What's a good combination for algae removal? I have a 15 gal tank with three
otocinclus. Every week I barely have to clean the glass.

Plecos are good glass cleaners and sometimes when they are small the do some
good algae eating...but I heard when they grow larger their diet changes and
they start eating plants. Of course, in my experience with them a few years
back I know after they grow larger they start getting lazy and they bumble
about messing everything up. I've heard of and seen the neat looking
bristlenose pleco. Does it stay really nice and small and clean things up
without eating plants etc.?? As far as I can remember those things are
really expensive at the LFS ($45CAN).

What about siamese algae eaters? A few years ago I had been burned by a few
that I now believe were Chinese algae eaters and all they did was chase fish
around and pretend to clean algae. Are SAEs totally non-agressive like otos
are? For a 15 gal tank, do they stay nice and small like otos? I don't like
to overpopulate my tank with algae eaters and force the more decorative fish
out.

Right now I have 3 otocinclus, 2 bronze cats, and a betta. I have ordered 5
dwarf neon rainbows from a breeder and they will be added in the next month
or so. Any room for more fish ??

Any opinions? THANX!!

What about siamese algae eaters? A few years ago I had been burned by a
few
that I now believe were Chinese algae eaters and all they did was chase
fish
around and pretend to clean algae. Are SAEs totally non-agressive like
otos
are? For a 15 gal tank, do they stay nice and small like otos? I don't
like
to overpopulate my tank with algae eaters and force the more decorative
fish
out.

SAE are absolutely great fish to have. Besides the fact that they do
unbelieavable job on cleaning the plants, they are very beautiful schooling
fish that is very peacefull and playfull. When I saw them first in LFS, they
didn't impress me at all. But when I've put them in the tank, they just turn
out to be so decorative fish. Great fish to have. I'm even thinking to set
up a tank just for them. Great fish. Make sure you buy a true SAE, as they
are hard to find in the US.

I would forget about the pleco for the reasons you have already stated, and
since you already have otos - they both eat the same types of algae - and 3
is plenty for a 15g. SAEs are almost a must for planted tanks. True SAEs
are good for filamentous (hair-type) algaes, but not necessarily the other
types of algae. They grow fairly slowly, but eventually will out-grow a
15g; you could keep one in there for awhile. They are also fairly peaceful,
but I have noticed my single one chase other fish at feeding time. A pair
might possibly be less aggressive. The combination of otos and SAEs should
be perfect. Maybe an Amano shrimp, too!

Jody

"Dave M. Picklyk" wrote in message
. ..
What's a good combination for algae removal? I have a 15 gal tank with
three
otocinclus. Every week I barely have to clean the glass.

Plecos are good glass cleaners and sometimes when they are small the do
some
good algae eating...but I heard when they grow larger their diet changes
and
they start eating plants. Of course, in my experience with them a few
years
back I know after they grow larger they start getting lazy and they bumble
about messing everything up. I've heard of and seen the neat looking
bristlenose pleco. Does it stay really nice and small and clean things up
without eating plants etc.?? As far as I can remember those things are
really expensive at the LFS ($45CAN).

What about siamese algae eaters? A few years ago I had been burned by a
few
that I now believe were Chinese algae eaters and all they did was chase
fish
around and pretend to clean algae. Are SAEs totally non-agressive like
otos
are? For a 15 gal tank, do they stay nice and small like otos? I don't
like
to overpopulate my tank with algae eaters and force the more decorative
fish
out.

Right now I have 3 otocinclus, 2 bronze cats, and a betta. I have ordered
5
dwarf neon rainbows from a breeder and they will be added in the next
month
or so. Any room for more fish ??

Any opinions? THANX!!

Dave M. Picklyk wrote:
What's a good combination for algae removal? I have a 15 gal tank with three
otocinclus. Every week I barely have to clean the glass.
snip
around and pretend to clean algae. Are SAEs totally non-agressive like otos
are? For a 15 gal tank, do they stay nice and small like otos? I don't like

SAEs are non aggresive, but they get too large for your tank size.

Right now I have 3 otocinclus, 2 bronze cats, and a betta. I have ordered 5
dwarf neon rainbows from a breeder and they will be added in the next month
or so. Any room for more fish ??

I'm afraid you've reached the limit for your tank. You could try getting some
amano shrimp, they eat the same type of algae SAEs do.

--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

On Sat, 18 Jan 2003 04:45:24 GMT, "Dave M. Picklyk"
wrote:

Right now I have 3 otocinclus, 2 bronze cats, and a betta. I have ordered 5
dwarf neon rainbows from a breeder and they will be added in the next month
or so. Any room for more fish ??

Rainbows, even the dwarf neons, need more room than that. Rainbows
are very active and fast moving, and a school of 5 will be cramped in
a 15g tank. The neon rainbows get about 2-3 inches long, and
rainbows are large bodied fish.

