Algae Eater/bottom Feeders For Hard Water

The best algae eaters are nerite snails which will do well in hard water. But as your tank is newly cycled you'll need to wait a while for the tank to grow some algae before getting any algae eaters.


I know you have a 175 litre tank, but can you tell us the footprint of the tank, please. Some tanks are long and not very tall, others are very tall but not very long. For bottom dwellers the footprint is more important than the volume.

100 x 40 are 25. I thought snails were supposed to be a pain in the proverbial 🙄

Aye...  I do indeed have various Rabbit snails and a couple of Cappuccino Faunus snails, along with three Nerite snails... 

I'd agree with Sue that there's no finer snail than Nerites in terms of algae consuming, although the Rabbit snails & Faunus snails are far more interesting & entertaining than the Nerites and still would be considered excellent algae munchers... 

I haven't been blighted by excess "sesame seed" eggs from the Nerites so far, just a small batch from what must have been my original Black Helmet Nerite...  The other two are Red Racers and are small still, so too early to tell if they will be egg machines or not... 

Personally, I would recommend all three varieties as the mix adds interest etc... 

Like Sue, I do also have a fair few of the tiny little Ramshorn pest snails, obviously hitch-hikers on new plants at some point, but their numbers are under control and if anything I do actually quite like them...  being so diddy, they can get to spots the other snails can't reach or are too heavy for (such as smaller plant leaves etc)...  I consider myself fortunate not to have any of the pond snails, which sound like a real nuisance...

No algae problem at the moment and I am planning to have a mixed community to cover all areas. I haven't a clue about the platies 🤔 I'm off fish shopping this morning. I've been doing some research re hard water species, got a list off here and cross checked it with seriously fish but am still none the wiser. Light on for about 6 hours, temp 25

I've been having a bit of a rummage around through various resources, and I think that there are several options. Some options are possibly a tad controversial, so I will try to explain the pros/cons as I go along, and the more experienced keepers can add to the discussion/advice.

1) Bristlenose plec
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/ancistrus-cf-cirrhosus/
Let's tackle the controversial part up front. As you can see from the link, your water parameters are just outside of those suggested, and it is recommended to keep fish in water which is mid-range of parameters for best health. There are people who say that these fish have been commercially bred in hard water for many generations, and there are others pointing out that evolution doesn't work that quickly for fish to tolerate such different water parameters within a matter of decades.
I will admit that I have 2 bristlenose plecs in water which is 17dh. Another down side is if you end up with 2, which grow up to be male and female, they do produce a huge amount of eggs/babies on a regular basis, and you then end up have to separate the adults into different tanks and take all the babies to the LFS. 
They are great fish, and when they are feeding on the glass their mouth movements remind me of an over-active sock puppet. They need wood to munch on as well.

2) Bumblebee goby
https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/brachygobius-doriae/
I don't have any experience with these, but information in the link, conformed in the book "Brackish-water fishes" (Neale Monks), these colourful little fellas are fine in hard freshwater tanks.
I'd suggest you do some more research on these and ensure you can provide them with an appropriate environment (sandy substrate, etc) prior to making any decisions, as they can apparently be a bit nippy with other bottom dwellers.

3) Candy cane goby
https://en.aqua-fish.net/fish/candy-cane-goby
Yet again, I have no experience with this fish, but according to the brackish water fish book they are also called the river goby, can grow up to 10cm, are peaceful, and the adults do best in fresh water. These may be more difficult to get hold of, and may need to be ordered.

4) Desert goby
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/chlamydogobius-eremius/
Omnivore tht grows to around 6cm. As above, I'm going on information in the book, and these may be difficult to get hold of.


I also keep blue neon gobies, and some others, in my river tank, which is a tap water/ro water mix of 14dh.
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/stiphodon-atropurpureus/

I admit that I like slightly odd, quirky looking fish, so those listed may not be to your taste. I also need to point out (again) that fish should be kept mid-range of their recommended water parameters for best health.

Thank you Sue & Little Fish
I have just returned with my purchases.  I went armed with a modified list of fish for hard water which I found on this site.  I browsed the shop and they had very few that were on the list  I asked an assistant and he said all of them were suitable, so I quoted my water readings, Ph 7.5 and hardness 15.85, 283. Yes he said they're all ok.  which included some that weren't suited to hard water as far as I could work out, eg neon tetras.  I was probably over worrying (like a mum with a new baby!!) so I came away with 5 Black Widow tetras, 5 sunset platy, and 5 Tiger Barbs.  Rightly or wrongly, I also bought a Java fern grown on wood.

I really need to get myself a comprehensive tropical fish species guide.  I've also printed out all your replies to make life easier - so I won't have to ask you again 

Thank you everyone for all your help

I only found out about the tiger barbs when I got home!!!     I haven't got time this week to return to the shop so will have to hope for the best  I could ask a friend if he'd like them. That's why I thought a reference book would be handy to have in my bag as sometimes a phone signal is impossible to get.   Big learning curve.

Wont get anymore for a while and then go to the shop where I bought my set up, I think they are a small private company rather than a big one, so maybe a bit more knowledgeable.  It was certainly very busy when we were there. I don't like this heat and it is a 70 mile round trip - at least its by the seaside though|!

@TopCookie it's very kind of you to say that the regulars on this forum offer good advice. 
The more experienced people here have seen me through several incredibly steep learning curves, and a few disasters.
I'm very glad that I found this forum, and thoroughly enjoy the support, discussion and banter. 

Well, I went to Yeovil today, 30 mile round trip, did some shopping as well, our nearest big town. Weymouth, where I bought my set up is 70 round trip. But I'm not going to do that until its much cooler 😕 this weather I stay indoors, walk the dogs at 7am and then pull up the draw bridge

I don't like hot weather either. My husband loves it and keeps comparing his brown body to my pale one, but I burn badly if I venture into the sun too much.

But at least I have a full head of hair and don't have to live in a hat to stop a bald head burning 
(Actually that's part of my problem. I have very thick hair and it's like wearing a blanket on top of my head at the moment  )