My male betta and an algae eater?

Question
Hello, i have a male beta who is a little older and is in a 20 gallon fish tank. Sometimes the algae gets out of control so I wanted an algae eater to help me clean up. I don't want any plecos, Chinese algae eaters, or snails(the buggers always die on me)and i herd that otos ares sensitive so i don't know if they would do well in my tank or not. My beta seems fairly friendly for a fighter fish but the only other animal he has been kept with was ghost shrimp. Which he ate. So do you have any suggestions?

Answer
Erin -

Bettas are normally kept in much smaller habitats.  In larger aquariums, they generally tend to stay within the same small area, usually near the water's surface.  They will naturally eat small shrimp, such as the ghost shrimp you have placed in the same habitat in the past.

My top choice for your aquarium size would be perhaps 5-10 snails purchased from a reputable live aquatics store or a Chinese algae eater.  You have stated that you would rather go with something other than these, and suggested the otocinclus (oto) species.  These fish are great at keeping algae at bay.

Another suggestion for you to consider is the placement of your aquarium.  Try to keep it away from direct sunlight (such as being across from or next to a window or door where the sun shines through) and also run your lighting less.  The more light (especially natural sunlight) there is available to your aquarium, the more algae you will have as a result.  Also, you could try doing regular water changes and changes up to 25% of the water at once to ensure the water is kept clean.  In your case, with a 20-gallon tank and only 1 betta, it shouldn't need to be cleaned too often, provided you're also running a filter rated for at least a 20-gallon tank.  Perhaps once a month or every other month will suffice.

As far as otos, they do better in larger aquariums than your current 20-gallon size.  Generally, it is suggested to keep them in aquariums of 30 gallons or more and they are best kept in groups.  With that, more than one oto would require a tank at least double your current tank's size.  However, it is possible to keep 2-3 of them in the 20-gallon with only your betta.  They are said to be difficult to acclimate in aquariums, but I have never had an issue with it.  Just ensure that the water temperatures and pH levels are sufficient for all of the inhabitants and it should be okay to introduce them into the tank.

Otos require hiding places, as they are more active during the night.  Provide them with plenty of caves or other decorative objects to hide in during the day.  They will accept a variety of foods such as flake food or sinking pellets or discs, but remember that they will also need the algae to survive.  

I do not see any issues with the betta being compatible with the otos.  I would suggest that you use caution when introduces to different species of any type of fish.

Good luck with your