If your breeder is like most, the rainbows will be pretty small when
you get them, and rainbows mature very slowly, which means you will
have a little while before they are too crowded.



Chuck Gadd
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua

On Sat, 18 Jan 2003 09:37:55 -0500, "Bruce Geist"
wrote:

Don't get plecos or Farlowellas (stick fish). I have one Pleco in my tank
now that is knawing holes in all my broad-leaf plants.

No problem here with my farlowellas.


Chuck Gadd
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua

Xref: 127.0.0.1 rec.aquaria.freshwater.plants:68384

Ive read that you need at least 5 SAE's for them to be happy, otherwise they
chase the other fish.... Is this true?



Dustin

"Bruce Geist" wrote in message
...
Don't get plecos or Farlowellas (stick fish). I have one Pleco in my tank
now that is knawing holes in all my broad-leaf plants.

SAEs are wonderful fish. As you found out, it is important to know how to
identify them. This fish is easily confused with other fish.. Fins
should
be clear, stripe on the body should extend all the way through the tail.
See
http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/ for more information. They are
the only fish known to eat red algae. IME, SAEs will get to 4 or 5 inches
in a matter of 6 to 8 months. They may well get too big for a 15 gallon
tank. You could get two or three SAEs, then upgrade to a bigger tank in
a
few months!

Otherwise, maybe you should stick with Ottos.


-Bruce Geist

"Dave M. Picklyk" wrote in message
. ..
What's a good combination for algae removal? I have a 15 gal tank with
three
otocinclus. Every week I barely have to clean the glass.

Plecos are good glass cleaners and sometimes when they are small the do
some
good algae eating...but I heard when they grow larger their diet changes
and
they start eating plants. Of course, in my experience with them a few
years
back I know after they grow larger they start getting lazy and they
bumble
about messing everything up. I've heard of and seen the neat looking
bristlenose pleco. Does it stay really nice and small and clean things
up
without eating plants etc.?? As far as I can remember those things are
really expensive at the LFS ($45CAN).

What about siamese algae eaters? A few years ago I had been burned by a
few
that I now believe were Chinese algae eaters and all they did was chase
fish
around and pretend to clean algae. Are SAEs totally non-agressive like
otos
are? For a 15 gal tank, do they stay nice and small like otos? I don't
like
to overpopulate my tank with algae eaters and force the more decorative
fish
out.

Right now I have 3 otocinclus, 2 bronze cats, and a betta. I have
ordered
5
dwarf neon rainbows from a breeder and they will be added in the next
month
or so. Any room for more fish ??

Any opinions? THANX!!

"Dustin" wrote in message
...
Ive read that you need at least 5 SAE's for them to be happy, otherwise
they
chase the other fish.... Is this true?

I can hardly imagine my SAEs to chase other fish. They hardly chase each
other. So peacefull fish.
May be that was about false SAE or CAE? But for me it looks stupid even to
keep the latter two in schools, they are too agressive.

On Sat, 18 Jan 2003 15:08:23 -0800, "Dustin"
wrote:

Ive read that you need at least 5 SAE's for them to be happy, otherwise they
chase the other fish.... Is this true?

I had a pair of SAEs in my 29g, no problems. They occasionally tried
to swim with other fish, but didn't chase or hurt the other fish.

Even in my 75g with 5 saes, they occasionally swim around with other
fish.


Chuck Gadd
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua

I have been keeping a single SAE in my 20H for a few years now - I've had to
trade-in adults for juvies a couple of times - and once they get over about
2 inches they become a *little* aggressive at meal time. They are just busy
and active the rest of the day, but again, a little aggressive when they are
fed. They basically chase off the other fish in order to get some food.
Maybe I should grow more algae for them to eat ; ) And trust me, these are
true SAE. Still, these are great fish for planted tanks. Just be prepared
to do some damage when you try to catch them; catching an SAE in a heavily
planted tank is an adventure - they are very fast!

Jody

"Anton Valouev" wrote in message
...

"Dustin" wrote in message
...
Ive read that you need at least 5 SAE's for them to be happy, otherwise
they
chase the other fish.... Is this true?

I can hardly imagine my SAEs to chase other fish. They hardly chase each
other. So peacefull fish.
May be that was about false SAE or CAE? But for me it looks stupid even to
keep the latter two in schools, they are too agressive.

I would get 1 or 2 brigesi snails, they are by far the best algae and
leftover food eaters. I keep SAEs, ottos, and different kinds of
snails. The snails by far outwork all of the above fish even though
they are slow movers, they work continuously without taking a break.
SAEs seem to eat food instead of algae. Ottos are hard little workers,
but they can only eat so much due to their size. Pleco's are somewhat
finicky when it comes to what algae they eat, and sometimes they go
after the plants instead. My pleco's usually only eat the brown algae
and rarely any soft green algae.


