# something to control algae



## closeyetfar (Mar 24, 2008)

I am having algae slowly grow on things in my tank and i was wondering if there is a some type of fish i can get to control it or maintain it. I dont want to get a pleco because i have a blue knight lobster and im worried he will eat it because they dont move very fast and my lobster has already taken one of my slower fish as its prey. any help would be nice. thanks in advance.


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## MARIOPARTY53 (Jul 28, 2008)

some catfish, and Plecos,

they help alot for that


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## Flashygrrl (Jan 18, 2008)

Uhhh, you might be out of luck because of the lobster. Almost everything that eats algae stays on the substrate and while catfish can move fast if they need to it would just be too stressful because the lobster would probably constantly try to chase them.


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## closeyetfar (Mar 24, 2008)

yeah thats what im thinking about the lobster. i may just have to take the decor out and just give it a good cleaning...of course that will have to be after hurricane gustav passes...i hope the power doesnt go out for too long so the fish dont die!


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

how many hours a day do you keep your light on?
how high is the temperature in the tank?
do you have live plants?


i would cut the time back the light is on ( that is if you DO NOT have live plants ) if your doing 10 hours a day of light, thats wayy to much, i would suggest 6, at most 8 (were talking without live plants)
if your temp. is somewhat high (78-82F), i would drop it to about 75 degrees. if your fish tank recieves any amount of sunlight (near a window, glass door . . . ) your looking to grow algae, either safely move the tank to a non-sunny part of the room or shade out that window.
*I personally wouldnt buy a problem, to fix a problem.* in other words, i wouldnt go out and buy more fish and expect miracles, even a pleco wouldnt be doing much for algae control..your best bet would be trying whats above and investing in a mag-float for scraping the glass.. i would recommend not using algae-cides and algae killing concoctions ESPECIALLY if you have live plants because it will turn them to nothing overnight.

don't expect instant results either, reducing light, is by far prob. your best bet but this will take some time to slowly make the algae die off[/b]


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## qpc68 (Jul 14, 2008)

Ottocinclus are small, don't spend much time on the substrate, and do excellent work cleaning up algae. Depending on the size of the tank I would recommend up to 5 of them. They won't eliminate it, but they will do a good job of keeping it under control.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Also, if hair algae is your problem, Florida flag fish (a type of killifish that acts almost like a dwarf cichlid) are very good at eating hair algae.


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## closeyetfar (Mar 24, 2008)

its a 20g long tank and its just typical green algae that grows over time


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## qpc68 (Jul 14, 2008)

one or two oto's will likely be sufficient, and it won't involve adding chemicals. However, you have to make sure you have space in the bio-load for it, and taking others advice by keeping the lights on less, etc. will be beneficial as well.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i personally, dont recommend ottos if your only getting 1 or 2. ottos like to have buddies so if your getting ottos get 5 or 6


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## qpc68 (Jul 14, 2008)

Just about every fish likes "buddies". I've noticed the oto's tend to swim around with other fish relatively sized as well. 1 or 2 would be fine in that size tank.


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## britesprite (Aug 12, 2008)

My otto is my best friend. I have him in my 10 gal and I haven't had an algea problem in over a year. He seems chubby and happy too so I guess he must get enough to eat.


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## okiemavis (Nov 10, 2007)

The crayfish WILL eat the oto. In fact, the crayfish will probably eventually catch and kill every fish in the tank. Not worth the risk. Fish and crayfish just don't mix.


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