bbfeckawitts

Not sure where to put this:

I want to get a Common Pleco. I have a 35 gallon tank. IF I got said pleco I would move it when it got too big for the tank.

Now, I am wondering, I have Brown Algae, I need this pleco to eat it. The question is would I absolutely HAVE to buy Algae wafers (when the algae is gone)? Could it live on Shrimp Pellets and fresh/cooked (etc) veggies? Thanks much!
Brianna

Neville

hi brianna, this is neville,

u can get a bristlenose catfish, they look like pleco but they grow up to only 5 inches!! u never have to get rid of it, they will be happy in your 35 gallon tank, they r fine algae eaters. cories r algae eaters too.

yes, u have to feed all plecos algae wafers as they grow big, they will eat less algae from your tank and more algae wafers. plecos like vegetables(boiled and frozen/not cooked!!!!!!)too and they love shrimp pellets.

hey barbs r schooling fish it is better to keep at least 6 of them in a tank.

good luck

bbfeckawitts

Ok, thank you. I think I'll just clean the algae off with a filter pad. Probably easier, and no bio-load :P

Yes I know Barbs are a schooling fish. I don't have room for any more, I had three, one died, and they are happy because that one was the bully.

tan.b

i have some bristlenose plecs and they are fab . they keep your tank sparkling, but there wont be enough algae to sustain them, so they do need topping up with algae wafers. why is it that you dont want to use algae wafers. they are cheap to buy and the other fish do enjoy them too. it can be hard to rehome a large plec and you'll be limited what else can go with them because of the size/bioload. the bristlenose is a perfect compromise! by the way...dont get a sucking loach like i did as a clean up squad. he's hopeless. he's so lazy he wont clean the tank, but will happily munch on algae wafers! i dont know if i have a duf one or if this is typical of them? if you want one....have mine!!!!
the glass is easy to clean yourself, but plecs incl bristlenose ones also clean your plants, decor and gravel which is much harder to do yourself.

bbfeckawitts

I got some kind of small pleco before, and once I started feeding it algae wafers it died. I don't think that corys eat algae. I'm thinking of getting an opaline gourami.

-Brianna

bbfeckawitts

Oh I also wanted to know, on the aquarium calculater that says how big your aquarium is (in gallons), on this site, should I measure the plastic edging? Or just the glass? I think my fish tank may be smaller than the person who sold it for me said it was.

griffin

are you using the tank dimensions to calculate the volume in gallons? if so, measure from the inside of the glass, and only from the top of substrate to top of where water is to get volume of water in tank.

it will probably be less than what the tank was sold as since most people have things in their tanks other than just water, but it will give you a better idea of what you can really fit in there without problems.

hope that helps

tan.b

might be co-incidence? my plecs are fairly hardy (she's grown from 3 cm baby to 5 cm and quite fat!) and are happy with the wafers. she survived ammonia and nitrite spikes and medications that have been in the tank. i've heard cories dont eat algae either! i was considering them til i asked around! they just scavenge the leftovers. gouramis are lovely fish. i'd love to have one, but they're too big for my tank . maybe i'll get some dwarf ones one day!

bbfeckawitts

The dwarves are lovely. My brother has 2 in a 10-gal with 3 tetras.

Neville

hi brianna, ottos also eat algaes. yeah dwarfs r lovely.

dymmig89

Ottos are amazing. Green algae started growing out of nowhere once my pleco died. I bought 3 ottos and in one night all my algae was gone.

mojoman101

you would want to have wafers on hand. my pleco is currently in a 45g and is about 3" he didn't start to touch the wafers until most of the algea was gone. I am going to try the veggies soon but as last choice he only eats the wafers.

griffin

i think it would be good to have wafers on hand, but not as a necessity if you feed it veggies and stuff like that when the algae ran out.

armadillo

Hello

They do love the wafers, and I am not aware of them causing an all out algae outbreak in the tank. I think they're 'dead' algae or something.

Butterfly

The only way they would cause algae is if the left overs were left to rot and caused the Nitrates to go up.
Carol

armadillo

Yes, that's what I thought. The algae risk is not related to the fact that they are algae wafers. Just like any other food stuff left over.

Butterfly

Your exactly right.
Carol