Algae Eaters

Discussion in 'Freshwater Aquariums' started by oceansurf, Jul 16, 2010.

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  1. oceansurf

    oceansurf Purple Spiny Lobster

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    Is it possible to go without algae eaters if you clean your tank throughly once or twice a week ?
     
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  3. d3monchild622

    d3monchild622 Astrea Snail

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    ? ie snails crabs and such.

    Yeah. but its vigorous and you'll get agitated having to clean non stop. tis better to get CUC

    People have done it. but it makes your life easier having them
     
  4. steve wright

    steve wright Super Moderator

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    if you mean in a freshwater set up?

    Yes IMO
    many of the algae eating species of fish dont get fed adequately in home aquaria anyway
    As housekeeping we perform for aesthetic reasons reduces further the limited foods they can find

    I was always a fan of supplementing with algae wafers/ pellets/ discs etc to ensure any I kept (mainly plecostomus species , golden nugget, royals and Mango plecs) where always able to secure enough to eat

    I dont believe they are essential and never selected them for maintenance crew duty, the ones I did keep, where kept because I liked them.

    Steve
     
  5. Telgar

    Telgar Snowflake Eel

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    Most "algae eaters" sold in the freshwater trade are not very good at their jobs, the corydora cats seem to be the best of the ones I use, sometimes I add a Pleco just because I like them but don't count on them to do any visable cleaning.
     
  6. smiley

    smiley Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    its always better to keep the tank without algae... You wouldnt need an algae eater then...Else like Steve mentioned you would need to supplement with algae wafers

    Bristlenose Pelco and Siamese Algae eater are the ones i recommend which go hand in hand with Discus