# The Ideal Algae Team



## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

So after a bit of research, I've concluded that a decent algae team for my soon-to-be 29 gal planted aquarium would include:

A mix of Amano and Cherry Red shrimp
A small school of Otos
Nerite snails

How many of each would be ideal (taking possible breeding into consideration also)?

Also, do they add a heavy bio-load, or am I still able to fit 5-6 Angels or Dwarf Gouramis without any waste issues?


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## Logan's Daddy (May 3, 2008)

I don't think i'd put more than 2 angels in a tank that size...


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Angels get that large? I assumed they grew to about 4 inches..


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## Logan's Daddy (May 3, 2008)

Yeah, 4 inches long, and 4" tall too, the "inch per gallon" rule is a guideline only, think about how big two 4" angels would be compared to 8 guppies..... Total of 8 inches either way, but the two angels would be a LOT more fish mass in the tank.

Besides that, angels tend to "pair up" and more than a couple in only about 30 gallons of water would lead to trouble (fighting) when they mature.

On that note, my experiences with dwarf gouramis have been that they can be fairly territorial and nippy little buggers too...

just trying to help.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Well thanks a bunch! I guess Angels are out until I can get a bigger tank. A smaller schooling fish seems okay, but I simply love the look and color of Gouramis. I'll have to see.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

On to my other question though.. How many shrimp/Otos/snails are ideal for a tank my size?


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

I'd put 5 Otos in a tank that size. They like to school and don't add much to the bio-load. If you 're using the "inch-per-gallon" rule, I would call each Oto 1/2 inch (even if they are bigger) and rock on. That's what I do and I haven't had any trouble with them. 
You also have to keep in mind, you can fudge on the inch-per-gallon when you have alot of plants. But still, Logan'sDaddy is right about the angels.

Edit: I'm not sure about shrimp or snails. I have alot of ramshorn snails, but I didn't put them in on purpose and I've never counted them as part of my bio-load.


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## Logan's Daddy (May 3, 2008)

I agree with 5 oto's for a tank that size, the number of snails aren't really a worry because once you have a couple they will "populate" quickly. (turn on your lights real quick in the middle of the night sometime if you ever think you don't have enough...)

As for the shrimp, I couldn't tell you, I haven't kept any for more than a day or so ever since...








"The Swimming Mouth!

That pic he was a baby in my old tank, he's about 7" of shrimp gulping monster now!


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## hamsterman (Sep 19, 2006)

Siamese Algae eaters are also handy at eating algae, but are sometimes hard to find.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

I read that SAEs tend to dislike algae more as they mature. Juveniles tend to chow down on algae, but adults become spoiled on fish food. If there's a way for me to entice them to remain on a diet primarily based on algae, then I'll think about getting some of these.

Also what sort of snails DO eat plants? I saw some lovely snails on Aquabid.. (I think they were Mystery or Apple snails), but none of the descriptions claimed that they were either safe or unsafe for plants.


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## Logan's Daddy (May 3, 2008)

Mystery and apple snails don't generally eat plants, they don't do much for cleanup either though, they are big and nice to look at ( i have one) but they actually add bio load due to their size. you want the smaller snails like nerites or the random hitchhikers i seem to get with every plant i ever buy...


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## n2fish (Jun 15, 2008)

I realize this thread is a bit old, but, I thought nerites are for saltwater aquariums? Is there a fresh water version?


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Nerites can be adapted to freshwater. There are quite a few different varieties, Planet Inverts has several different types. I have olive nerites and they do a great job at cleaning up. They will lay eggs, but I've never had any hatch.


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

absolutely true about SAEs! 
....but by the time they stop eating algae they will have become one of your favorite fish, and you will have named them all ("Slacker", "Cigar", and "Driftwood Potato" are a few suggestions). That is if they don't jump out of the tank first.


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## Red Leader (Sep 17, 2007)

Here's my 2 cents:

3-5 ottos
15 Amanos
15 Cherry Reds


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## bsmith (Dec 13, 2006)

I have NEVER seen ottos or ANY type of shrimp do any amount of damage on Alge. The ONLY thing I have seen that eats algea and this is greeen algea that form on the glass because of bright light is ramshorn snails, they leave a nice ALMOST clean slate behind them. 

Ottos- nothing on green algea, hair algea ot bba

RCS/CRS- I have never seen ANY effect on ANY type of algea with them.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Once the algae was dead (ie BBA treated with excell) my ottos and amano shrimp ate it clean. 

My ottos and amanos are always cleaning on my plants. If they are eating the algae what are they doing to them?


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## clifford (Jun 28, 2008)

As a very experienced algae farmer. () I thought I would add a different take on the cleanup crew. (although this isn't meant to contradict any of the previous posters, just add a little more to the discussion).

For a 29 gal clean up crew I'd add 10+ Otos (or a pair of ancistrus), 30+ Red Cherries, Malaysian trumpet snails or needlepoint snails, and ramshorns (not the big "german" kind, they eat plants) or a couple of zebra nerite snails.

I've found Otos love to school, and I'd never suggest having less than 5 or 6 in any tank (even a 5-10 gal). In the wild they school by the thousands... It's fun to watch them group up, but if you don't have a decent algae load, be sure to give them some vegetables or appropriate food to supplement the diet. Same thing for ancistrus, which for me have done a better job of glass cleaning. I'd also put some appropriate wood in the tank for either of those species. 

My original group of cherry shrimp has produced many hundreds of offspring, (and I've had upwards of several hundred or more in a 29 gallon before, so I mean this even with heavy concentrations)...they don't do a good job eating algae. However, they do a great job of knocking algae off of your plants. Plus, they look great, and are fun to watch. I wouldn't start with less than 10 if I wanted to start a good breeding population.

All the apple snails I've had in the past would happily destroy any delicate plants in the tank, so I tend to avoid them. MTS or needlepoints do a good job of turning the substrate and helping with detritus on the bottom of your tank, and ramshorns will clean glass (redundant if you have the Otos or Ancistrus) and...breed I guess. =) They do a much better job of making more snails than they do cleaning algea, but they do help break down detritus in the tank and their waste feeds a wide range of infusoria...so if you're breeding anything in the tank, it could help keep a range of starter foods ready to help give them a good start. Nerites eat more algea, and will do fine in reasonably hardish fresh water (or soft water, for a time), but they lay eggs that can be as much of an eyesore as the algae? I suppose that's just a matter of opinion though...


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