[Jah410]

Anyone else finding that Amanos aren't good at algae eating? I was under the impression that the little guys were machines, but they seem to try eating anything but algae. I don't have any massive outbreaks but for example have some dust like algae growing on my rotala Wal. and a little filamentous algae on another plant. Instead of going after it though, they've been all sitting on my filter intake for 2 days scavenging for biofilm or something. I never overfeed my fish in the hopes that the Amanos will get hungry w enough to go after some algae but they still seem to find something to keep them healthy.

Just for reference, this is a 10 gallon Dutch style with 7 Amanos. I'd expect that to be wayyyy overstocked with Amanos but they are always full and there is always algae to be found...

Anyone have this problem/no how to push them to eat the algae instead?

 

[Sam the Slayer]

I know a lot of people talk about amanos as great algae eaters but I think they are better characterized as algae preventers. They will mainly eat biofilm and other micro organisms and dead/dying plant matter so those things don’t build as much to let algae take hold. Good husbandry and a balanced tank is the only real cure for algae “issues”. The only time I have ever seen this be different was throwing a plant covered in algae into a Amano holding tank with a hundred or so amanos and they ate the plant clean.


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[minorhero]

I have found that amanos will eat some types of algae but not others. In 2 of my tanks I found them extremely effective in another not so much as that one has 'special' algae ;P

 

[Tiger15]

In comparison to my snails, ottos and bristlenose which are always active grazing algae, my Amano are lazy, sitting out doing nothing most of the time, just waiting for the next meal. I guess you have to fast them to make them work.

 

[ElleDee]

My little herd of amano are always busy eating and I think it makes a significant difference in how my tank looks, but I can't exactly give them specific work orders.

They just get really into a particular part of the tank and pick it clean and then move on to some other seemingly random spot. Right now I have some moss that's catching debris and I would give anything to have them pick clean, but they have other ideas. To be fair, I suspect some male white clouds are being possessive of the moss and shooing shrimp away, but they used to keep that moss pristine!

I never feed them per se, but they always seem to be able to grab some fish food for themselves.

 

[Deanna]

I gave up on Amanos. They aren't incredibly good at reducing algae and are fairly bland. So, I switched to CS, but only for the looks. I have teams of Ramshorns that are my clean-up crew and eat/disrupt the biofilm on plants that makes algae formation very difficult.

 

[Jah410]

I gave up on Amanos. They aren't incredibly good at reducing algae and are fairly bland. So, I switched to CS, but only for the looks. I have teams of Ramshorns that are my clean-up crew and eat/disrupt the biofilm on plants that makes algae formation very difficult.

So I've got nerites to help with diatoms which are always a problem with my water but they aren't too great at climbing tall or delicate plants. You think ramshorn would be better for my setup?

 

[Deanna]

So I've got nerites to help with diatoms which are always a problem with my water but they aren't too great at climbing tall or delicate plants. You think ramshorn would be better for my setup?

Ramshorns will climb anything. There are several varieties. I have the smaller red Ramshorns. Unlike Nerites, Ramshorns will multiply to match the food source.

 

[JCombra]

My ammanos are always busy rummaging around nibbling on this and that, but my Otto's....now those are some over-rated lazy slackers in my tank !!! :O)

 

[mourip]

I have a bunch of RCS that are pretty effective. They are in constant motion and while they definitely graze algae covered leaves they also work the bottom for food bits which, left to decompose, will eventually contribute to algal growth. So they also help in an indirect way.

Recently I started to see a lot of staghorn algae. With a bit of reading I found that increasing CO2 and using Excell would help. I bumped up my CO2 a little and now dose a light amount of Excell daily. The effect was dramatic. The staghorn started dying right away and within a week was basically gone. The green spot algae on the tank walls also subsided and on some sword leaves as well. Very rewarding.

I have a few Nerites also but being a big large they mainly work the tank walls and driftwood.

