ricktavious

Besides leaving the lights on longer, are there any other good ways to get algae to grow more? Need some for my pleco

lilsoccakid

i dont think any tank could make enough algae so support a pleco non stop

high nitrates cause algea blooms, but im sure nobody wants to keep them high

since i switched from 15 watts of flouresent to 108 watts of T-5 lighting in my 55 gallon, the algae has been too much for 5 otos and a very shy clown pleco to keep up with!

i would suggest trying alternate foods, such as a small peice of cucumber on a veggie clip. pretty much any green vegetable would be enjoyed by them. try messing around with veggies and see what they like

if you havent seen this thread before, maybe this can help you out a little

It's true, plecos love their cucumbers... & it's not just plecos... or cucumbers

sirdarksol

Cucumbers are good (as are other veggies, like leaf lettuce and zucchini).

If you really want to grow more algae (not suggested, in my opinion, but I'll answer it anyway), figure out a way to add phosphates to the tank. Not sure how to do this in a fish-safe manner, but it will cause the algae to bloom. In a stocked tank, the algae has all of the nitrogen it needs, likely. Adding light will help on that end. The last building block it needs it phosphate, and it will explode.
Again, I wouldn't suggest doing this. You could end up with algae blooming in ways that the pleco can't handle (such as filling the water column, rather than growing on glass)

joy613

You might want to keep a few aquarium safe rocks on a fish bowl near a window. That way you can have a supply of algae for the fish. I did this the last time I got otos and they fattened up quickly and I only lost 2 which was better than any past experience I had with them.

Shawnie

as many have said, algae isnt good for the other fish...so instead, feed that cute lil thang some veggies or sinking tabs..they love them!

ricktavious

Thanks for the feedback. As for the pleco, I have been feeding him cucumbers, algae wafers, and fresh algae from decor in other tanks. I think he's getting enough between the three

COBettaCouple

We like to leave slices of cucumbers for our plecos.