Comments on: Are there any algae eaters that don’t need a heater and can go in a 10g goldfish tank?

By: Ianab

Ianab — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:10:26 +0000

Yes, it’s a called a snail.

There is no fish that fits the bill.

As the tank is very small for a goldfish I would be changing maybe 50% of the water each week. You should never empty the tank and change 100% of the water as it stresses the fish, but you can change 20-50% as often as you want.

Your goldfish will probably need a larger tank as it grows, but if it’s still small the 10gal will be OK for a while.

Ian

By: Vulcan

Vulcan — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:03:23 +0000

Not even a goldfish is suitable for a ten gallon aquarium. Please upgrade as soon as possible.

Your tank would benefit from a multiple weekly partial water change of 25%.

There is no reason to perform a 100% water change.

In what way does an algae eater “keep the tank clean”? They may eat a bit of algae, but they simply add to the bioload of the tank, which in your case is already overstocked.

By: The original FISHMAN

The original FISHMAN — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:31:24 +0000

I dont think you understand. These fish wont clean your tank. They will only eat algae. They still produce waste so in your tank that is already overstocked with a single goldfish adding more fish wont help.

a 25% water change would need to be dont weekly in a well stocked aquarium but in yours I would do a 25% water change 2-3 times a week.

Never to a 100% water change.

And there are coolwater algae eaters that would be fine down to 18c such as hillstream loaches but they need a very specific tank setup that is unsuitable for goldfish.

By: nick c

nick c — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:40:11 +0000

buy some nerite snails. i couldnt name any algae eating fish off the top of my head that can live in cold water but there are snails that will eat the algae and not plants if you have any.

By: ...

... — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:10:20 +0000

25% weekly, full change monthly.

I’m not sure if there are any non-tropical algae eaters. You might need a heater for the colder months because fish, even goldfish, do not adjust well to changing temperatures and will often get very ill.

However, I would suggest maybe a rubber-lipped plecostomus as it is a smaller fish. They act well with goldfish, but avoid getting more than one as there can be competition for algae in such a small tank. They prefer temperatures between 70-78 degrees F.