# Good Algae/ Waste Eater



## andrewsz123 (Aug 17, 2010)

I am looking for recommendations on a good algae eater/waste consumer for my tank. Currently I have 3 tinfoil barbs, and 2 gouramis in it. The tank is 29 g planted and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thankx


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Im no whizz, but you could have a bristle nosed plec, clown plec, thats what i am hoping in my 25 gallon tank


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

tinfoils get real big.your gonna need a larger tank soon =)


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

bristlenose pleco will eat your plants..well some but not all type if the arent fed well.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

It rather depends upon what you mean by "waste" (I think we all know what algae is;-)). If you really are meaning fish waste, only bacteria and snails will consume that. If you mean uneaten food, some fish might pick bits of it, but not reliably. Here again, snails are your friend; reducing the amount fed to eliminate it is advisable. The fish waste should be allowed to settle into the substrate where bacteria can convert it to organics and nutrients for the plants.

There are fish that eat specific types of algae; several (otos, some but not all plecos, Farlowella) will eat diatoms (brown) that usually only appears in new tanks during the first copuple of months, and these also eat common green. Brush algae will be eaten by the true Siamese Algae Eater, but they get large (6+ inches) and are not appropriate for a 29g tank. Some regular fish like mollies will nibble on algae, and rift lake cichlids do (the mbuna grazers). My pencilfish Nanostomus beckfordi frequently pick off green algae from plant leaves. But not to excess.

I'm not a fan of having algae-eating fish solely for that purpose. First, they frequently do a limited job (too specific as noted above) and they add to the bioload themselves; if it is a fish you really like and want as a fish in its own right and it happens to eat certain algae, that's different. Like my Farlowella that are to me fascinating fish, and they are ravenous algae eaters but only the common algae, but they keep the plants spotless. I have a trio because I really like the fish; their algae eating is a bonus. Keeping the light duration minimal (sufficient for the plants in balance with the available nutrients) will usually keep algae from being troublesome.

Byron.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

kitten_penang said:


> bristlenose pleco will eat your plants..well some but not all type if the arent fed well.


BNP are plant safe plecos, mine don't touch my plants. I rarely feed them, they just whatever leftovers they can find.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Mikaila31 said:


> BNP are plant safe plecos, mine don't touch my plants. I rarely feed them, they just whatever leftovers they can find.


Neither does mine, he gently cleans the leaves of algae. Great little fish.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

Agree with others with respect to the Bristlenose Pleco, they seldom do damage to plants but will consume dead or dying plant matter.
Also agree with Kitten with respect to the TinFoil barbs being unsuitable long term for a 29 gallon tank,
The Tinfoil Barbs will grow too large for anything smaller than 90 gallons in my view.
I might consider a barb such as Puntius nigrofasciatus (black ruby Barb). they are much smaller as adults and enjoy eating all manner of algae but i might worry bout delicate plants.
I have a group of ten in an 80 gallon at the moment and they are a very pretty fish in my view.

Another fish that stays relatively small and is unique with respect to alage control is Herotilapia Multispinosa (Rainbow cichlid) These are also a very pretty Cichlid when kept in proper enviornment (ie) dark substrate ,with subdued lighting . They are one of only a couple fish that will consume Filamentous Algae. 
They are relatively peaceful fishes for cichlids but do not tolerate lapse maint of the aquarium and frequent small water changes will benefit them.


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## andrewsz123 (Aug 17, 2010)

Thank you for all the great responses! So I bought 2 Small Bristlenose plecos last night at the LFS. And one of them immediately went after my small cambodia plants. By the morning about 30% of them were remaining, they would eat at the bottom of the stem and I would find them floating. So I am not going to have any of them in the tank and I will return them and buy more plants. A hard lesson learned  I liked my plants.


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

andrewsz123 said:


> Thank you for all the great responses! So I bought 2 Small Bristlenose plecos last night at the LFS. And one of them immediately went after my small cambodia plants. By the morning about 30% of them were remaining, they would eat at the bottom of the stem and I would find them floating. So I am not going to have any of them in the tank and I will return them and buy more plants. A hard lesson learned  I liked my plants.


you should get some of those big mystery snails  i have nuisance snails in my smaller tank and i like the fact that they've eaten off all the algae on my heater so now i can actually read the dials :-D even if they are multiplying at an alarming rate. (the other day i saw my betta eat a baby snail so maybe she will keep them in check..)

mystery snails need a male and female to reproduce so they won't become a nuisance like my nuisance snails


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

andrewsz123 said:


> Thank you for all the great responses! So I bought 2 Small Bristlenose plecos last night at the LFS. And one of them immediately went after my small cambodia plants. By the morning about 30% of them were remaining, they would eat at the bottom of the stem and I would find them floating. So I am not going to have any of them in the tank and I will return them and buy more plants. A hard lesson learned  I liked my plants.


I would expect this is due to what kitten mentioned, and I have frequently written (though not in this thread, perhaps I should have stated it again)--don't buy algae-eating fish until the tank is well matured and there is plenty of algae. Unless you really like and want the fish as a fish in its own right, but in this case the tank has to be "ready" for the fish with special needs. Had there been available food, the BN's might have spared your plants, though only one would achieve this goal. Also, cabomba is a very fine-leaf and tender plant, and one that frequently is the target of any vegetarian. But again as kitten mentioned, some species eat plants. As you say, a lesson learned; most of us have gone through similar.


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## andrewsz123 (Aug 17, 2010)

Thank you for all the great responses..the good news is that the swords are fine all the fish leave them alone. I guess the stem is too thick. Any who thank you for all the responses... The Pleco's are GONE! I love me some plants.


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## andrewsz123 (Aug 17, 2010)

*Caught in the act*

Caught em in the ACT they are gone.


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

mikaila31 said:


> bnp are plant safe plecos, mine don't touch my plants. I rarely feed them, they just whatever leftovers they can find.



havent had bristlenose but the book i keep said i shouldn't.i passed off a albino bristle nose because of that!! Wonder what plant and condition did the writer have his bristlenose in that he said it will eat plants if underfed


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

My ABN is kept in a heavily planted tank (with lots of Cabomba) and my plants have never been bothered. As Byron said, if the tank hadn't been given enough time to properly establish some algae the BNP would have likely ignored the plants. If the BNP was underfed to begin with (as they sometimes are coming from the LFS tanks) and not given supplemental food (such as algae tablets or sinking wafers) until the tank had become established perhaps the pleco had no choice to go for the plants.​


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

This is just an idea... but Cabomba is pretty fragile...

What if he was eating off of it and just bruised it to where it fell apart?

BTW, I love ramshorns and MTS snails. *shrug*
One mans pest is another one's pet.


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