Algae Eating Fish

Think of algae eating fish as a team of cleaners, and I say team because, if you want to deal with algae effectively, you'll need to combine different algae eater fish as they all have different appetites and preferences when it comes to algae. 

Below we have shown a small selection of some of the more popular aquarium algae fish with a brief description of what they can do for you.

Don't think about getting any algae fish until your tank has matured and started developing algae.  They will need additional feeding with algae pellets but don't overfeed them as they may lose their appetite for algae.

Oto Catfish - Otocinclus vestitus

• Max Size       2 inches / 5cm
• pH Range     6-7.5
• dH range       6-15 dH
• Temp            70-80F / 21-26C
• Care           Easy

The Oto is a great addition to a the algae eating fish team but needs to be in a peaceful community tank with non-aggresive fish and plenty of plants. 

A small shoal of these will help keep most smaller tanks clean.  They tend to focus on the smaller algae but will keep the leaves of plants clean without damaging the plants. 

One Otto to sixty litres of water should ensure that they have enough algae to eat but their diet can be supplemented by adding a slice of blanched zucchini to the tank once a week but don't leave it in the tank for longer than forty eight hours. 

These fish need good water quality so keep on top of the water changes and keep the tank well aerated and they will do the cleaning for you. Otos will deal with most green algae and also like brown algae.  They do suffer from stress during transporting so it is best to quarantine these before adding them to your tank to check for disease.

Siamese Algae Eater - Crossocheilus siamensis

• Max Size          6 inches / 14 cm
• pH range          6.5-7.0
• dH range          6-15dH
• Temperature range  75-79F / 24-26C         
• Care                            Easy
   

This algae eating fish grows to much larger sizes than the oto and should only be considered for larger tanks but is still definitely worth a mention as it is probably the most efficient of the algae eaters. 

It is a hardy fish that can adapt to a wide range of water conditions but like most fish hates sudden swings in water quality and extremes.  It is a friendly fish that will do well in a well planted community tank.  Be careful if you decide to buy these as they are easily confused with some other species which although they still look as nice do not do as good a job of clearing algae.

Amano Shrimp - Caridina Japonica

• Max Size            2 inches 5 cm
• pH range            6.7-7.7
• dH Range          6-15
• Temp                 68-76F/19-25C
• Care                   Easy with caution
   

This is one of the most common algae eating shrimp and a small group of three or more will eat virtually all types of algae and will also help to keep your substrate clean by feeding in between even the smallest pieces of substrate. 

They are cold water dwellers in their natural habitat but can adapt to a reasonably wide range of temperatures.  They make a great addition to a small peaceful aquarium tank but will be on the menu for larger fish. 

They need somewhere to hide when they first shed their ecto skeleton as they are particularly vulnerable at this time. 

They will not breed unless living in salt water but are long lived managing to live up to seven years. It will eat almost any algae including brown, and hair algae. and when hungry may eat any type of algae in the tank.

Find out about Aquarium fish foods

Photos - Wikipedia