Algae eater

Algae eaters are important for the fishkeeping hobby and many are commonly kept by aquarium hobbyists to improve water quality.

[1] They are also important primary consumers that relay the biomass and energy from photosynthetic autotrophes up into the food web, as well as protecting the aquatic ecosystem against algae blooms.

Some of the common and most popular freshwater aquarium algae eaters include: Common freshwater algivorous fish: Some freshwater shrimp are also excellent algae eaters: Most species of freshwater snails, discounting most adult specimens of species belonging to the family Ampullariidae, which primarily subsist on aquatic plants as adults.

[8] In cooler waters, sea urchins have even been known to eat enough to control the size and compositions of kelp forests.

Sea urchins act as scavengers and will also eat dead algae that they find.