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i am looking for a small algae eater for my 37g discus/cardinal tank.
would you put a:

bushynose pl*co or
otocinclus
or nothing?

and why.

ph is 7.0
temp 80
0=amm, trites, trates
tank has a horizontile overflow in the back. tank is drilled SW reef style. 30" NO flourescent light on it.

a few small ottos.

just b/c they will be smaller, and discus are not small cichlids, and can overcrowd a 37 given to many of them.

I would reccomend the pleco if you have severe algae problems, as I've found them to be more efficient algae eaters than ottos are. However if the algae is miniscule then the ottos would probably be able to handle it.

it is a tough decision. i dont have a real big algae problem. just looking for something to keep it tidy i guess. i dont want anything starving either.
i have a substrate that is made of small pebbles that are glued to the bottom of the tank. food and detritus cannot settle into the pebbles. there is a fine layer of algae in the pebbles and i get a very fine layer on the glass. that is all. nothing big.

If you don't have a big algae problem, I would go with the bristlenose. This is because a BN will eat algae wafers and some veggies, so when it eats all the algae, he can have some food for back up. The ottos I have will not eat anything but algae. They will not eat algae wafers or veggies, so when there is no algae left, they will starve (won't happen in my tank though...lots of algae).

On the negative side, BN's produce alot of waste. I gravel vac my 55g every week to clean up my BN's poo. He is very messy. If you don't have a big problem, then really you don't need an algae eater. Clean off what you can with your hands...or if its green spot algae, scrape it off with something.

What color is the algae you have? What does it look like?

*Kristin*

I just got my first BN on Monday for my 20G high. It is just a little guy right now that will be my replacement for the Common in the 55G. Anyway, I had tons of brown aglae growing on the glass and plant. Today... Thursday, the tank is pretty much spot less. I did notice though that he had started to eat a little heavy on some of the plants. I guess its time to give him some waffers. I have never had an algae eatter go to town like that before.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

you are probably right, i dont think i will put anything in the tank.
it really isnt a huge issue. there is the usual green algae on the glass and gravel. if i scrape it, it wont come back for a couple weeks. the greavel only has a very thin, green coating in spots that get direct light. the room the tank is in, has a lot of ambient light, no direct sun, so i cut the lights on the tank to 3 hours a day. they come on at dusk and shut off at 9pm for out viewing pleasure. this should really cut algae gowth significantly.
last thing a discus tank needs is an extra waste producer.

Good call.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric