Brown algea bloom and snails

[Kats]

Hi guys!  OK, we have our first brown algea bloom....  we have 5 otocats and 1 pleco, is that enough to take care of it or should we also be doing something else?

We also have a snail "bloom" we started our 46g with about 10 snails and now I can count 10 just in a inch of space, not counting the 50 I just found in my filter....  I read that we can get loaches and it will take care of the snails... is that the recommended snail "bloom" treatment?  We started out with trumpet snails (which are multiplying happily) and I have found some pond snails too (who knows where they came from!!)

Thanks!

[BigDaddy]

Otos will make quick work of diatoms (brown algae) so no need to add more.

As far as the pond snails go, unless you really don't want them in the tank, leave them be.  They will usually only eat dead or dying plant matter anyway and aren't a nuissance to plants.

[kennyman]

I put a skunk loach in my tank to controll pond snails. I didn't want one of the bigger loaches and this little guy really keeps the population down. He even digs for mts sometimes. It is doing a great job at managing snails in my planted 55 without actually eliminating them.

[dan2x38]

I got 3 YoYo loaches at BA they wiped out the snails in my heavilly planted tank... but if you want to add inverts they will devour them too... there is always give & take...  a good colony of cherry shrimp will do in a lot of other algae & ottos for brn. as BD says...