40GallonsOfDoom
Well-Known Member
I heard barbs are good but can be nippy so I'm looking for alternatives. Got some algae on the decorations and stuff.
Good community tank Hair Algae eaters?
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40GallonsOfDoom
Well-Known Member
Just watched a video and Siamensis was suggested. Anyone have any experience with those?
Oh well. I see now that's the same thing.
Oh well. I see now that's the same thing.
40GallonsOfDoom
Well-Known Member
I think those are gonna be too big for what I'm looking for. I may just look at some Amano shrimp.
John58Ford
Well-Known Member
The Siamese algae eater (we abbreviate it SAE on the forums pretty common to) is a good choice but they only really put in work when they're young. As SAE get older they can get lazy on the algae and bully for food. I've had some luck with otocinclus cats, who are small and adorable but they don't seem to work on hair algae for everyone. I keep amano shrimp in my tanks and they are good at unhooking it and balling it up but they also start scavenging food instead of algae once they get older.
Best way I have handled it, stop feeding hikari algae wafers (I swear the stuff pops up every time I've used them), rake it loose with planting tongs before vacuuming with a bare hose/tube. No squeeze ball primer, no fish guard vacuum tube, just a bare hose, the hair will plug the squeeze balls and fish guards pretty much instantly. If it's tangled in a plant, shut the filter off and use an irrigator syringe to apply some hydrogen peroxide directly to the affected area, wait 10 minutes or so for the peroxide to degrade and turn the filters on. While the peroxide is active it will bubble like crazy, a day later any algae it came into contact with will be mushy and grey, at this point bristlenose pleco and most guppies or endlers I've kept will chow down on it. Don't over dose your tank with peroxide, if it's a wide spread problem do a little section every day, enough peroxide to treat a whole tank in one shot will cause problems with the inhabitants in many cases.
Best way I have handled it, stop feeding hikari algae wafers (I swear the stuff pops up every time I've used them), rake it loose with planting tongs before vacuuming with a bare hose/tube. No squeeze ball primer, no fish guard vacuum tube, just a bare hose, the hair will plug the squeeze balls and fish guards pretty much instantly. If it's tangled in a plant, shut the filter off and use an irrigator syringe to apply some hydrogen peroxide directly to the affected area, wait 10 minutes or so for the peroxide to degrade and turn the filters on. While the peroxide is active it will bubble like crazy, a day later any algae it came into contact with will be mushy and grey, at this point bristlenose pleco and most guppies or endlers I've kept will chow down on it. Don't over dose your tank with peroxide, if it's a wide spread problem do a little section every day, enough peroxide to treat a whole tank in one shot will cause problems with the inhabitants in many cases.
Not really. The ones you can find locally are pretty small, and they take forever to grow. Furthermore, they never reach the 6" size you see posted online unless kept in really big tanks with massive water flow. I have some of these that are at least 8 years old in 125g tanks and they are ~3"TL.
There is an urban legend that they only eat algae when young, but I have not found that to be the case unless you overfeed them. One fasting day per week and judicious feeding will keep them looking for any food source available.
40GallonsOfDoom
Well-Known Member
I'm heading the Pet Works in Oly, gonna see what they have.
