The species, easiest first
- 1
Amano Shrimp
Caridina multidentata- Easy
- Shrimp
- Max 2"
- Algae eater
Amanos are the best algae-eating shrimp in the hobby, full stop — a squad of them will mow down hair and thread algae that nothing else touches, and Takashi Amano popularized them for exactly that reason.
$24.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 2
Blueberry Snail
Viviparus sp.- Easy
- Snail
- Max 1.2"
- Scavenger
Blueberry snails are small blue-grey viviparids that do quiet, useful work: grazing film algae, eating detritus, and — unusually for a snail — filter-feeding particles straight from the water column.
$26.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 3
Cherry Shrimp
Neocaridina davidi- Easy
- Shrimp
- Max 1.5"
- Algae eater
Cherry shrimp are the gateway invertebrate: hardy in ordinary tap-water parameters, constantly grazing biofilm and algae, and able to turn ten shrimp into a few hundred within a year in a stable, predator-free tank.
$24.99 In stockCare profile → - 4
Horned Nerite Snail
Clithon corona- Easy
- Snail
- Max 0.6"
- Algae eater
Horned nerites do everything a zebra nerite does in half the size, which makes them the algae eater of choice for nano tanks — small enough to graze between carpet plants and inside tight hardscape without bulldozing anything.
$12.99 In stockCare profile → - 5
Japanese Trapdoor Snail
Cipangopaludina japonica- Easy
- Snail
- Max 2"
- Algae eater
Japanese trapdoor snails are the cold-water workhorse: hardy down to the 50s, happy in unheated tanks and outdoor ponds, and among the longest-lived aquarium snails at five-plus years with good shell care.
$20.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 6
Mystery Snail
Pomacea bridgesii- Easy
- Snail
- Max 2"
- Scavenger
Mystery Snails are the easiest large showpiece snail to keep, but plan for a 10-gallon minimum: a golf-ball-sized snail produces a surprising amount of waste, and in a 5-gallon that bioload adds up fast.
$11.99 In stockCare profile → - 7
Ramshorn Snail
Planorbella duryi- Easy
- Snail
- Max 1"
- Algae eater
Ramshorns are the classic love-them-or-hate-them snail: tireless consumers of soft algae, dead leaves, and uneaten food, with striking red and pink forms that carry their blood's hemoglobin color through a translucent shell.
$13.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 8
Spixi Snail
Asolene spixi- Easy
- Snail
- Max 1.2"
- Pest control
The spixi snail's claim to fame is unique in the hobby: it eats hydra, the stinging pest that plagues shrimp-breeding tanks, and it does so while being a handsome striped apple snail that stays small.
$18.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 9
White Wizard Snail
Filopaludina martensi- Easy
- Snail
- Max 2.5"
- Scavenger
The White Wizard is a chunky Southeast Asian trapdoor snail with a porcelain-white body that stands out against dark substrate, and unlike its cold-water trapdoor cousins it is fully comfortable in tropical temperatures.
$17.99 In stockCare profile → - 10
Zebra Nerite Snail
Neritina natalensis- Easy
- Snail
- Max 1"
- Algae eater
If you want one animal to erase green spot and diatom algae from glass and hardscape, a nerite is it — no other freshwater snail grazes as hard.
$11.99 In stockCare profile → - 11
Hercules Snail
Brotia herculea- Medium
- Snail
- Max 4"
- Scavenger
The Hercules snail is one of the largest freshwater snails in the hobby — a four-inch armored tower from fast Burmese rivers — and that origin is the care sheet: it wants cooler water, strong flow, and high oxygen, not a warm still betta bowl.
$18.99 In stockCare profile → - 12
Rabbit Snail
Tylomelania sp.- Medium
- Snail
- Max 4"
- Scavenger
Rabbit snails are slow-cruising, long-faced characters from Indonesia's Sulawesi lakes, and they need that lake chemistry to thrive: warm water in the high 70s to mid 80s and alkaline pH near 8.
$31.99 In stockCare profile → - 13
Crystal Red Shrimp
Caridina cantonensis- Advanced
- Shrimp
- Max 1.2"
- Showpiece
Crystal reds are the show-bench shrimp: candy-striped, selectively bred, and unforgiving of the hard alkaline tap water that cherry shrimp shrug off.
$29.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 14
Horned Pagoda Snail
Brotia pagodula- Advanced
- Snail
- Max 2"
- Algae eater
The horned pagoda is arguably the most spectacular freshwater snail — a spiked stone pagoda from the Salween River — and one of the least forgiving: it needs cool, fast, highly oxygenated water and a constant supply of biofilm-covered rock to graze, and it quietly starves in clean, warm, still tanks.
$24.99 Out of stockCare profile →
Planting the same tank?
Most of these species do their best work in a planted tank. Browse the plant database, or let the finder rank every plant against your exact setup.
Frequently asked questions
What is the single best algae eater for a small tank?
A nerite snail. One nerite per five gallons of algae-growing surface erases green spot and diatom films that nothing else grazes as hard, it cannot reproduce in freshwater, and it is safe with bettas, shrimp, and plants. In nano tanks, the half-inch horned nerite does the same job between carpet plants.
Do algae eaters mean I never have to clean the tank?
No — they are maintenance, not magic. Grazers keep surfaces clean in a tank that is already roughly in balance; they cannot outpace algae driven by excess light or nutrients. If algae is winning, shorten the photoperiod and check fertilization first, then let the crew handle the residue.
Why are my Amano shrimp not eating the algae?
Usually because fish food is easier. Amanos are opportunists that prefer pellets and wafers to working; cut back feeding for a week and they return to grazing. Also check the algae type — Amanos specialize in soft hair and thread algae and ignore green spot entirely.