Best algea eater

[Lighthouse7]

Hi SD family and Merry Christmas to everyone! Hey can someone help me out i need an algea eater for my discus tank any suggestions? - Lighthouse

[woopaul5]

Amano shrimp do very well, but some discus may make a snack out of them.

[Filip]

Ancistrus dolichopterus,
SAE,
Ottocinclus,
Amano shrimps.

[Jack L]

I use
amano
Otto
Farlowella
Discus also eat algae

Nerite snails work but I got tired of eggs

[Kyla]

r ur tanks planted? farlowella have been the most industrious algae eaters by far in my planted tanks. but watch them closely, as my friend had one that attached to her angels to suck their slime coat. if they learn they can suck on the discus they must be moved asap. any pleco can pose a potential risk to discus.

siamese algae eaters are good, but they are large, fast swimmers, so i like the quiet farlowella better.

ottos are good little workers, but r very small so if u have lots of plants u will need a bunch of them. they like to be in groups also. watch them closely to make sure they r getting enough food, as they often starve because they cant compete for food.

[Jack L]

r ur tanks planted? farlowella have been the most industrious algae eaters by far in my planted tanks. but watch them closely, as my friend had one that attached to her angels to suck their slime coat. if they learn they can suck on the discus they must be moved asap. any pleco can pose a potential risk to discus.

siamese algae eaters are good, but they are large, fast swimmers, so i like the quiet farlowella better.

ottos are good little workers, but r very small so if u have lots of plants u will need a bunch of them. they like to be in groups also. watch them closely to make sure they r getting enough food, as they often starve because they cant compete for food.

planted yes

farlowella hasn't bothered with Ds, but it does like beefheart. i will watch it though.

ottos, i'm down from 9 to 4, they just die off, there is PLENTY of algea in tank, maybe not the kind they like. was wondering if they don't like the high heat.

ottos seem fragile in general, i have lost many in a qtank too.

[Kyla]

planted yes

farlowella hasn't bothered with Ds, but it does like beefheart. i will watch it though.

ottos, i'm down from 9 to 4, they just die off, there is PLENTY of algea in tank, maybe not the kind they like. was wondering if they don't like the high heat.

ottos seem fragile in general, i have lost many in a qtank too.

yah i have found them to be either really hardy (living many many years) or very short-lived... i found they did better in well-established tanks with lots of plants. maybe it is the heat? but i have heard of other ppl keeping them with discus. its alwas a compromise when mixing species with discus. some ppl keep strictly discus in their tanks because they like the water so warm, at (or beyond) the high end most of other species' tolerance levels.

i do have a mix of random fish incl ottos with my discus which were adopted throughout the years from ppl that didnt want them anymore, but if i didnt already have the other fish i'd prob just have a discus-only tank

[DISCUS STU]

I like Bristle Nose Plecos, Clown Plecos, and lastly Farlowellas in that order. The last one is good, but has a tendency to annoy my Discus by snacking on their slime coat. I originally bought them because they didn't do this but some of them do, some of them don't.

Ottocinclus are okay but small, you need a number of them to do the trick, and they aren't very long lived. I've used Mystery Snails also which I also like by themselves. They can mate in the tank but it's usually not too much of a bother to find the egg clutch. I usually let them hatch. They're larger snails and aren't the same as those other unwanted, small snails that come in with plants.

Tried Chinese Algae Eaters but they're on the aggressive side.

[Jack L]

CAE are a waste IME
I will look into mystery snails though

[Kyla]

CAE are a waste IME
I will look into mystery snails though

CAE are good for hair algae, but they dont "scour" the algae off of plants or decor like plecos will

[Jack L]

For me they just ate food

[Kyla]

i believe they can get lazy with age, too. i rarely see my older ones grazing, whereas the young ones were constantly on the plants and wood.