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We have a 26 gallon community tank and are having trouble with a brown algae. We had two plecos, around an inch long, to combat it for several weeks, but they both died within a week. The water quality was good and they are thus far our only causalities, so we're kind of scared that they do not eat brown algae and starved. The tank itself has been up for 3 months. Which makes a better brown algae eater, an SAE or Otto or something else? Thanks for the input.

Brown algae normally only shows up in recently set-up tanks and/or excess silicates in the water (they make their cell walls out of silica).

Normally brown algae has to run its course in the tank before it is outcompeted by green algae or higher plants. Be aware, though, that low lighting conditions make it harder for the green algae and plants to do this. What WPG do you have?

This probably isn't the advice you want to hear, and there may be some other people who reply differently, but I say just keep scraping it and wait for it to go away by itself.

Joe Potato

Hi there,
First thing you need to know, is the small plecos you had, likely common plecos, would have grown to be huge 20-30 inch behemoths. These fish have no place whatsoever in a 26g tank.

The second thing you need to know is that "Brown algae" is not actually algae, it is a Diatomaceous life form, a small organism that lives in tanks with less than the best water quality. This type of "algae" commonly grows in newer tanks, with the frequency of occurences dropping off somewhere around 1 year of stable water conditions.
Brown algae can be resulting from infrequent water changes, or overfeeding, or improper cleaning routines.

The first thing you need to do to combat brown algae, is to check your water conditions. Whats the ammonia? Whats the nitrItes? Nitrates? I see you say the tank has been up for 3 months, so still a very new tank. Has it finished cycling? What kind of filtration do you have - is it enough for your size tank and stocking?

What kind of fish, and how many do you have in the tank?

How often do you feed the fish and how much (be honest! many people think the fish "look hungry" and so overfeed dramatically).

How often are you cleaning the tank, how much, and are you using a gravel vaccuum?
When you clean a tank, its recommended to remove about 35% of the total water volume, with up to 50% being perfectly fine once weekly, and as much as 2-3x weekly are common practices. When you vaccuum, do 50% of the gravel really well one week, then the next week do the other side. This will help prevent dead areas from popping up, where diatoms like brown algae will grow to feast on rotting food in hidden corners.

Now, as for the algae eater question - no algae eater really thrives on brown algae. Some will eat it, most will not. Algae eaters really enjoy the lush, green, thick algae that grows in clean, well cared for tanks. I found my tanks rarely grow green algae, so I supplement my algae eaters daily with spirulina tablets or fresh green veggies like zuchinni, lettuce, cucumber, etc.

Your tank, at 26 gallons, has no room for Siamese Algae Eaters. These fish are schooling fish, large and robust reaching 6 inches or more. They need to be kept in groups of 3 or more.
This fish should really be reserved for tanks 55 gallons or larger, as they are robust active fish.

Chinese algae eaters, while fish stores may highly tout them, are not really an algae eater. They enjoy meatier diets as they grow, and often prey on small weak fish. They also achieve 8-11 inches in length, and again are for tanks of larger fish 50 gallons or above.

Otocinclus catfish, the tiniest of algae eaters, is a true algae eater. This fish thrives on lush green algae, but doesnt eat much else. If not supplied with enough green algae, these fish MUST be supplemented with extra food or they will starve to death. Otos are notoriously sensitive to water conditions and transport, so its usually recommended to buy 2x the number you want, in the hopes that 50% of your new friends will survive.
These are probably the best option for you out of the algae eating sucker fish, if you have some green algae. Use a slow drip acclimation for these guys. Your tank may still be too new for them.
Id recommend 6-8 otos as a cleanin crew for your tank, if Otos is what you like.

Now, there are other options for algae eaters. Apple/Mystery snails are great algae eaters, eating many kinds of algae, as well as keeping decaying food and vegetation cleaned up. Pomacea Bridgessi, the most common apple snail, comes in a multitude of colors, and g rows to be about the size of a golf ball. The only downfall is that if you have any fish like loaches, that eat snails, you cant keep them. If the fish are compatible, apple snails can be a great match to any tank.

