Cleaner(s) To Pair With My Black Moor + Bristlenose

HI all!

My tank has been collecting a lot of green algae lately, and I would like to introduce a companion to help deal with the deliciousness.

Tank Stats
72g Tank
No Substrate
2 Air Stones
700 GPH Fluval FX4 Filter

Extras
Cave ornament (edges sanded down)
"Plecy tube"
Pot
Driftwood
No plants currently (but wanting to add!)

Fish Stats
1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco (large) (male)
1 Black Moor (same size as plecy) (male)
1 Trumpet Snail (male)

I've done a some research on this, but am honestly at a loss...and here's why!

Nerite Snail/Snails In General: These little fellows are great algae cleaners. Problem? The females lay eggs like crazy, and I do not wish to remove eggs (or have eggs present). If I could get a guaranteed male, then it'd be no problem, but...yeah.

Pleco: I already have one and don't want them fighting, nor do I want to risk my goldfish's delicious slime coat!

Shrimp: ...Honestly, I'd feel bad if they end up just getting eaten. If they don't get eaten, then I'm worried they'll replicate too much. Maybe an Amano would work if it's big enough...But I honestly have no idea.

Any ideas on something good to add that won't massively reproduce or add too much bio load?

Thanks

 

Nerites don't breed in fresh water do they? They do a wonderful job with algie too.

 

I'm suprised your pleco doesn't do a good job. My 2.5" bristlenose keeps my 63 gallon spotless.

Nerites don't breed in fresh water do they? They do a wonderful job with algie too.

They still lay eggs though

 

Nerites will lay eggs everywhere and the just won't hatch because they need a brackish-salt water to breed and hatch the eggs. Mysteries do very well, the females might lay some eggs but they WILL be out of water, they clean up great and they get decent in size. the mystery snails are some of the few types of freshwater snails that do not asexually reproduce, and I would recommend a few Gold Inca (type of mystery) snails because they are yellow and look pretty in any aquarium. If you get a group of a few of them, they might even breed for your and you might get some small snails after 3-4 weeks after they where laid. They are not pest snails and are some thing that you should consider. They also are great algae cleaners that are from South America. I have plenty young snails that where born from my adult snails I bought, and I add a few to my other tanks for any algae issues I have.

 

As bn plecos get larger, they quit cleaning as well and want real food in the form of wafers. You can’t depend on anything to clean for you, that’s your job. Cut down on light and increase your manpower in scraping and cleaning the tank. Wish I had better news but that’s the just of it. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the responses, everyone! It's greatly appreciated.

I'm suprised your pleco doesn't do a good job. My 2.5" bristlenose keeps my 63 gallon spotless.

They still lay eggs though

He used to do more cleaning, but not anymore. That's okay though, I didn't get him to clean. I got him for his beautiful bristlenose

Nerites will lay eggs everywhere and the just won't hatch because they need a brackish-salt water to breed and hatch the eggs. Mysteries do very well, the females might lay some eggs but they WILL be out of water, they clean up great and they get decent in size. the mystery snails are some of the few types of freshwater snails that do not asexually reproduce, and I would recommend a few Gold Inca (type of mystery) snails because they are yellow and look pretty in any aquarium. If you get a group of a few of them, they might even breed for your and you might get some small snails after 3-4 weeks after they where laid. They are not pest snails and are some thing that you should consider. They also are great algae cleaners that are from South America. I have plenty young snails that where born from my adult snails I bought, and I add a few to my other tanks for any algae issues I have.

I'd definitely love to have more snails, but I just don't want to have to deal with the eggs (no matter how easy it is to remove them). It's a shame, since there are so many cool species out there. I was fortunate that my Trumpet Snail end turned out to be a male!

As bn plecos get larger, they quit cleaning as well and want real food in the form of wafers. You can’t depend on anything to clean for you, that’s your job. Cut down on light and increase your manpower in scraping and cleaning the tank. Wish I had better news but that’s the just of it. Good luck!

