m2stech

i hava an algae eater but it's very very lazy, he's (i dont know male or female ) always in the small houses that i put in my aquarium i never saw it sticking to the glass ! is he sick ? depressed?... by the way i bought my aquarium 3 days ago and i think all my fishes are acclimated now and they are happy so i dont think my algae eater is not yet acclimated

Gunnie

Welcome to FishLore! It's great to have you with us. Please click on the link in my signature called "FishLore Articles for Beginners". It will give you good information in keeping your new tank healthy. Some plecos (algae eaters) are very shy and hide a lot. This is quite normal for some. He might only come out at night. If your tank is new, you might not have any algae in the tank for it to eat. Make sure he/she has something to eat. A small piece of zucchini tied or weighted down in the tank will be greatly appreciated. Those round algae wafers are also appreciated.

Neville

plecos generally stay still for a long time, i think it's normal. what is your tank size and how big is your pleco? they can grow up to 18" and they need a big tank!!!

timg

You also say that your tank is only three days old, so have you cycled it yet? Algae won't start growing straight away, it needs the nitrates produced when the cycle completes, so you probably haven't got anything on the glass to attract it yet!

tan.b

what type of algae eater is it? my sucking loach is incredibly lazy and pretends to be dead on a daily basis, then will dart about for a few minutes then sulk/play dead again. he's been doing this for ages now. i think its just the way he is!!! he doesnt do much algae eating either, and doesnt entertain cucumber either. he only eats algae wafers :. if your loach is a sucking loach, maybe its just the way they all are? my bristlenose plecos however are much more active.....always cleaning and exploring!
tan

m2stech

thank u all for helping me, my algae eater which i realized is called pleco is now more active and things are going better but he is sometimes attacked by my white red eyed convict...any way some of u asked me some questions:
-my tank is about 6 gallons so ill throw my 5cm pleco out to get a new one when needed
-i have my tank for 3 days but it is 6 month old becuase it was for my uncle but since he bought a bigger aquarium he gave it to me and i think it is already cycled and also the filter already contains the nitrosomas bacteries

Bonochick

I have a pirate ship in my tank, and my pleco Herman loves it.* He spends the majority of his time there, often hanging straight up and down on one of the masts.* I think lots of good algae builds up in all of the nooks and crannies, so he stays close by.*

COBettaCouple

How long have you had your pleco? Could you return him in exchange for something like a mystery snail? What else is in the tank? You can confirm if the tank is cycled by using a liquid testing kit like the API master freshwater kit and seeing what the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates counts are.