Plecos and driftwood?

I don't know much about plecos and I need a pleco that will eat algae but not my driftwood because I'm tired of cleaning up after them. Any suggestions?

 

Brittle nose Plecos are brilliant algae eaters, they don't get too big and come in loads of shapes and colours.in

 

Why not look into the cause of algae and fix it there? Plecos are not going to eat all of the algae and they will just add more to the bioload and therefore, more cleaning up you'll have to do.

Here's a thread that may help:

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/algae-problems-and-how-to-deal-with-them.188662/

 

Thanks, I don't have to have plecos. I just wanted to research it and figure out fish to get before the algae gets out of control.

 

I don't know much about plecos and I need a pleco that will eat algae

What makes you think you NEED a pleco for algae? That is such a misconception!! I think it is really sad that people often purchase plecos just because they are known to eat algae and they think it will make their tank cleaner. A pleco makes your tank 10x messier. They are poop machines!! And a messier poopier tank can just add to the algae problem! Plecos seem to be the first thing people think of when they have an algae problem and that is such a mistake!!

Like el337 said, they do not even eat all the algae. They do not clean it off. They nibble on it and they do not "finish their plate". As was also stated, when algae problems arise, a fish should never be the solution. The algae issue should be tackled and you should determine the cause and actually find ways to prevent it.

But if you really want to get something that will help with removing algae that already exists, the best algae eaters in my opinion are nerite snails. They will clean algae off a million times better than any pleco will!! And they don't leave a huge mess behind!

And don't get me wrong, I LOVE plecos....and that's the problem. They are so misunderstood and often purchased for all the wrong reasons. If you want a pleco because you like plecos, that's a different story.

 

I said "I don't have to have plecos." I had bristle noses and they kept the tank clear of algae but, they ate the driftwood and left huge amounts of fish waste. I know that some don't even touch algae, and there are some that eat everything but rocks and glass. I've had plecos in the past that pooped in strings and the filter picked it up. I said "I don't much" not I don't know anything. No offense but, if people would actually read the question and give an answer that was helpful like Oliver5672 it would help a lot.

 

Well, I agree with bizaliz3 that if you want a pleco because you like them, that's fine.

But you also mentioned you "needed a pleco that will eat algae" so we were only saying there are better ways to get rid of it without adding to your maintenance which you didn't seem to want to deal with.

 

I've kept many bn plecos and I've bred them. They just don't do the trick in my opinion. So I felt the helpful response that you are referring to, wasn't the most accurate. So I gave my best advice based on my experience. None of what I said was directed at you. It was directed at the very common misconception that plecos will rid ones tank of algae. Your exact words were that you needed a pleco that will eat algae. I DID read your question and I gave what I felt was a very helpful response.

One thing I'd like to clarify is what you mean by being tired of cleaning up after them. Do you have shedding driftwood? Because that would be due to the age of the wood and not the pleco. I assume you weren't referring to their poop because that will be the same regardless what kind of pleco you get.