AquaRank.com

FishProfiles.com Message Forums

faq | etiquette | register | my account | search | mailbox
# FishProfiles.com Message Forums
L# Freshwater Aquaria
 L# General Freshwater
  L# Do i need one?
 Post Reply  New Topic
SubscribeDo i need one?
paul_219
**
-----
Banned
Posts: 71
Kudos: 47
Votes: 4
Registered: 25-Dec-2005
male lebanon
i want to know if my tank need an algea eater. i have 2 walking catfish and 1 rainbow shark and 1 silver dollar.its 10 gal
Post InfoPosted 09-May-2006 14:59Profile PM Edit Report 
bettachris
 
********
---------------
-----
Ultimate Fish Guru
Posts: 3875
Kudos: 4173
Votes: 452
Registered: 13-Jun-2004
male usa
first you need a larger tank, so to avoid an algae problem in a small tank, just get a new one and start over.
Post InfoPosted 09-May-2006 15:08Profile Homepage Yahoo PM Edit Delete Report 
illustrae
**********
-----
Fish Addict
Posts: 820
Kudos: 876
Registered: 04-May-2005
female usa
well, no, your tank can't handle an algae eater. In fact, it's technically too small for what you've got already. As the fish grow, you're going to want to upgrade to at least a 30 gallon tank, and your silver dollar would probably love some companions, as they are schooling fish, so something even larger would then be necessary. A 55 is a good size tank for all of that.
Not all algae eaters eat all kinds of algae, so it really depends on what kind of algae you have. If you have green algae on your glass or plants, then a pleco or bunch of otocinclus are a good option. If you have hair algae, then a few SAE might eat that. For other types of algae, I like nerite snails. 4 of them cleaned up my algae-ridden 10 gallon tank in just a week.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...
Post InfoPosted 09-May-2006 15:12Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
Fish Guy
****
-----
Mega Fish
Posts: 1091
Kudos: 1254
Votes: 2
Registered: 28-Jan-2004
male canada
SAE are great, I have them in all of my tanks and they do a really good job, ottos as mentioned aswell do a great job for peaceful tanks. You will need more then a 55 gallon for what you have, I have a walking catfish only one year now and his already 16", he was 3" when i got him.
Post InfoPosted 09-May-2006 18:21Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
longhairedgit
---------------
----------
Fish Guru
Lord of the Beasts
Posts: 2502
Kudos: 1778
Votes: 29
Registered: 21-Aug-2005
male uk
With the waste from the sizeable fish you have, no algae eater will do the job and still tolerate the water quality issues you will have. Maybe get a 55 - 75 gal, and then add some algae eaters. This isnt just a tip, your existing fish will die unless you upgrade your tank pretty soon. Adding an algae eater now will just add to the bioload and make your water quality even worse. It can only add to the eventual death toll. Your priority is to upgrade,or trade your fish in for species more suitable for small aquaria. Get more fish later.
Post InfoPosted 10-May-2006 06:18Profile MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Inkling
*******
-----
Fish Addict
Posts: 689
Kudos: 498
Votes: 11
Registered: 07-Dec-2005
female usa
You definitly need the upgrade. Once you get a 55 -75g, then you could do a BN or a Rubber Lipped Plec.

Inky
Post InfoPosted 10-May-2006 16:00Profile Homepage AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
Post Reply  New Topic
Jump to: 

The views expressed on this page are the implied opinions of their respective authors.
Under no circumstances do the comments on this page represent the opinions of the staff of FishProfiles.com.

FishProfiles.com Forums, version 11.0
Mazeguy Smilies