is there any type of snail that can subsist on purely algae...and that will clean up my algae??

please dont say red ramshorns.....

When I used to keep apple snails, I would feed them cucumber etc.. after a while it got to me and was making the tank messy when I wouldn't change it and so I started letting them feed off of the algae in my tank.

They lived like that for years, only eating the algae in the tank. I really did not notice them 'cleaning' up the algae for me. Maybe a bit, but it is hard to notice. my snails were apple snails, but I suppose many snails could do the same thing.

Physids, Planorbids (yup, red ramshorns), and hatchling Viviparids (very fragile--don't go that rout). That's about it. If you're hoping for something like a big apple snail, they will starve on only algae because they don't have mouth parts designed to eat most types. In rare cases, they can survive off long filamentous algage that makes the billowy bubbles type stuff, but most tanks don't have enough algae to support a snail that way. However, that's a pretty bad way to go nutritionally unless you are suplimenting with other foods. If you have the little short algae, encrusting algae, etc...the snails won't eat it. If you really want something to eat algae, go for an otocynclus cat or a rubbernose/rubberlip pleco.

I didn't think it was a trumpet snail,but hey I'm new with those guys so what do I know.... Alot of people assume that Apple Snails will eat the algae in their tank and be fine.Most die though,and the few that make it somewhat longer basically made it by living off the fish food in the tank.I was guilty of that myself a long time ago... I just didn't know anybetter. Thank god for the Internet,and places like the Apple Snail Forum!