants, I'm doing the plant thing kinda slow since it's my first time with a planted tank. I have tons more gravel that is showing. Three of my plants are java moss balls that hang suspended in the water tied down to a little fishing weight. One plant is on some ornamental wood ring and the rest are planted in the substrate. I think more plants would be cool but I think I am more looking towards ground coverage than plants that grow UP at this point. Not sure what to get, really.



> So add the rest of the danios if you want, and more plants if you can get them. Then sit and look at your tank long and hard and figure out if you want more fish. Then try and find where there's not much movement in your tanks, the bottom, the middle, or the top. After this, research what fish hang out in those areas, and what their needs are. Some fish like corys have unexpected needs, like a soft smooth substrate so they don't scratch their bellies. Look at ways to figure stocking too.


One of the things I did when I was waiting for the tank to cycle was make a list of fish.

The first list was for fish that appealed to me in the looks department.

From that list I worked on temperament and who would get along with who. (That greatly reduced my list.)

From that list, I worked on tank conditions, (temps, PH, etc).

From that list, I worked on size. 

And then I worked on where they would be in the tank. I wanted fish at the top, fish in the middle and fish at the bottom. 

That left me with a narrow list of which the following were available to me to pick:

danios, (glofish)
panda platys
panda corys
khuli loaches
betta (one)
pleco
cardinal tetras, (tank is so not ready for them yet)
otos (although I didn't do much looking in to them because I thought I'd get a pleco and loaches, instead)

And there was something else...but anyway, those were the fish I wanted.

Well, I wanted a red tail shark and a black Molly as well but we'll see what happens there. That's for way later if it does. And Mollys I have to get a few of and I hear they breed if you even think about them.

However, I guess I can't do corys after all since I do not have smooth, soft substrate. I have gravel. 

Dang. The pandy corys are very cute.




> Anyways, sorry for the rambling, but hope this helps!


Ramble away, it definitely helps.

Edit: So I was looking around the nets for photos of plants I might be able to use, (in gravel), that would carpet the floor of the tank. I found one place that mentioned baby tears.

Ok.

I have baby tears in pots in my house.

Are these the same baby tears?


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

there is a thread in the general fish forum (one right under this one) titled which algae eater is right for you. Check it out.


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## scooterlady (May 10, 2011)

Otos make a real nice cleanup crew for algae. I've got 6 in my 20 gallon long, but you never see them...lol! They're busy in amongst the plants doing their job...eating algae, which has pretty much been under control since I got them. I also have a golden mystery snail and some Amano shrimp. All are good algae eaters...


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## Underwater City (Nov 6, 2011)

FishFlow: Thank you, I had not made it to that part of the forum yet. Very informative post. I actually like plecos so it's not just to clean up algae.




scooterlady said:


> Otos make a real nice cleanup crew for algae. I've got 6 in my 20 gallon long, but you never see them...lol! They're busy in amongst the plants doing their job...eating algae, which has pretty much been under control since I got them. I also have a golden mystery snail and some Amano shrimp. All are good algae eaters...


Went to the fish store today to get 10 more gallons of water for my water change tomorrow. Decided to take a look at what otos they had. They didn't have zebra otos but they had two other kinds....and I just spaced the names.

Anyway, one looked like every other oto I see in videos and photos but one group was really dark. I liked them! They were so cute!! In time, I'm going to get some of them. Wondering how many I should get to make them happy. Fish store guy told me at least two but I'm wondering what the opinion is here.

Thanks.


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## scooterlady (May 10, 2011)

They like to be in groups and 5+ is recommended. I have 6 and they are quite happy. At least 2 has paired up. They are so cute. And they do a good job if you have any issues with algae.


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## Underwater City (Nov 6, 2011)

Alright, did the water change today and it looks better. Of course. We'll see how long that lasts.

Also got my three danios. (Will get another per recommendation, just don't want to add too many fish at one time.)

All tests run yesterday, before all of this, came back perfect.

Did the water change a few hours ago and ran another test after waiting a bit and they came back the same as yesterday before the water change.

Will take another later tonight or tomorrow.

If all goes well for the next week or two, I'll go look at those dark otos. But, I'll probably get one more danio and then two otos to start. Then, later, I'll add three more otos.

THEN, much later, I'll add my betta.

Then I'll have to figure out the last group to add and then I should be done as far as adding fish.

In the meantime, I'll be looking to get more and more plants.


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## harveya (Aug 12, 2011)

Glad things are working out for you. Im not going to read every post here. TBH your posts are a bit long....lol but i will mention:

I love the zebra loach. In my community tank the 3 i have would have to be the funniest fish. Hard to explain but they are cheeky in a cute way.

Corys, i have 4 happy campers. Good fish for scavenging around the bottom and looking for that bit of food that got tucked into the corners or just left to rot. They seem to spend most of there time looking for food. The loaches seem to spend most of there time playing with each other...

My sp. pleco is rubbish. Not sure what he does when light out but only feed time i see him out. He is a sp. L140 though..... I quite like the SAE i have, very busy fish and good looking also IMO. If you are interested in this fish do your research on it. Dont get a fish to take care of algae though. Learn why you have algae and fix that problem first......

just saying.....


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## Underwater City (Nov 6, 2011)

harveya said:


> Glad things are working out for you. Im not going to read every post here. TBH your posts are a bit long....lol but i will mention:
> 
> I love the zebra loach. In my community tank the 3 i have would have to be the funniest fish. Hard to explain but they are cheeky in a cute way.
> 
> ...


My posts are long because I try to give as much information as possible. That way we don't waste time going back and forth asking questions because I've made the attempt to give the information I think I will be asked.

For example, I've already answered why I would get these fish; that they are not just because they eat algae. I like plecos. I like kuhli loaches and now that I've seen the dark otos, I like them a LOT! If they HELP clean up a joint, all the better.

As I stated in a post above, when I set up the tank and was waiting, I did the research. I want fish who hang around the top, the middle and the bottom.

I do not know what SAE means.

I thought corys but someone said they don't do well on gravel because they rub their little stomachs on the substrate. 

As for the recent algae, it happened right after I added a couple of new plants.


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## harveya (Aug 12, 2011)

Don't take my post the wrong way. It is good to get as much info as you can across. I was just say incase I was repeating what someone else had said.

An sae is an algae eater. IMO one of the best. Eats just about all types and is good in a community tank. There is a sticky about algae eater.


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## Underwater City (Nov 6, 2011)

harveya said:


> Don't take my post the wrong way. It is good to get as much info as you can across. I was just say incase I was repeating what someone else had said.
> 
> An sae is an algae eater. IMO one of the best. Eats just about all types and is good in a community tank. There is a sticky about algae eater.


I didn't take it the wrong way, I was explaining why right now I'm so "talkative". Just trying to get it all out there.

I looked up SAE and found Siamese algae eater. Is that the one you are talking about? One place said it was a "relative" of the red tail shark, which, I had in my 10 gallon way back when. I love red tail sharks. Will look more in to the SAE, as it's called.


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## harveya (Aug 12, 2011)

Yeah that's it. Not sure if it is related to that shark or not. It is easily confused with the black line flying fox, which is not what you want. Take a look at the sticky in the general freshwater aquarium forum. There is a "what algae eater is right for you" thread. Good info in it.


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