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Re:extra algae eaters?
>Can anyone recommend some extra algae eaters for an outbreak of
>hairy, light green algae that grows at the top of the tank -- on the
>glass and on the tops of the plants. I'm having a hard time keeping
>up with it. The otos and SAEs seem to rarely go up to the top of the
>tank. I need something that will pick at it near the surface. Would
>Mollies be good? Would they survive in unsalted water? Any
>suggestions?
Platys and swordtails would be a good choice for an unsalted tank.
They graze constantly, and seem to prefer the upper levels of an
aquarium. I got a pair of platys just for this purpose about a year
ago, and they ate a lot of the algae at the upper reaches. They breed
like mad, though. This pair produced over 200+ offspring in a year.
Of course, you could eliminate this problem by getting all females or
all males (however,the females may already be pregnant when you buy
them; one insemination can last for up to 5 pregnancies). They are
easy to sex--the male has a prominent gonopodium, while the females
does not.