Is there a good algae eating African catfish? I've used plecos in the past but would like to stick with an African theme.
Thanks,
Tom
algae eating catfish
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Do you mean riverine fishes or do you want an algae eater for a cichlid-tank full of fishes from The Great Rift*?
There's a load of difference in waterparameters and also agression etc.
there ARE algae eating fishes in both rivers and lakes, but usually they're hard to get and in case of the lakes; not that easy to keep.
Riverine fish:
riverine algae eating catfish from Africa are scarce and peaceful.
two species munch a fair bit: Synodontis pleurops and the tiny Synodontis contractus. funfish to keep, but not really suitable for a tank busting with cichlids. especially the contractus is not resistant to that.
Sometimes you can get either Chiloglanis or the larger Euchilichthys wich look like crossbreeds between a pleco and a Syno designed by Michael Schumacher. these too feed on algae and other stuff. but they have issues as well. no beginnersfish at all.
riverine non-catfish include Garra species and the larger African Labeo species. these are good algae eaters. unfortunately the African Garra's are very rare in the trade. the Labeo's are almost as rare but these fish are quite agressive, especially to each other. African Labeo's ARE in fact quite resistant to cichlids, they can dominate a tank full of scum fro Malawi without a blink of an eye. only suitable for large tanks (125G and up).
you might "cheat" a bit and add Asian Garra's instead of African ones. they too feed on algae (they're among the best algae destroyers), they look a LOT like their African counterparts (although a bit more robust; African Garra's are slim) and they're cichlid-proof as well.
As for the lakes (Malawi and Tanganyika);
most algae eaters from the lakes are cichlid species. the Mbuna from Malawi and even more so the Tropheus and petrochromis species from Tanganyika are boisterous, hyperactive, agressive, colorful and often have issues. keeping petrochromis for example is only done succesfully by people with a huge tank and a lot of experience.
non cichlids that feed on algae in the lakes are few; there are a few Labeo and Varicorhinus species (Labeo cylindricus is native to both lakes) but these are rare, large, hyperactive and straightout nasty!
I have 4 L cylindricus in my Tanganyikan tank and they dominate that tank, even the Synodontis granulosus group gives way to these beasts.
this is a 315G tank.......
*most people on English-talking forums say "African' when in fact they mean to say "Rift lakes". the Rift Lakes are Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi and a few smaller ones; so called because all these lakes are situated in the Great Rift in Eastern Africa. the habitat in all these lakes differs a lot from Central and West African riverine biotopes.
There's a load of difference in waterparameters and also agression etc.
there ARE algae eating fishes in both rivers and lakes, but usually they're hard to get and in case of the lakes; not that easy to keep.
Riverine fish:
riverine algae eating catfish from Africa are scarce and peaceful.
two species munch a fair bit: Synodontis pleurops and the tiny Synodontis contractus. funfish to keep, but not really suitable for a tank busting with cichlids. especially the contractus is not resistant to that.
Sometimes you can get either Chiloglanis or the larger Euchilichthys wich look like crossbreeds between a pleco and a Syno designed by Michael Schumacher. these too feed on algae and other stuff. but they have issues as well. no beginnersfish at all.
riverine non-catfish include Garra species and the larger African Labeo species. these are good algae eaters. unfortunately the African Garra's are very rare in the trade. the Labeo's are almost as rare but these fish are quite agressive, especially to each other. African Labeo's ARE in fact quite resistant to cichlids, they can dominate a tank full of scum fro Malawi without a blink of an eye. only suitable for large tanks (125G and up).
you might "cheat" a bit and add Asian Garra's instead of African ones. they too feed on algae (they're among the best algae destroyers), they look a LOT like their African counterparts (although a bit more robust; African Garra's are slim) and they're cichlid-proof as well.
As for the lakes (Malawi and Tanganyika);
most algae eaters from the lakes are cichlid species. the Mbuna from Malawi and even more so the Tropheus and petrochromis species from Tanganyika are boisterous, hyperactive, agressive, colorful and often have issues. keeping petrochromis for example is only done succesfully by people with a huge tank and a lot of experience.
non cichlids that feed on algae in the lakes are few; there are a few Labeo and Varicorhinus species (Labeo cylindricus is native to both lakes) but these are rare, large, hyperactive and straightout nasty!
I have 4 L cylindricus in my Tanganyikan tank and they dominate that tank, even the Synodontis granulosus group gives way to these beasts.
this is a 315G tank.......
*most people on English-talking forums say "African' when in fact they mean to say "Rift lakes". the Rift Lakes are Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi and a few smaller ones; so called because all these lakes are situated in the Great Rift in Eastern Africa. the habitat in all these lakes differs a lot from Central and West African riverine biotopes.
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