Algae eater or algivore is a common name for any bottom feeder or filter-feeding aquatic animal species that specialize in feeding on algae and . Algae eaters are important for the fishkeeping hobby and many are commonly kept by aquarium hobbyists to improve water quality.
Freshwater
Fish
Some of the common and most popular freshwater aquarium algae eaters include:
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Many Loricariidae catfish of South America, such as genera Otocinclus,
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The Siamese algae eater ( Crossocheilus oblongus) is a more gregarious and tolerant cyprinid that ranges up to . It is one of the only fish that will graze on "Audouinella" (freshwater Rhodophyta, or ), but even so will eat anything else in preference.
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Fishes of the genus Gyrinocheilus, family Gyrinocheilidae. There are three species in this genus with the Chinese algae eater, Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, the most common. Small specimens make good community fish but may become territorial when older.
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American-flag fish, Jordanella floridae, are also dependable algae-eating fish. They are one of the only fish to graze on black brush algae, as with the siamese algae eater, and will also indiscriminately graze on other algae such as and Bryopsis. However, like all pupfish, they can be nippy to fish smaller or slower than them. Males can also be territorial.
[Huntley, W. (1995). Jordanella floridae The American-Flag Fish. SF Bay Area Killifish Association http://www.sfbaka. net/.]
Common freshwater algivorous fish:
Shrimp
Some freshwater
shrimp are also excellent algae eaters:
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Almost all of them belong to the family Atyidae (the only family in the superfamily Atyoidea) including many genera
- * Caridina: red rhinoceros shrimp, bee shrimp, etc... One shrimp well known for its ability to clean an aquarium is the Amano shrimp.
- * Neocaridina: Neocaridina davidi (cherry shrimp), Neocaridina palmata, etc.
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Some of them belong to the genus Palaemonetes (grass shrimp)
Snails
Most species of
, discounting most adult specimens of species belonging to the family
Ampullariidae, which primarily subsist on aquatic plants as adults.
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Bellamyinae
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Lioplacinae
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Viviparinae
Saltwater
Some of the known types of fish to eat algae are blennies and tangs, but along with fish there are snails, crabs, and sea urchins who also eat algae. These species are known to eat red slime algae, green film algae,
hair algae,
Diatom,
cyanobacteria, brown film algae,
detritus, and
microalgae.
Fish
There are several saltwater fish species that eat algae. Two of the major algae eaters are blennies and tangs. These fish eat red slime algae, green film algae, and hair algae. Some of the known species are as follows:
Blennies:
Tangs:
Crabs
Hermit crabs and other species of crabs eat algae. Crabs eat green algae, film algae, red slime algae, diatoms, cyanobacteria, and microalgae. Some of the known species are:
Hermit Crabs:
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Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crab
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Dwarf Red Tip Hermit Crab
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Electric Blue Hermit Crab
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Halloween Hermit Crab
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Hawaiian Zebra Hermit Crab
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Anemone Carrying Hermit Crab
Other Species:
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Arrow crab
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Spotted Porcelain Crab
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Decorator Spider Crabs
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All species of sea urchin eat algae. They eat all sizes of algae, from something as small as
Seaweed to something as large as kelp, and have been known to eat
Coralline algae.
In cooler waters, sea urchins have even been known to eat enough to control the size and compositions of kelp forests. Sea urchins act as scavengers and will also eat dead algae that they find. Some sea urchins, such as the variegated sea urchin or the red sea urchin, have become popular as pets for home aquariums because of their ability to proficiently eat algae.
Snails
Snails are known for eating hair algae, cyanobacteria, diatoms, green film algae, brown film algae, and detritus.
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Chestnut Cowrie Snail
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Zebra Turbo Snail
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Trochus
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Mexican Turbo Snail
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Conch
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Cerithiidae
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Orange Spot Butterscotch Nassarius Snail
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Lager Super Longan Nassarius
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Abalone
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Bumblebee Snails
