Algae is a natural organism that grows in any tank with water. One of the things that encourage their growth is sunlight. They will suck up the oxygen in the tank and put the animals in it in trouble and stress, that is why it is not good to have them grow in the tank. There is a popular notion that Platy fish do eat algae. In this article, you will learn if they do or not, and the kind of algae they could eat.
Do Platy fish eat algae? Platy fish are known to be algae-eating fish because they can eat a lot of it.
Yes, Platy fish are great algae eaters, but there is a limitation to the amount they could eat, and the type they could eat too, as not all algae are favorable to them as snacks.
Platies are small fish that could barely grow up to 7 inches in size.
They are very active and funny fish, and scavengers too, that’s why many people see them as a great choice for algae control.
Being able to eat many things, in fact, anything that could enter their mouth, they could eat a lot and many types of algae such as eat Hair or Thread Algae, Staghorn Algae, Brown Algae, Black Beard Algae, Surface Algae, green slime, and fuzz algae, etc.
One bitter fact about these fish is, that being able to eat many things made them to be able to eat algae, and again they do it mainly when they are hungry, and not as a preferred diet.
So, using them as a means to control the growth of algae is not very good because they can’t be able to do away with them, especially when they are well-fed, and again algae are not very nutritional to them, so it is wrong to use them as a primary means to eradicate them.
Do Platy Eat Green Hair Algae?
Yes, Platy will eat green hair algae only when it is hungry as, an alternative because they don’t seem to like them very much.
The fact is, algae are not toxic to them, but they don’t seem to like all of them.
So they could eat some very voraciously and will regard some types as alternatives, especially when they are very hungry.
So they will eat the green hair algae, but not very much, because they don’t like it very much, at least like they do to other Algae.
Is It Okay for Fish To Eat Algae?
Yes, fish could eat algae if they like it because it does not harm them, and also it is a way of controlling the growth of algae and also a way of subsidizing the amount of food they eat.
There are some types of fish that are very good at algae-eating, and there are some that could slightly eat them as alternatives, etc. So it is good for your fish to eat algae if they like doing so, because it does not harm them, rather, it will help you as the owner.
Do Platy Eat Aquarium Plants?
Play fish are omnivores, which means they could eat both plants and meat. They will eat any aquarium plant that they like and that is soft too.
This is to say that they could eat many aquarium plants, but they could only be able to eat those they like and the soft ones because many of these plants are detested by many all fish and other aquatic animals because they tastes bad or they irritate.
Can Play Fish Be Used To Control Algae?
They could be used to control the algae, but sometimes, it will not be as effective as planned because the fish are small in size and will not eat more than their size, and it also depends on the type of algae and the population, as they don’t like many types of algae.
So, they can be used to control it to some extent, but not eradicate it unless the algae are not much.
To make their efforts very effective, you must complement them with other algae-eating animals such as Snails, other fish, etc.
Algae Eating Animals that Could live with Platy Fish
Like I mentioned above, there are other animals you could complement your Platy fish with, to help them eat all the algae in your tank, those animals are:
Suckermouth Catfish
Otocinclus catfish
Bristle nose Plecos
Siamese algae eaters
Hillstream Loaches(Borneo Plecos or Butterfly Plecos)
Amano Shrimp
Snails
These animals could live peacefully with your Platies and help them take down all the notorious algae in your tank.
Conclusion
Platies fish are Algae eaters, but they are not very effective in controlling it unless the algae are not much. So they can eat algae, but not all.
