what kind of algae eater can i get to live with my african cichlids???

Question

in one tank i had 2 chinese algae eaters, but one got eaten, and i heard that they dont eat as much algae when they get bigger they were living with red zebras

in another tank i have 1 yellow lab, 2 kenyi's, 1 bumblebee, and one unknown african cichlid.

so what is a good algae eater that can live with them?

i also had a plecostomus and found it one morning , nothing but a bit of fish flesh and bones left.....sad.

Answer 1

A plecostomus might be compatible but they get over a foot and a half and also eat alot more than algae.

Malawian cichlids are sensitive to nitrates which you probably have alot of if algae is becoming a problem. Adding another fish is only a short term fix.

I would suggest instead implementing a regimen of partial (25-50%) water changes once a week. Your fish will love you for it and the algae will go away on its own for the most part.

Answer 2

I've never had problems with Chinese Algea Eaters with my Chichlids...however I have dealt with and solved problems with fish eating other fish...Chiclids or not. I don't know if you do this already...but if you only feed the fish one big meal a day, try feeding them twice a day...once in the morning once at night. This way they will be full more often and have less of a wanting to find alternative means of food...its almost like they get hungry between the meals and decide to eat each other to hold themselves over...imagine if we only ate once a day! *stomach gurgle*

If that doesnt work...I recomend a large pleco...something that is 5x larger than the Chiclids...or more...that way they wont dare mess with it.

I really think so long as there is an adequate amount of territory in the tank (caves) and you feed them twice a day it should fix any problems you are having with them eating your algea eaters. Also...when you clean the tank make sure you re-arrage the caves! If you have had the tank for a while and don't change it the fish might have specific territories they will not let any fish venture into. Result...EATEN!

Sorry if I gave too much info...I'm unsure of how much you know about the Chiclids themselves...no offense meant!

Answer 3

Buy or check at your library for books on care of African cichlids and research. Yes, by all means they can live with a. salt, but don't have to have it. Males generally have 3-6 "egg-spots" on their anal fin, whereas a female generally won't have any, or at the most 2. Cichlids for some reason naturally dig at gravel and small rocks. The best setup is larger rocks glued together with silicone sealant (aquarium grade) with caves built in, at least one cave per fish. What kind of bottom feeder? Unless it's a fish from the same general lakes as the cichlids, I wouldn't chance putting it in there. North and South American catfish can't tolerate salt. At least that's what the books I've read say, so I never took chances. Yes, the cichlids will generally eat their fry after they're swimming. But if there are plenty of rocks, there will be small nooks and crannies the young will hide in when they leave their mother. Some should survive. If you want to save most of them, place the female in another tank when you notice her mouth is full of eggs, or strip the eggs from her mouth and place in another tank with water from the main tank. If she's a mouth brooder. Otherwise, just hope for the best. If they lay their eggs on a rock, just move the rock to another tank. The female is very protective of her eggs and fry and will keep most other fish away, though she may ignore the bottom feeder, which more than likely will try to eat the eggs.

Answer 4

I have albino dwarf bristle-nose plecos with my african cichlids. They have slight armor, which helps fight off the fish, and will graze on algae all of their life. I started with 6 small ones fully expecting some to die off. I now have 2 adults that are never bothered.

By the way, these catfish ship very well; check online for them. Aquabid is where I started.

Magicman recommended snails, which can work great. I've found that bigger ones do fine with cichlids; smaller ones are an expensive and tasty meal for the fish.

Answer 5

you really should research fish before you buy them. chinese algae eaters are not good fish. extremely territorial and aggressive.
you shouldnt depend on fish to clean your tank for you.
tank cleaning magnets are cheap and easy to use. as are algae scrapers and sponges. take a trip to your local fish store and browse around. im sure youll find something good there.

Answer 6

I have a pecostomus in with my ciclids and they have not bothered him. Get one that is about 3 to 4 inches long. They can go in with about any type of fish and they have such hard outer scales that they do not seem bothered if a fish nips at it.

Answer 7

I have a leapord plecostumus, but I think your right about the bigger the less they eat. My chiclid gets mad and pokes him every once in a while but they seem to do pretty well together. Hope that helps.

Answer 8

bristle nose catfish usually work well in that combination of fish try 2 but water changes are really important

Answer 9

I have a suckerfish and it works really good with fish. So try it. I don't know about all the fish you have but if I was you I would try it!

Answer 10

snails and less light to not have algae