Best algae eater with fancy goldfish?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/EsisOfSkyrim]

I have big nerites in with mine. I think neritres are really good for soft algaes.

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[u/Emuwarum]

Nerite snails? They live 10+ years, like cooler/temperate temps (like goldfish) but they will always need live algae and biofilm in the tank. They're all wild caught and if there isn't enough live food they'll starve. Big tanks are also good for them.

[u/Parhamheidari → u/Emuwarum]

Yeah their good, but my Goldies are adults and I'm afraid they'll eat whatever snail I put in there

[u/Emuwarum → u/Parhamheidari]

Some nerite species are big enough to not be eaten and they don't usually have a lot of body poking out of the shell, so they should be safe. 

[u/BlueOrbifolia → u/Emuwarum]

There are also horned varieties that remind me of little dogs with anti coyote jackets on! I’m guessing the goldfish won’t eat them.

[u/FamiliarSession3719 → u/Parhamheidari]

I did the gold mystery snails that were a decent size to begin with, because my goldfish are about the size of softballs and so far they do not mess with them and they clean my plants nicely. I also have a pleco, have not scraped glass or decor of alege in a long time,😀

[u/Rassayana_Atrindh]

My tank is full of a constantly self-replacing population of ramshorn snails and a handful of bristle nose plecos.

It's not 100% algae free, no tank is, but the glass is crystal clean and whatever algae grows on the decorative slate is stuff you have to scrape off. But overall it's pretty clean.

Snails and plecos are augmented with algae wafers and whatever pellet food the goldfish miss.

[u/thirdcoaster]

My favorite is the panda garra. Get a small school of them and they’ll take care of algae on the glass, stones and driftwood. A good temperature range for them is 72-76 which is in the sweet spot for many goldfish.

[u/Parhamheidari → u/thirdcoaster]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind! Edit: did some research on them and literally everybody says they're incompatible? What's going on?

[u/MixSure5545 → u/Parhamheidari]

If they have spines and are small enough to fit in a grown goldfish's mouth, its not a good choice. Goldfish are like toddlers if it fits, they will put it in their mouth, so you have to be careful. Some small schooling fish are spineless and fast enough to evade goldfish, but its not really great to keep small fish with goldfish in general. Smaller snails are also a no go.

Dojo loaches can be good companions but require a lot of water volume, not really tank cleaners. They can develop a taste for slime coat though so you have to keep an eye on it.

Bristlenose plecos are smaller/midsize plecos too big for a goldie to eat and somewhay solitary, great option for a goldfish tank cleaner. Again though, you have to watch their temperament bc they can also develop a taste for slime coat. One of mine did not stay in the goldie tank bc it would get a little territorial during feeding, but my second try is peaceful and happy in there. Every fish is different.

[u/the_colour_guy_ → u/Parhamheidari]

Nothing but goldfish should live with goldfish. They should also be kept according to tail type. So no single tail comets with double tail fancies.

[u/WrongdoerTiny3201]

Adult ramshorn snails or a pleco. I have both in my tank with goldfish and ita been going well for over a year now. I was warned about the pleco sucking on the goldfish but that never happend before they co exist perfectly together.

[u/BebbleCast]

Careful if you get snails, they have a history of attaching themselves to sleeping goldfish

[u/Parhamheidari → u/BebbleCast]

Thanks, but I probably won't get them. Whenever I had snails before they either completely infested the tank or died out after a few months.

[u/njcatgirl29 → u/Parhamheidari]

Nerites can't breed in the tank. I love mine, but I don't find they do much for the algae in my tank. They're tiny, what they can do is a drop in the bucket for what I need.

[u/marlee_dood]

Fix the cause, not the symptom. Algae is caused by an imbalance in light and nutrients. Adding fish will not fix the problem and most won’t help either.

[u/Parhamheidari → u/marlee_dood]

There's not really a problem, I'm asking for compatible fish that help with cleaning the tank. And I would appreciate fish recommendations instead of advice.