Another option, depending on the fish you have, is Japanese Amano Shrimp. These are larger, approx 2-2.5 inch greenish colored shrimp. They thrive on a high algae diet, and can be without reknown in the algae eating world. However, many fish will eat shrimp, espescially when they molt. If your fish have small mouths and are not e to eating shrimp, this may be an option for you.
As well as the Amano shrimp is the Bamboo shrimp. This is another large, robust shrimp of about 3-4 inches, that uses specialized fans to nab free floating food out of the water. This cuold be a way to limit diatoms, by using bamboo shrimp to siphon them out of the water column before they have a chance to settle on the bottom.

Many other fish are also adept at eating algae, Mollies, Platies, both eat algae in some amounts, so do florida flag fish.
The Farlowella catfish is a long twig like fellow who enjoys green algae and some brush algae, and grows to about 6 inches long and is the diameter of a pencil. This fish would be suitable in just one individual to clean a 30g tank clear of all algae. However, this special little fish requires good care - without enough algae he will quickly starve. These shy fish wont openly compete for food, so care must be given to make sure they get enough to eat.

I hope this gives you some good information, while long to read, to help you make a suitable choice for your tank.
Good Luck.


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Thank you both for the responses. The tank in question has 3 cories and 3 permanent guppies, 2 platies, 4 neons, plus whatever fry currently is hiding in there. The guppies are so voracious I think they'd eat a whole can of food, but I give them a pinch and nothing more than what lasts for more than 3 minutes. I typically trade plecos in after a little while, as they eat algae well but do get too big. I have 3 ottos, at least the last time I was able to find them, in another tank. They've been there over a year and I really do love them,, but I am not adding some here until the tank is completely ready. There is no green algae in there now.

SVS, I am guessing that the shrimp won't be bothered by the current residents? That sounds like a pretty good idea which I am going to look in to tomorrow! I haven't had much luck with the few snails I've had in the past (not this tank) so I am kind of down on them.

Again, thank you both for the input. I truly appreciate it!

3 cories and 3 permanent guppies, 2 platies, 4 neons

Platies will eat shrimp, not full grown adult amanos, but smaller shrimps like ghost or cherry shrimp.
Also your stocking is a little troublesome.
Neons and Cories are schooling fish. They should really be kept in groups of 6 or more. Id increase your school of cories to 6 using the same species, and get 2 more nons.
I would also highly recommend either removing any female fish, or getting a larger fish to eat fry. A single pair of guppies can produce up to several hundred thousand fry in a single year. This is why these fish are often called Millions fish.



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As to your original question. A Temporary solution is a CAE (Yes they get big) but if you can get a small one and put it in there it will take care of the problem. I had the same thing happen in a Ten Gallon Brown Algae everywhere. I put one CAE in there and overnight the tank was clean. on a side note the Brown stuff has never come back. And that tank has only been up a little longer than yours (about 6 months)

Oh yea and don't forget to remove the CAE when its job is done although my opinion is in a 26 he could stay for quite a while maybe up to 1 year.

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I would be mainly concerned on how the algae is getting there in the first place, It can caused by over stocking, filtration, ferts, lighting, tank location, and certainly water peramiters. Find the cause and there will only be a mimium of algae. I have a small SAE in my 32lt Betta tank. As soon as I can fing another small one he will stay there.
They "SAE" can also get very lazy as they get bigger and older at this oint they prefer to eat fish foods rather than algae.

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Keith

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I haven't been able to find a bamboo shrimp yet, not that I've looked *too* hard yet, but I hope to soon. I might try a very temporary CAE, too, thank you FKJ.

Is 2 more neons and 3 cories -they are pandas- going to hurt? I've always worried about overstocking. As much as I do not enjoy doing it to the fry, I have a 30 gallon tank with larger fish in it, so the fry are kept in check that way.

Petco carries Bamboo Shrimp. If they don't have them in stock they can order them. Cost is 9 or 10 dollars each.

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