I am trying to have a lighter touch when feeding but seeing the Pygmy Cories and shrimp crowding each other over the food makes it hard to do. It looks like a brawl at the bargain table at Macy's

 

[number1sixerfan]

I have Amanos (30) and RCS (40) in my 90g.. letting the RCS colony grow before adding actual larger fish later (with plenty of hiding spaces and plants obviously).

I have never seen this tank cleaner in my entire life lol. They are going to town all over the tank lol. I'm not supplementing food really at this point though, just having long photo periods to encourage some algae growth and letting them go to work.

Fully expect this to change once I have fish that I'm actively feeding each day though. That's where it gets tough because just about all algae eaters get lazy once they get used to the daily feedings.

 

[Tiger15]

Recently I started to see a lot of staghorn algae. With a bit of reading I found that increasing CO2 and using Excell would help. I bumped up my CO2 a little and now dose a light amount of Excell daily. The effect was dramatic. The staghorn started dying right away and within a week was basically gone. The green spot algae on the tank walls also subsided and on some sword leaves as well. )

No algae eaters touch staghorn, so excel works the best. Are your shrimp multiplying? Even though adult shrimp can tolerate excel, I read that prolong use can stop them from multiplying.

I have Amanos (30) and RCS (40) in my 90g.. letting the RCS colony grow before adding actual larger fish later (with plenty of hiding spaces and plants obviously).

I have never seen this tank cleaner in my entire life lol. They are going to town all over the tank lol. I'm not supplementing food really at this point though, just having long photo periods to encourage some algae growth and letting them go to work.

Fully expect this to change once I have fish that I'm actively feeding each day though. That's where it gets tough because just about all algae eaters get lazy once they get used to the daily feedings.

You have a huge clean up crew, nearly one shrimp per gallon. It is not a demonstration that they are more efficient than Ottos, snails or other algae eaters unless they are compared on the same population. Just wonder how often do you feed your shrimp. When you have fish and necessitate more frequent feeding, they will get lazy.

 

[number1sixerfan]

You have a huge clean up crew, nearly one shrimp per gallon. It is not a demonstration that they are more efficient than Ottos, snails or other algae eaters unless they are compared on the same population. Just wonder how often do you feed your shrimp. When you have fish and necessitate more frequent feeding, they will get lazy.

Agree, that's why I mentioned that towards the end. Once there's fish I'm feeding everyday I know they'll get lazy. Totally anticipating it. Not really making a comparison to any other algae eaters, but just pointing out that I think it's more situational than anything. FYI.. I also have BN plecos and ramshorns as well.

 

[mourip]

No algae eaters touch staghorn, so excel works the best. Are your shrimp multiplying? Even though adult shrimp can tolerate excel, I read that prolong use can stop them from multiplying.

Good question. Most of my shrimp have only been there for about a month. I have not seen signs of procreation yet. As my algae is well under control now perhaps I will stop Excell for a while and see if they get frisky.

If you have a link to a post discussing that issue I would like to check it out.

Thanks!

 

[rgmerkel]

I've read that if there is food they like better (fish food) available, he'll eat that first...

 

[ced281]

Anyone else finding that Amanos aren't good at algae eating? I was under the impression that the little guys were machines, but they seem to try eating anything but algae. I don't have any massive outbreaks but for example have some dust like algae growing on my rotala Wal. and a little filamentous algae on another plant. Instead of going after it though, they've been all sitting on my filter intake for 2 days scavenging for biofilm or something. I never overfeed my fish in the hopes that the Amanos will get hungry w enough to go after some algae but they still seem to find something to keep them healthy.

Just for reference, this is a 10 gallon Dutch style with 7 Amanos. I'd expect that to be wayyyy overstocked with Amanos but they are always full and there is always algae to be found...

Anyone have this problem/no how to push them to eat the algae instead?

I can't recall where I got this number, but I have 1 inch of Amano per 1 gallon stuck in my head as a general rule of thumb..