what type fish eats algae

[piranha-discus]

hi there
im trying to get help by asking members in the forum
what type fish that is safe with discus that will eat the
elge off the glass, im tired cleaning the glass all the
time and i dont get much time to do that with our baby
daughter crying all the time, ps whats the best fish to
do the job and what type will eat lots of alge,
cheers ,,,ben

[SandyLynne]

Siamese Algae Eater also known as Flying Fox
http://users.bigpond.net.au/chelleandstew/Siamese%20Algae%20Eater/Siamese%20Algae%20Eater.htm

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_sae.php

Bristlenose catfish
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1039&N=0

Otocinclus Catfish
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=923&N=0

[Discus 41]

Hi ben
On a different subject have you got that 6 F'ter up and running yet,
if so how about some pics

Ian

[Benno_17]

hey um i just thought i should warn u that i bought a chinese algae eater and all it did was suck onto my discus. just a word of warning

[Benno_17]

oh an i have a bristle nose hes awsome probably 12cm long now

get 1 of them

[Nathan]

are you sure it wasnt a sucking catfish?

[Ben]

Otto's are the way to go!

[wickedglass]

you're right, benno, chinese algae eaters, while they eat algae, they also have a liking for other fishes slime coating, and discus have that in profusion. they also become relatively large, and aggressively territorial! they are a royal pain in the ass if you're caught unawares and buy one and not realise their true nature, but can be a great fish to keep in a species tank, due to their personalities. not for discus, though.
Sandy was talking about siamese algae eaters, which are a different thing, they're peaceful and would be great to keep with discus and many people do so. however they come from colder waters than discus and might not be too comfortable in the high temps that discus love.
ancistrus (bristlenoses) and otocinclus come from the same waters as discus, and you can't go wrong with those. otos are probably your best bet, as they remain small and won't get in the way if your discus decide to breed, where bristlenoses tend to be a bit more tenacious about getting at food sources.

[piranha-discus]

hi there Ian
i have not got the 6fter set up, its just stand up in a corner of the living room for months, i dont get time for it that my baby daughter crying all the time, and its way too heavy for me to lift up 1 metre high to put it on the cabnet . will set it up when my baby discus get older, they still small
at the moment, cheers ben

[piranha-discus]

i thought ottos would be a good choice as what ben had said to me,
but im wondering if the common pelco are any good? i had seen large ones but im not after too big, i dont want my baby discus end up being dead lol, mabe up to 10 cm be good, the bristle nose seem to be good but arnt they too small to eat lots elge?, i dont want to over populate my tank with other type fish, my tank only has only discus in it and my aim is to grow them,also right now is a simple 4 ft 180 lt tank gets 50% water changes a day with home made cainiser filter that has a 1200 watt water flow pump and a 20 watt uv , i hope to get more information whats the best to eat up all the elge lol,
cheers ben

[sharn]

'commons' (redspots, goldspots, sailfins etc) all have the potential to reach 50-60cm. they are also known for being a bit nasty to discus and i have seen pictures of discus that look like theyve met a cheese grater after an encounter with a common :(

bristlenose are good sized and most are ok with discus. i find one BN per 100L or so works out fine to keep tanks clean. BN only get around 15cm max

[shayesmommy]

ottos suck on discus too. i had some they had to be removed. bristlenoses are good.

[marg]

A combination of Bristlenose and Flourish Excel works fine for me - I have had a colony of Bristlenose all along but was still having Algae problems until I bought some Flourish Excel hoping to give my plants some growth and was pleasantly surpirsed to see all the Algae dissapear - I regularly use it on my Community tank and haven't seen any sign of Algae whatsoever.

marg

[jcarlilesiu]

Siamese Algae Eater also known as Flying Fox
http://users.bigpond.net.au/chelleandstew/Siamese%20Algae%20Eater/Siamese%20Algae%20Eater.htm

Common misconception. Flying foxes and SAEs are not the same thing. Foxs will nibble on algae but not really take care of the problem. If you want the real SAEs then read this link.

http://www.petresources.net/fish/article/sae.html

I would also like to mention that if you have a real bad algae problem, the solution probably isn't fish or other "cleaners". You have a nutrient excess in your tank and the algae is exploiting it. The most common reasons for algae growth (depending on the type relative to the excess) is

#1 high phosphates (Fuzz algae)
#2 low nitrates (cyano bacteria)
#3 excess light (free floating - green water)
#4 excess iron (hair algea)
#5 lack of water movement in isolated areas (cyano bacteria)


Keep in mind, that my deciphering of the cause of algae is based on a planted aquarium. In an unplanted aquarium, I would up your water changes and use a product like phosorb (sp). Lower you light time, and be sure it isn't getting any direct sunlight.

[benjohnson]

I have got a pleco in with my discus and they all get on fine, he keeps the tank nice and clean, and the discus arent fussed by him being about, if anything they will nudge him if he gets in the way at feeding time, and hes about 15 inches long !!!!