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I have snails and Sterbai Corys as clean up fish in my new 6' tank. I would like to add another small Algae eater to the tank while it is settling down. I would like a sucking Catfish to help with glass cleanup, but didnt want something which would grow huge and suck on the Discus or grow too big for a predominantly Discus tank. Which smaller Cats would you recommend as an Algae eating catfish to cover the areas the Cories and snails miss while the tank cycles for Discus?
I have never had a problem with an Otocinclus (Oto for short) and include them in all my discus tanks. Some other types do get a taste for sucking on discus slime coats. Some people have also had the same experience with otos, but I haven't found this the case. If you do see the algae eater sucking on the discus, you must remove them. Once they get a taste for it, they will harras the poor discus no end.
Make sure it is a true oto you are buying, as a LFS will often mis label and sell a common sucking catfish as an oto.