Swordtail fish are some of the most popular freshwater fish in North America. With their beautiful colors and unique shape, it’s hard to resist adding them to your home aquarium! However, sometimes new aquarists make mistakes when picking out a new fish. Like, choosing swordtail fish to eat algae to clean up their tank.
The answer to your question, “Do swordtail fish eat algae?” is YES! Swordtail fish eat algae that grow in your aquarium. They eat algae as a part of their green diet because they are omnivores and eat both plants and meat. However, Swordtail fish do not come under the list of effective algae eaters.
Swordtails don’t eat algae like many people think they do! In this blog post, we’ll take a look at everything that relates to algae and swordtails.
What is Algae?
To answer this question, you first need to understand the word algae.
Algae are a diverse group of plants that live in freshwater ecosystems. I don’t think we can call algae plants because they do not bear flowers and fruits. Algae may not look like a plant, but they do contain chlorophyll, giving them the ability to photosynthesize. The source of algae’s characteristic green color is Chlorophyll.
In the aquarium, algae grow on your tank walls and decorations and within cracks between rocks. Algae will grow in your aquarium because of spores. Spores are the resistant structures formed in adverse conditions to let algae spread. Almost all aquaria will develop algae due to these spores.
You may have heard of scums, seaweeds, and such names growing in the tank. These all are types of algae. Algae can also be found living at the bottom of your tank, where it is not easily visible to you or your fish because it is underwater!
Do Swordtail Fish Eat Algae?
Swordtail fish are known for eating anything that fits into their mouths. As a result, some species of swordtail fish enjoy sampling from the algae-covered surface of an aquarium.
Swordtail fish are omnivores, and their food preferences include both plant and protein supplements.
Although the primary source of their protein is meat like the blood worms and other small insects, Swordtails have a diet portion made up of green plants and algae. You can see them eating other green plants in an aquarium.
Thus, Yes, swordtail fish will eat algae in the aquarium.
What Kind Of Algae Do Swordtails Eat?
Swordtails enjoy sampling from the algal-covered surface of an aquarium. Mostly they are eating other types of green plants like stringy or mossy weeds. Hundreds of different kinds of algae can grow in your tank. Among those, your swordtails will only like a few.
Swordtail fish eat Hair/Thread Algae, Staghorn Algae, Brown Algae, Black Beard Algae, Surface Algae, green slime, and fuzz algae. These algae are found on the tank’s surface and other tank decorations like driftwood, caves, etc.
You will see your algae happily scrapping off these algae and munching on them. But they do not feed on just algae, so you need to take care of their diet.
Are Algae Harmful For Swordtails?
No, algae are not harmful to swordtails. Most of the time, they enjoy eating it and will do this with glee! Algae not only work as food for your plant, but they also keep harmful toxins like ammonia and nitrates away.
But, too many algae can create some problems. If algae grow a lot in the aquarium, it will steal oxygen from the water and nutrients. This will make it hard for swordtail fish to live there. It also blocks light to live plants in the aquarium.
You must take care of the algae content that grows in your tank and inside of your swordtail’s belly.
Over-Feeding Algae Creates More Algae
Yes, overfeeding algae will create more of it. Algae is the fastest-growing plant on earth and can grow to cover an entire surface in just a few days!
As soon as you feed your swordtail fish with too much food, they will consume all that and start producing more waste. This waste will give a perfect food root for your algae to grow and spread in the tank.
You can dodge this problem by feeding a perfect diet and not overfeeding them.
Are Algae The Primary Source Of Swordtail Diet? What Else Do They Eat?
Swordtail fish will eat algae in your tank. However, they are not an effective algae eater because of their diet. They need a balanced and varied green food with meat or protein sources for optimal health and longevity.
It is important to feed all the fishes with a proper diet so that you can avoid any unnecessary stress on your pet.
Swordtail fish will eat vegetables, but they are not usually high in vegetable content and often contain animal protein sources. Swordtails also like to eat live meat such as bloodworms, brine shrimps, mosquito larvae, and other small fish.
They also prefer quality flake foods, pellets, and wafers rich in nutrients that swordtails require for proper growth and development.
Can You Use Swordtails As Full-Time Algae-Eaters?
Swordtails cannot be used to control algae growth in your algae. People think that algae grow quickly because it does. Yes, swordtails eat algae. But they are slow eaters and need a lot of time to nibble away all the algae.
If you want to get rid of algae but don’t want to use so many fish, replace the swordtail with an algae eater in your tank. But cut your swordtail some slack because they are not made to clean your tank eating all the algae.
The exception is your swordtail fish will enjoy certain types of algae because it is a part of their diet. However, as I previously mentioned, swordtail fish are not capable of controlling algae.
FAQs
I have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about algae and algae-eaters below.
What Are The Most Prolific Algae Eaters?
Some fish species are specially kept in the tanks to clean the algae. They are called algae-eaters, and it’s their full-time job.
The top 5 algae-eaters that will help you keep your tanks clean are:
- Plecostomus
- Otocinclus Catfish
- Siamese Algae Eater
- Amano Shrimp
- Apple Snails
What Is The Difference Between Filters And Algae Eaters?
Filters are used to reduce the number of pollutants and debris in your aquarium. Algae eaters, on the other hand, feed on algae as their primary food source.
While filters can help control this problem, they will not solve it completely because natural filtration is needed for a healthy marine ecosystem.
Conclusion
Swordtail fish do eat algae. However, they are omnivores, so that algae won’t comprise their whole diet. They will also eat other small invertebrates and plant matter as well.
You should not use swordtails as tank cleaners because it is not their full-time job. Instead, they just like to scrap and nibble on specific types of algae.
Take proper care of your swordtail diet and provide them with all essential nutrients to keep them happy and healthy.
