Algae Eating Fish for tank?

Question

I have a 10 gallon tank with 3 rosy barbs and two tiger barbs. my tank has been set up for almost five months. There is an irritating green algae problem. I was wondering if there are any good algae eating fish I could get that wouldn't outgrow the small tank. My barbs aren't going to get any bigger than their current size. There is plenty of room for an algae eating fish if needed.
any advice?

Answer 1

You don't have room in your tank for an algae eating fish, I'm afraid. Otos are small, but don't eat existing algae off of glass OR plants; they only eat microscopic growing algae, and only a few types. Also, the barbs would probably pick on them.

You could try a couple of zebra or olive nerite snails. So far, mine have mowed through diatoms (brown algae) on plants and decor, hard green spot algae on the glass, and soft brush algae on the plants. They keep my tanks sparkling, have a decent lifespan, seem extremely hardy, and don't reproduce in freshwater tanks.

No pleco will stay small enough to fit in your tank without overtaxing your bioload and fouling the water. Cories are NOT algae eaters. Chinese and Siamese Algae Eaters, as well as the look-alike Flying Fox, and DO grow to 5-6" long, as well as being rather aggressive to tankmates, especially in such cramped quarters.

Answer 2

I have to agree with EMK on the tank being overstocked. Rosy barbs should grow to be 4.5 - 5.5 inches and the tiger barbs close to 3 inches. Both are schooling fish and should be kept in groups of at least 5-6. If not kept in an adequate sized group, the tigers especially will become fin-nippers since they tend to be semi-aggressive fish (I hope your rosys aren't long-finned variety!).

I disagree however about the algae eaters. There is a species (otocinclus) that are suitable for smaller tanks, but they wouldn't be suited to yours with the tiger barbs. Otos are small (1 1/2 inches) and peaceful, and should be kept in a group of at least 3 themselves. Anyway, it's a mistake to add any animal (fish or snail) with the idea that they'll clean all your algae. They won't. Since part of the problem is that there are too many nutrients in the tank which fertilize the algae, adding more animals just adds to the amount of nutrients produced. And no fish, snail, or ship will eat all types of algae, or all that's in the tank if tou have a lot of it. This is something you have to do through regular scraping and cleaning, weekly partial water changes, not overfeeding, and controling the amount of light in the tank.

Answer 3

Hello. Your tank is already overstocked. There are no algae eaters who should live in such a small tank. Also, if this algae is of the "slimy" variety, no algae eater will eat it. In this case, remove the plant or whatever the algae is on and wash it with a 1% solution of bleach. Rinse well and replace. This kind of algae is caused by insufficient light, so an upgrade in your bulb should take care of it.
If it's the kind of algae that grows on the glass, pet stores carry a special scrubbing sponge that removes it very easily.
For a good site on tank size requirement for different fish, please check out this website:
http://www.aquariumlife.net/fishsearch.asp
Tom, none of those will thrive in a 10 gal. The common plecos grow to be over a foot long!
And Tiffy, cory cats don't eat algae.

Answer 4

if your tank is in direct sunlight that's probably not helping. you could check out an ottocinclus or two. they only get 2 inches.or you could try a clown pleco. they're a little boring though since theyre nocturnal. and they'll limit what else you can put in your tank since they'll get 4-5 inches. i've also seen my mollies pick at it. chinese algae eaters are pretty aggesive as get even worse as they age. siamese algae eaters get about 7 inches.

Answer 5

Chinese, or Siamese, algae eaters are some of the best guys for the job. They only get a little over 2 inches (but don't go over 3), and work great in a small group of 3 or more. Rubber-mouthed plecos are also good, and only get up to 3 inches. I'd still prefer the Chinese/Siamese algae eater over it though.

Answer 6

Since you have a small tank, I would recommend a school of oto catfish or the small plecos.

Answer 7

Get cory cats. Unlike plecos they won't outgrow your tank. But get 3 or 4 as they tend to school.

Answer 8

zebra plecos,burneo suckers and maybe a common pleco they all do a good job and put in a snail hope this helps

Answer 9

Golden sucking loaches are good.

If not then try shrimp and/or snails but some of them would probably get eaten