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Companion for Aquatic Utrics

ya, so i am goign on my second week of having a male beta fish, in my densly populated, 10 gallon tank full of U Rediata, and he seem to e doing the plants more benifit other than harm... he seems to clear up algae problems that i had in the past... and he seem so much more happier in the 10 gallon tank, in relation to its 1 quart cup... sigh.. so sad...


Cya laters
Jim
 
I put a piece of U. vulgaris in with my Betta, but he kept attacking it... They don't eat algae, they eat living things...
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So... He'll do the same as the utrics, soon you'll have a microorganism H-E doulbe hockey stick... Mosquito larvae are their utmost favorite food...
 
I'm pretty new to the aquarium hobby, but I've heard that ottocinclus species are good at eating algae, but will leave even the most delicate plant alone. I'm not sure what their temperature requirements are, but I have seen a nice one living in a small unheated tank.
 
Ottos are good little algae eaters but will eat any other fish food they come across (mine got fat little bellies) but most ottocinclus catfishes are imported and usually a few die from each batch. When I buy them for my planted tanks I buy a small group so that I will be sure to have some survivors from the acclimating process. I've been keeping fishtanks since I was kid but these guys have always been this way. Once acclimated they live a long time and will breed in a very densely planted tank with no harrasment from larger catfishes.
If you're having string/hair algae problems then you might also look at Siamese Algae Eaters. They just look like a whitish gold minnow with a black stripe going down each side from the eye THROUGH the tail, there is another fish called a "Flying Fox" which looks just like a Siamese algae eater but it doesn't have the racing stripe through the tail and does not eat algae like the true SAE does. DO NOT get the Chinese algae eaters which are sold everywhere they get large and destructive and will suck the slime coating off of other fish, they also don't eat algae. pretty devious marketing by the pet trade eh?

Here's a web page (not mine) which has info and photos about SAEs BTW I've never lost a SAE and they're tireless workers
http://www.geocities.com/bwe407/sae.html

Good luck -please post a  pic of that tank too!
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