You don't want plecos for algae. They get very big and very, uh, omnivorous. They need a lot of protein as they grow, and will often get it by preying on other fish.

Now, otocinclus? Unleash a school of those lil guys and they will fucking go to town. Siamese algae eaters are great, too.

[–] Pandantic@midwest.social 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

This lady knows her fish (I assume). I love learning new animal stuff.

Edit: in case anyone else wants to see:

otocinclus

Siamese algae eaters

Can you get enough of these that they shimmer in the water? Like imagine that in a big shallow place like the reflecting pool, little sparkles of fishes.

[–] 30_to_50_Feral_PAWGs@hexbear.net 2 points 2 weeks ago

Thanks! I used to be a bit of an enthusiast, especially with coldwater aquarium fish, and at one point African cichlids.

Can you get enough of these that they shimmer in the water?

Probably not with bottom feeders, but white cloud mountain minnows are a freshwater schooling fish that could probably pull that off. They're also tolerant of colder water temperatures, so they'd be appropriate as a pond fish in an area like DC, at least in the warmer months.