Algae eater for clown tank?

[EdenAU]

I don't have any green algae (or brown algae)... but I do have this weird clear jelly like "algae" on the air-hose & on the plants. It's not thick (less than 0.5mm). I don't even know if it's algae LOL

Now I'm sure that snails would probably eat it...
However I'm also pretty sure than my Clowns would love the snails

So apart from wiping it off (which isn't difficult), what can I add to my tank to get rid of it (if anything)?

If it's a fish suggestion - It has to be a very small fish, as my Clowns are my "Feature Fish", and I don't want anyone/anything taking that away from them

Or can I "overstock" on snails & hope some survive long enough to do some cleaning

[Tery]

My clowns donn't bother ottos or the "borneo sucker" type hillstreams. Both are small, but you need clean water and a lot of current for the hillstreams. If its algae, either would probably take care of it. Both of these fish eat the small tetra prime as well. Although I've read here that the hillstreams don't like warm water, so with them maybe I've been lucky or keeping my clowns too cold.

[Lotus]

Otos (Otocinclus) make great little cleaners, and are left alone by loaches. They only get to 2" max. They tend to eat the slimey types of algae, mostly brown algae, but will also eat that slime that sometimes forms in a tank. They're cute little guys, and do best when not alone (a buddy or two is appreciated).

[Wendie]

I've got several ottos in one female tank but they don't do as good a job as the pleco in my other female tank. It's a golden nugget pleco and completely cleaned up all the algae in my tank in 8 days. Before he arrived, the only place there wasn't any algae was on the front glass as I cleaned it. The sides , back and plants were thick with algae. Everything is now spotless including the pvc pipe.

My polka dot loaches bonded with him... you can see one in the back.

[EdenAU]

Thanks everyone

I actually went and got two "mystery snails" that are surviving quite well... They're big buggers!
I sectioned off a bit of the tank so that the loaches could see the snails but not bother them, until the snails "settled in" - I removed the divider, then for the next 24 hours the loaches tried to get at them, but eventually gave up & everyone seems to be co-existing ok so far
My Mystery snails are almost 1.5" in shell diameter, so quite big enough to survive my 2 x 2.25" clowns and 1 x 1.25" clown (yes, my previously emaciated loach is still alive, now a lot fatter & has nearly doubled in size from 3/4" )

The two "ramshorns" didn't last overnight
Oh well, live feed... I had fat happy loaches the next morning

[TammyLiz]

Is your algae a blueish green and does it just form a coat of slime over things, not necesarily growing attached to something, but more laying on it? It can grow between the gravel and the glass at the front or sides of the tank, too. And does it smell bad? If so, you've got Blue Green Algae, which is actually bacterial and not algae at all. Nasty stuff and will make your tank smell like rot. It can be difficult to get rid of. If you think its what you have you can either post here or PM me and I'll try to point you in the right direction to get rid of it.

HTH.
Tammy

[TammyLiz]

Sorry for the double post--here I am again. Theres nothing like dealing with one issue at a time. I've been in contact with a breeder trying to order some fish from him and he sends me two emails every time when he could have just done two paragraphs in the same one. I guess he's rubbing off on me?

To get to the point, I've heard that mystery snails don't live very long in a tropical environment. Their lifespan at a tropical temperature is about a year? Here is a websight I found helpful about them. http://www.applesnail.net/content/care.php
I have one and keep it in coldwater but would prefer to move it to a warmer tank for my convenience. If we're both still around here in a couple years let me know how yours do in the clown tank.

[Lotus]

The last time I tried a mystery snail in a loach tank, it didn't work. The loaches nipped off the eye stalks and feelers, and the snail died a miserable death. This was with some small 2" yoyo loaches, and the snail was about 1" diameter.

[EdenAU]

No green algae, only white stuff - which wasn't very much, and I've had it on every tank I've ever owned... It's actually all gone now, thanks to the snails
I've also found that the snails like the zucchini/cucumber that the loaches leave behind

I have the Pomacea bridgesii species of apple snail, and they're doing great (I now have 4... The two I got first, are both male, so I got a couple of girls for them )


The warmer water doesn't so much "shorten" their lifespan, it's just that they do the same amount of living in a shorter amount of time (ie: they grow faster, reproduce easier/quicker).

Surprisingly my Clowns are disinterested in them; the snails are all "zooming" (as snails do ) around my tank