That seems to have been the case! I guess he no longer wants to pay rent through cleaning.

Oddly enough, my pleco has been ignoring his algae wafers too (2 different brands) and his green beans. I'm not sure, but he may be eating the fish flakes I've been adding to the tank. I've not caught him in the act, but maybe he does so after lights out...the crafty lass! In any event, his tummy looks pretty full so he's definitely eating something besides my hopes and dreams of a cleaner tank.

If they enjoy the light, I don't mind keeping that on at the expense of causing more algae for me to clean. I just wish I could find a suitable critter that would enjoy that algae buffet!

 

What is the waters temp? That will determine what you can keep.

 

I believe it's around 72. There's some overlap between BN Pleco temps and Goldfish temps, so it could probably be adjusted a bit more. Not sure how I'd lower it, though, beyond just blasting the AC at my house. I do have a heater, but it's unplugged currently.

 

I believe it's around 72. There's some overlap between BN Pleco temps and Goldfish temps, so it could probably be adjusted a bit more. Not sure how I'd lower it, though, beyond just blasting the AC at my house. I do have a heater, but it's unplugged currently.

Mine stays at about the same temp with my bn and goldies.

 

Since you have no plants yet, you can do a black out for a few days which will kill off your algae.

You wrap your tank in towels and leave off the light so its pitch black in your tank for 3 to 4 days and it will kill the green algae and won't hurt your fish. You can't do this if you have plants but since you dont, it will work.

You can, also, put a small bag of media that will remove phosphate in your filter.

Combining both will kill the green algae faster.

Once you plant the tank, as long as you keep the light under 8 hours, the plants will absorb the nutrients so the green algae can't get a foot hold again.

If you do end up with green algae again after adding plants, the phosphate remover and shortening the light intervals will help kill it.

I had really bad green water in my planted 20 gallon and I added the phosphate remover to my tank and shortened the time my lights were on to about 6 hours. It took about 1 week but I got rid of the green water and haven't had it come back.

Though, if you use the phosphate remover after you get your plants, remember to remove it as soon as the green algae is gone. I didnt remove it from my filter for a month, not realizing that my plants needed phosphate too, and my plants suffered but are now recovering with the addition of fertilizers.

 

You should get a substrate it serves a purpose and it’s not for decor. It “holds” In all the waste and extra food which helps (“) keep the ammonia down. You could do a sand substrate since the goldy would eat the gravel. Mystery snails work great! And you can buy males for cheap online or get them at a store.

 

You should get a substrate it serves a purpose and it’s not for decor. It “holds” In all the waste and extra food which helps (“) keep the ammonia down. You could do a sand substrate since the goldy would eat the gravel. Mystery snails work great! And you can buy males for cheap online or get them at a store.

Mysteries are a great choice for algae and will only lay eggs if it is a female (mystery snails are sexual reproducers). The eggs will be laid out of water, so it won't bother the eye of the veiwer when they look at the fish in the tank.

 

Mysteries are a great choice for algae and will only lay eggs if it is a female (mystery snails are sexual reproducers). The eggs will be laid out of water, so it won't bother the eye of the veiwer when they look at the fish in the tank.

They don't really eat algae though. They're really just an ornamental (and mostly carnivorous) snail.

 

for me they do well enough.

 

for me they do well enough.

Make sure you feed them mostly meaty foods i.e HikarI Sinking Wafers, bloodworms, frozen shrimp etc. They're likely starving if they eat a lot of algae.

 

they aren't though I have two or three batches of young snails still living in my tank where my adults were. my adults died from either getting killed because they marched on to the territory of my breeding brichardi, escaping the tank, old age, or from disappearing into tin air. I still got their young working very well though.

 

The only thing that mystery snails really need is algae and weekly veggies.

 

The only thing that mystery snails really need is algae and weekly veggies.

They need mostly meaty foods and a source of calcium.