# Algae eaters redundant now?



## David J (May 2, 2010)

Hi collective genius!

Quick history:
Had SAEs that got too big and aggressive, so gave them away.
BBA suddenly became prevalent.
Bought two more SAEs.
BBA went away.
Bought cherry shrimp which have multiplied like crazy.
Question:
Now that I have a ton of shrimp, can I get rid of my SAEs without having to worry about the BBA reappearing?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I don't believe Cherries are very good at eating BBA. Amanos are though.


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## VinnyD (Apr 21, 2010)

cherries...more colourful, way less aggressive, can sell a few after they spawn..fun to see the babies..eat algae. plus...they are more peaceful to other small community fishes. since they are multiplying like no tmrw...why not just keep the cherries and like u said...sell the sae(s)? if bba return..get some cories, ottos or amanos


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## David J (May 2, 2010)

Cories eat BBA??? I didn't know that. Thank you.


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## VinnyD (Apr 21, 2010)

David J said:


> Cories eat BBA??? I didn't know that. Thank you.


well dunno about cories eating algae ..but they can safe with the cherries..they tend to comb the substrate for loose food particles..therefore reducing the waste in the tank..and might lead to less algae growth?

ottos will eat algae...they are good and safe with the cherries.

amanos..good with algae...more aggressive than cherries..but dun breed well...but are ok with cherries


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## David J (May 2, 2010)

I have 10 amanos, that are quite large, in my 75 gallon tank. Are they enough to keep the BBA away after I get rid of the SAEs?


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## VinnyD (Apr 21, 2010)

hmm how much bba do u get on ur tank? just wondering..maybe you leave the light on for too long or co2 input?


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

bba, black beard/brush algae, is only eaten by SAEs

it is a 'red' algae type, all other algae waters ignore it. in some rare occurances in very soft low ph water, you may see other fishes eat it. i have cherries, amanos, bristlenose, ottos, and even have had SAEs and corrydoras (just a bottom feeder, no algae eating), i tried to see if others would, but only seen sae's just as is stated almost everywhere.

best way to get rid of it is spot treat with excel/metricide. theres a sticky all about it.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

neven said:


> bba, black beard/brush algae, is only eaten by SAEs


American Flag fish also eat it, and Amanos are very proficient at it if they have nothing else to eat. MyKiss had a thread showing before and after shots of a sponge filter with lots of BBA on it in a tank of Amanos. The problem is that most people feed their fish enough that the algae eaters prefer fish food. It's a fine balance to keep the algae eaters eating algae and your fish fed.

To the OP, is this a planted tank? If not, you might just think about reducing the amount/time of the lighting. If it's a planted tank, Neven's suggestion of Metricide/Excel is the quickest solution, but then you still have to figure out why you're getting BBA, because something is out of balance (CO2) and it'll just keep coming back.


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## David J (May 2, 2010)

Thanks everyone!
I will keep the SAEs until they get too big, give them away and start over with little ones. BBA is virtually zero in my tank, probably due to the two SAEs and my regular dosing of excel. As an experiment, I will hold off on the new SAEs after I get rid of the big ones, just to see if the excel is enough to keep it away.


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## VinnyD (Apr 21, 2010)

hmm if thats so..maybe u wanna keep the sae(haha sometimes i mistake them for the chinese algae eaters)...at least u have a 75g for them to swim in...is excel/metricide safe with shrimps?


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## David J (May 2, 2010)

I only use 10-15 mL a week in my 75 gallon, so the shrimp are OK.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

Hey Dave. I used Mericide it help me kill bba when I had problems with it and if used right . It's harmless and it also helps with plant growth. I have some if you like to try.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

David J said:


> I only use 10-15 mL a week in my 75 gallon, so the shrimp are OK.


you can still dose just as much, just when you do a water change, or if your dont w/c often, turn the filter off for 30 minutes or so and syringe/baster double your daily dosage over the affected area and skip the next day's treatment if you are worried. I use metricide aswell, normally dose 5-7 ml daily on a 29 gallon and my shrimpies are just fine.

Good to know about the other algae eaters, i've always been a follower of sparse feeding, perhaps thats why my crew is always so vigilant in the tank. I feed my fishies daily, but enough that its eaten in 45 seconds top, and the algae eaters get a broken up wafer every 3 days to suppliment whatever they graze and eat off the glass. Still though, never seen em with personal experience eat bba when it was everywhere and i fed even less(once every 3 days), but i guess my stock is just stuck up


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

neven said:


> you can still dose just as much, just when you do a water change, or if your dont w/c often, turn the filter off for 30 minutes or so and syringe/baster double your daily dosage over the affected area and skip the next day's treatment if you are worried. I use metricide aswell, normally dose 5-7 ml daily on a 29 gallon and my shrimpies are just fine.
> 
> Good to know about the other algae eaters, i've always been a follower of sparse feeding, perhaps thats why my crew is always so vigilant in the tank. I feed my fishies daily, but enough that its eaten in 45 seconds top, and the algae eaters get a broken up wafer every 3 days to suppliment whatever they graze and eat off the glass. Still though, never seen em with personal experience eat bba when it was everywhere and i fed even less(once every 3 days), but i guess my stock is just stuck up


Just a word of caution. I have killed a few expensive fish with using too much metricide. Make sure you have good aeration if you are going to use double the recommended amount. It only took me a week to kill all the bba in my tank and I used it 3 times that week.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

yea definately use caution above the standard dosing for excel is 0.1 mL per gallon and metricide is 0.06 mL per gallon.
`
if you have sensitive species of plants or inhabitants, stick to that, if not, most can get away with double dosing. Since i've been going with 4x dosing though, i've noticed the lack of berrying on my shrimp, but no deaths, so i'll be dropping down to 2x dosing after this weeks cycle so i don't lose my colony from lack of breeding. I kept it that high to ensure that my old BBA outbreak conquered.


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## donjuan_corn (May 6, 2010)

What is a SAE sorry for being stupid, I always take any BBA covered items, put them in the sun till they are dry and remove it with a scrubber.


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## VinnyD (Apr 21, 2010)

donjuan_corn said:


> What is a SAE sorry for being stupid, I always take any BBA covered items, put them in the sun till they are dry and remove it with a scrubber.


sae= siamese algae eaters...a type of fish that eats algae including black brush algae(bba)...not that many creatures do so

Crossocheilus siamensis - The Free Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit - The Aquarium Wiki
Siamese Algae Eater - Crossocheilus siamensis


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## VinnyD (Apr 21, 2010)

in case someone wants to read these articles on algae control

Algea Eating Fish
Algae control


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## donjuan_corn (May 6, 2010)

The SAE I had were fin nippers to the uarus so I got rid of them and fed them to my Tinfoils lol.


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## roshan (Jul 19, 2010)

*Question?*

i am still fairly new to this site and not a expert or anything. so i gotta ask what is a SAE?, i fugured on the Algae Eater part what does the "s" stand for. I wonder if we should have a glossary as i have noticed many terms that are used that i dont know, especially the technical name for fishes and such.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

roshan said:


> i am still fairly new to this site and not a expert or anything. so i gotta ask what is a SAE?, i fugured on the Algae Eater part what does the "s" stand for. I wonder if we should have a glossary as i have noticed many terms that are used that i dont know, especially the technical name for fishes and such.


It was asked in post 17 and answered in post 18 already....



VinnyD said:


> sae= siamese algae eaters...a type of fish that eats algae including black brush algae(bba)...not that many creatures do so
> 
> Crossocheilus siamensis - The Free Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit - The Aquarium Wiki
> Siamese Algae Eater - Crossocheilus siamensis


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