Types of Algae Eaters

Algae-eating fish are the clean-up crew of an aquarium, and play a vital role in the overall health of your fish tank. By scraping algae off of rocks, driftwood, tank decorations, plants and glass, algae eaters keep your tank looking tidy and help improve its water quality and cleanliness. Many algae eaters are peaceful, easy-going fish that can easily be introduced into an established freshwater fish tank.

  1. Plecostomus

    • The plecostomus is particularly good at keeping glass clean, and you'll often see them clinging to the glass walls of the tank with their large sucker mouths. Popular varieties include the candy stripe, king tiger, redtail leopard and bristlenose. Choose carefully because some varieties can grow up to 16 inches long and they may destroy plants if they aren't getting enough to eat from other sources.

    Loach

    • Loaches are omnivorous scavenger fish that root around at the bottom of the tank for algae and leftover fish food. Common aquarium species include the kuhli loach, clown loach, hillstream loach, dwarf loach, skunk loach, and zebra loach.

    Rosie Barb

    • Rosie barbs grow up to 6 inches and are recommended as a more peaceful substitute for the semi-aggressive American flagfish algae eater. Rosie barbs enjoy hair algae, but may also eat fine-leafed plants.

    Black Molly

    • Growing up to 3 inches, black mollies are specialists in cleaning fuzz algae off of plants and tank decorations. They're omnivorous, so you'll need to supplement their diet with flake food.

    Otocinclus Catfish

    • Otocinclus catfish, or "otos" as they're commonly called by aquarium hobbyists, are voracious algae eaters who thrive best in schools of at least six. One of the smaller catfish species, they grow to a maximum of 2 inches.

    Siamese Algae Eater

    • This peaceful aquarium fish grows up to 4 inches long and eats algae off of plant leaves. It is prized for its rare ability to eat red algae and beard algae.

    Freshwater Shrimp

    • All shrimp are scavengers, but certain types of freshwater shrimp specialize in eating soft algae. These include the ghost shrimp, also known as grass or glass shrimp; Amano shrimp, also called Yamato shrimp or Japanese marsh shrimp; and wood shrimp, also called Singapore shrimp. They grow up to 2 inches.

    Freshwater Snails

    • Snails eat a variety of foods including algae, but they may start eating plants if there isn't enough algae available. Common algae-eating aquarium species include the golden mystery snail, ramshorn snail, Japanese trapdoor snail, and nerite snails. Freshwater snails can grow anywhere from half an inch to 4 inches in size.

    Chinese Algae Eater

    • This bottom-dweller specializes in scraping algae off rocks, driftwood, glass and plants. Young fish are peaceful, but the species tends to become more territorial and aggressive as it gets older, so use them with caution. The golden algae eater is an eye-catching, gold-colored variation.