"Dave M. Picklyk" wrote in message ...
What's a good combination for algae removal? I have a 15 gal tank with three
otocinclus. Every week I barely have to clean the glass.

Plecos are good glass cleaners and sometimes when they are small the do some
good algae eating...but I heard when they grow larger their diet changes and
they start eating plants. Of course, in my experience with them a few years
back I know after they grow larger they start getting lazy and they bumble
about messing everything up. I've heard of and seen the neat looking
bristlenose pleco. Does it stay really nice and small and clean things up
without eating plants etc.?? As far as I can remember those things are
really expensive at the LFS ($45CAN).

What about siamese algae eaters? A few years ago I had been burned by a few
that I now believe were Chinese algae eaters and all they did was chase fish
around and pretend to clean algae. Are SAEs totally non-agressive like otos
are? For a 15 gal tank, do they stay nice and small like otos? I don't like
to overpopulate my tank with algae eaters and force the more decorative fish
out.

Right now I have 3 otocinclus, 2 bronze cats, and a betta. I have ordered 5
dwarf neon rainbows from a breeder and they will be added in the next month
or so. Any room for more fish ??

Any opinions? THANX!!

I had three SAEs in my 29 gallon tank, and as they got larger, one became
a
real bully. It chased the other two SAEs, as well as other fish. I moved
the
SAEs into the 75 gallon tank to join the school of eight in there, and
there's
been no trouble since.

May be that's because I have seven of them....

"Dave M. Picklyk" wrote:

What's a good combination for algae removal? I have a 15 gal tank with three
otocinclus. Every week I barely have to clean the glass.

Plecos are good glass cleaners and sometimes when they are small the do some
good algae eating...but I heard when they grow larger their diet changes and
they start eating plants.

While I will not disparage otos or SAEs, since both earn their keep in my tank,
the term "pl*co" includes a lot of very different fish. Specifically, bushynose
catfish (ancistrus sp) only grow to about 5 inches long, and are aggressive
algae eaters their whole lives. Get a pair and treat them right and they'll
breed as well, which will finance your plant hobby quite well!

(Allen Smith) wrote:

I would get 1 or 2 brigesi snails, they are by far the best algae and
leftover food eaters.

Is that the same as the "Pomacea Bridges" Mystery Snails? If so, I had
a bad time with them in my little tank.

I put three of the snails (each about 1 inch in size) into a three
gallon tank with a betta, and three stalks each of wisteria and
anacharis. Hmm. Lot of threes there.

Anyway, within just a few days, these snails had chewed through the
base of every one of the plant stalks.

It's not like they didn't have anything else to eat, either. Though
the tank was quite new and didn't have any algae, I had been dropping
in a half wafer of Hikari Algae Wafers each day. The snails ate these,
as well.

I'm sure if I could hear them, they'd be making snorting noises.

Anyhow, I've had to remove the plants from the tank and settle for
feeding the snails on just wafers. They're still quite cool, but I'd
really hesitate to use them in a planted tank.


--
www.ericschreiber.com

Mysterday snails are -usually- Pomacea brigesi, but they can be
another similar species that will devour plants. You have to deal with
unsure labeling when you go into a petstore, that mystery snail could
very well be another species.

Aside from that, if you had just purchased the wisteria and
anarcharis, the bases of them were most likely rotten or close to
being rotten and perhaps that is why they were going after that (the
part below the rubber or metal band is usually dead or close to dead
even if you don't realize it).

They are hungry critters 3 of them in a 15 gallon would have probably
devoured the tank as you mentioned, I would have placed only 1 in a
tank that size.

Another criquite is that they were in with a betta which are voracious
(too strong perhaps), but well known snail eaters and harassers, so
perhaps they didn't have as good of a chance to eat the food you
offered and went for the easiest food (the plants, because they had
cover from the betta).

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the snails.

Eric Schreiber wrote in message . ..
(Allen Smith) wrote:

I would get 1 or 2 brigesi snails, they are by far the best algae and
leftover food eaters.

Is that the same as the "Pomacea Bridges" Mystery Snails? If so, I had
a bad time with them in my little tank.

I put three of the snails (each about 1 inch in size) into a three
gallon tank with a betta, and three stalks each of wisteria and
anacharis. Hmm. Lot of threes there.

Anyway, within just a few days, these snails had chewed through the
base of every one of the plant stalks.

It's not like they didn't have anything else to eat, either. Though
the tank was quite new and didn't have any algae, I had been dropping
in a half wafer of Hikari Algae Wafers each day. The snails ate these,
as well.

I'm sure if I could hear them, they'd be making snorting noises.

Anyhow, I've had to remove the plants from the tank and settle for
feeding the snails on just wafers. They're still quite cool, but I'd
really hesitate to use them in a planted tank.