When should I get an algae eating fish for my new tank?

Question

Do I even need an algae eater? My tank is about a week old.

Do I even need one? My tankis startingto stink.

Answer 1

when it gets a little dirty with green stuff

Answer 2

I've got an Otto for a 10 gallon tank and he doesn't seem to do much. I had a Cory (he died from a mistake I made) and he did good with cleaning the gravel, but he's a school fish and is good w/ other Corys - so get two if you decide on them. The mistake I made is using Quick Cure (for ich) and not taking him out when I did. The medicine can hurt scaleless fish. So either way you'd go, I'd get two for more than a 10 gallon tank.

Answer 3

Nope, you won't need one until there's an obvious abundunce of algae. If you never see any, then you don't need one. If after awhile, you do see algae, then get a smaller algae eater if you have a smaller tank. Plecostomuses are not recommended for smaller tanks, they get too big and poo alot! An Oticinclus stays small and does a great job.

Answer 4

Your tank stinks because you did not cycle it. See link below:

My favorite algae eater is the algaeous scraperous. Common name is algae scraper.

Seriously, you don't need one, algae is easy to control as long as you change water weekly. An algae eater does not make things any cleaner anyway. Yes they eat algae, but they also poop, and more poop gives algae more food so it grows quicker. Poop also will make your tank stink, the last thing you need is another fish in a uncycled tank.

Answer 5

its good to have one, it eats all the poop and slime from the other fish. even in a new tanks they'll be fine just put more food in it so the tank will slime up faster.

Answer 6

whenever you want because they adjust to anything and everything