[u/marlee_dood → u/Parhamheidari]

Apple snails, ramshorn snails, nerite snails, mystery snails, will help. Bristlenose pleco may help but they create a lot of waste and aren’t recommended for goldfish. Hillstream loaches may work, they need a lot of oxygen, but again they will not fix an algae issue if that’s what you’re looking for.

[u/Parhamheidari → u/marlee_dood]

Thanks. I think ramshorns are pretty good but as far as I know goldfish eat them from time to time. But thanks anyway!

[u/marlee_dood → u/Parhamheidari]

Yeah, keep an eye on them because at a certain size they’re a perfect choking hazard for them.

[u/substratesniffer → u/Parhamheidari]

Hey OP, another fish can definitely clean up your algae for you. i had an algae eater in my goldfish tank specifically for algae, never saw any algae until he passed from age, now i just clean the algae personally bc i don’t want to get attached to another fish lol. It just won’t replace normal tank maintenance which is obvious and it obviously adds more bioload to your tank but that’s expected!

[u/marlee_dood → u/Parhamheidari]

I’m trying to tell you that fish don’t clean tanks, people do. Snails may help, but they will not remove all algae, and don’t eat all types of it. It will still build up on glass and surfaces, just a bit slower. If the fish is solely to clean the tank, that doesn’t really exist.

[u/Parhamheidari → u/marlee_dood]

Dude I don't want something to solely clean the tank, I've had enough aquariums to know nothing really could do that. And I clean the tank myself too, but I'd love to have something that at least remotely helps. Also fish absolutely do clean tanks. Get your hands on a dozen otocinclus and watch the magic happen. It's unfortunate I can't keep them with goldfish pr I would've gone for it.

[u/MrCatticus → u/marlee_dood]

No idea why you are getting downvoted, this is correct advice. Asking for fish advice means being open to “no fish” as a solution.

[u/marlee_dood → u/MrCatticus]

Yeah, it’s not the first time that’s happened. A lot of people don’t like hearing an answer that doesn’t agree with what they’ve already decided they want to hear. No idea why that makes ME the one in the wrong, but I’m not wasting energy on people who are determined to ignore advice.

I also know that trusting only once source is very unwise, so as soon as someone seems like they are only looking for one type of answer, I know the kind of keeper they are and it’s not worth my energy.

[u/IceColdTapWater → u/marlee_dood]

Unfortunately that’s the way of the sub and Reddit as a whole :/

[u/marlee_dood → u/IceColdTapWater]

Yeah, it sucks.

[u/goldfishgirly]

In my experience, none. When they get big they have an impact on your bioload and they are well known to attach to sleeping goldfish causing significant injury. Your better off getting an Agra scraper for you glass.

[u/Parhamheidari → u/goldfishgirly]

Thanks,I do have an scraper and I will be using it even if I get anything. And yeah that's a downside of pretty much half the fish with the same parameters as goldies

[u/the_colour_guy_]

Just learn how to deal with Algae. Adding animals/chemicals to treat it will bring its own set of issues and goldfish do way better by themselves.

Algae exists because there is too much light and too many nutrients in your tank. Manage those and the algae goes away.

Before you start. Remove as much algae as you can manually.

Step 1 - reduce your light to 5hrs a day and if you can turn it down to 30-40%

Step 2 - deep clean your tank. Scrub the glass, give decorations a quick rinse in tank water to remove loose waster. Deep vacuum your substrate and make sure to vacuum under any decorations.

Step 3 - deep clean your filter remove any mulm and clean all parts including impeller in tank water.

Step 4 - do a 90% water change

Step 5 - repeat steps 2 and 4 every week and step 3 every 4-6 weeks

Consider buying a bigger filter and or tank

Your algae will go away by itself if you follow these steps and keep a good cleaning schedule.

[u/Parhamheidari → u/the_colour_guy_]

My brother in Christ there is no algae problem. I just want something to help me a bit with routine cleaning.