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The Loach Forum Archives (1)
Re: Otocinclus?
Posted By: Wintek <wintek@aol.com> In Response To: Algae (kiss my fish)
Date: Tuesday, 28 September 1999, at 8:17 p.m.
Hello
I agree with the theory that phosphate is the root cause of algae problems in a fish tank. Having phosphate in your tap water can really make life difficult. I still like the idea of frequent water changes, that is almost always good advice!!
You asked about algae eating fish for the type of algae that you have. I think that a few otocinclus sp. would be in order! As far as I'm concerned, you'll have some algae in a planted tank, but balaced tanks have very little, with fish that eat what the plants permit to grow. The link is a picture of a trio of oto's. In my experience, they will very happily eat the brown algae (actually diatoms, not an algae), and will most likely eat the green algae (they don't really control the hard spot algae or the stringy kinds). I would suggest a group of them, one per 15 gallons of water. This 1 1/2" fish prefers to be in a group, but too many and there may not be enough algae for them to eat. They are very peaceful and will adapt to hard water, but prefer softer water.
If you'd like more information about algae control or phosphate control, just ask, and give as much information about your tank as possible!
Hope this helps!
Wintek
