mikeyboy76

Hi guys, I have been getting a small amount of brown algae on my tank. I read lots of articles and no matter how hard I try it seems to come back but only in tiny amounts. Water levels are all good so there is nothing wrong, so I'm thinking about getting a Plecostomus Catfish to add to the tank. I already have 6 Zebra Danios and 6 White clouds and was hoping I could get some advice on what else to add. I have an idea myself but thought it may be good to get some opinions from you guys!!

Cheers People,

Mike.

MissMTS

Honestly, more than any other fish. I feel like bristlenose plecos are the best at taking care of the brown algae. I got one for my first tank that I had that problem in and the tank was sparkling clean within a week. Now I have one in almost every tank and they keep my tanks looking great I think this is a good alternative to a common pleco, since they get almost 2ft long. The bristlenose will only get 4-5 inches leaving you plenty of room to finish stocking your tank Just put some driftwood in the tank for it to chew on and you will have a very happy pleco!

Blub

Don't get a common pleco - get a Bristlenose. Smaller, and more algae eating done!

Nerite snails are great algae eater as well, so try some of those.

mikeyboy76

Is there any other reason apart from size why I sholudn't get a common pleco. My friend has one and i really like it!!

Shawnie

your brown algae is probably because the tank is new...its not very attractive, but the fish love it and it goes away...corys adore it and cleaned my tank nicely...my pleco didnt bother with it at all LOL ..if you have 86 gallons, you could have a common but he will eventually grow out of that and you gotta have a plan to upgrade for him ...it will take awile, but no matter what, he will outgrow eventually...bn are adorable, and so are pictus catfish who keep the junk off the bottom...

mikeyboy76

I suppose that's the only problem..how to get him to a bigger tank once he gets too big....I have no bigger tank so it would be a problem. But i really like them and can't move away from them...decisions, decisions!! How long does it take for them to reach 12" and bigger?

Shawnie

you could ask many ppl about the size n growth of their pleco..each would have a different answer...so not really sure how to answer for you...just having a backup plan is always good for the fish you want to keep that can possibly outgrow your tank

mikeyboy76

Is it ok to keep a common and a bristlenose together?

Shawnie

IMO you dont need both

Blub

A BN (Bristlenose) is more personality packed than a Common, stays fairly small, eats more algae and you can get some neat colour varients. You local Maidenhead aquatics should carry lots of other alternative Dwarf plecos as well - they always have a good selection. I've seen Clown plecos, King tigers (Hefy price tag, NO algae eating coz they're carnivorous but you get amazing colours!) and many more. They are THE BEST fish store in the UK, and they are also a chain!

mikeyboy76

So when the common gets too big the best option would be to give it a new home and then get bristlenose? I like Bristlrnose a lot but the common has really got me? Maybe I can get some cory's or something to help with any algae?

Blub

Corys don't do ANYTHING for algae.

No, a better plan would to be to save the common for a bigger tank and get a few BN's for this tank. It is INCREDIBLY hard to get rid of a full scale common pleco - in fact it is often impossible! Just do loads of research on BN's, you'll soon forget commons... I have compared my BN to a pair of Commons I know - the BN is the most active one and he has by far the craziest antics!

mikeyboy76

Thanks hatchet for all the info!! Looks like the bristlenose is gonna be the ones!!

angelfish220

if you like schooling fish ottos really attack brown algae and they are really fun to watch them graze in unison.

Blub

My local Maidenhead recently got Piebalds in - so you should be able to get some pretty neat looking BN's!