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Re: Algae eaters in 20 gallon



Yoadie yo ho !!!

Based on a message from Liisa Sarakontu to All,
Let's talk about: Re: Algae eaters in 20 gallon

 LS> Siamese algae eater, Crossocheilus siamensis.
 LS> It will eventually get little too big for that tank, but it is normally
 LS> easy to find a new home for as nice fish as a SAE is.  It will eat red
 LS> algae and soft green algae, but not the hard types.  You are from
 LS> Europe, I guess (be = Belgium?) and you should be able to find the real
 LS> SAEs from your shops.  At least Germans, Swedes and we Finns have them.
 LS>  Two of them is enough for you.

I would not recommend this fish if there are any other fish
in the tank. With age it gets very vivious, and also stops
eating algae at all!

 LS> Otto cat, Otocinclus sp.
 LS> Tiny suckermouth catfish, not very hardy.  A school (4-6) is enough for
 LS> your tank, but they prefer bigger tanks with lot of oxygen.

IMHO, this is the best choice.

 LS> Bristlenose pleco, Ancistrus sp. (aka bush-nosed or bearded catfish)
 LS> Hardy, smallish pleco-type catfish.  Eats all types of green algae very
 LS> efficiently and sometimes your plants too.   One of them is enough for
 LS> a 20g, but if your shops have only very small ones, get at least two.

Ancistrus is a territorial fish and is not too good to keep
with timid fish if there are any like this in the tank.
However, I found it to be the most effective.

 LS> Another small pleco is clown pleco, Peckoltia sp.  Not as good in
 LS> eating algae, and much more expensive at least here.

True, also quite delicate compared to the Ancistrus...

 LS> Fish to avoid:
 LS> Any "common pleco" like Hypostomus sp, Liposarcus sp. or
 LS> Glyptoperichthys sp. They get HUGE.

And also EAT plants :) BTW, in Poland the "common" Pleco is
Ancistrus dolichopterus, and not, like in many countries,
Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus or Hypostomus sp.!

Another good suggestion IMHO is a Rineloricaria - I have 4
young Rineloricaria lanceolata and they're doing an
excellent job, also don't grow too big. The only problem is
that they tend to be delicate.

 LS> Chinese algae eater, Gyrinocheilus aymonieri.  Eats algae only when
 LS> young, after that it eats its tankmates and besides it gets rather
 LS> big.

Ouch, ouch, SORRY! I've mistaken the siamese algae eater
with the chinese algae eater, not reading the latin name!
It's because they call the Gyrinocheilus "Siamese algae
eater" here in Poland... I take back my criticism of
Crosocheilus, as I've never had them. However, I've never
seen them in any local shops, ever, so they might be hard to
get in some European countries...

           /
          ||/   -=< TONID >=-
     | /| |/   Tomasz Nidecki
     || |//    tonid at falcon_mimuw.edu.pl (FWD to FIDO)
     ||////    Tomasz.Nidecki at f78_n480.z2.fidonet.org
     /  /_
    |', ___
    |  /
     --

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Message originated at Tonid's Endemic Zone FIDO-Gate
From: Tomasz Nidecki <Tomasz.Nidecki at f78_n480.z2.fidonet.org>
To:   Liisa Sarakontu
Please use the above "From:" address for private mail!
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