Algae Eater Question

[LookingToLearn]

I have 2 goldfish and I am getting ready to set up my new 55 gallon tank for them. (my husband is building my stand right now! ) When my tank is ready I would like to get an algae eater.. I have been looking thru the different kinds and I am just not sure what would be best for me and my fish.
I plan to have a small amount of real plants in the tank.. Do you have any particular algae eater you could recommend for me? I was thinking of a pleco but I have read on some websites where people don't recommend these for beginners.

THank you very much for any and all help.

 

[ox5477]

Many species of plec are perfect for begginers! They are usually very hardy, tolerate most all species for tank mates and are relativly simple to feed. So dont get scared of them. Some species fo require some special treatment and livign conditions but these varieties will most likely not see in a typical lfs.

And a word of note as well. Unless you have the specific algae that the fish wishes to eat, it prob will not rid the tank of a nucense algae. This is a mis conception that comes from their nicknames of "algae eaters." They would much rather munch on a man-made algae wafer and vegetables such as cucmber and squash. Also, they can be territorial with other plecos and create alot, and I mean alot of waste, so make sure there is plenty of filtration to keep up the water quality ( I keep 6x filtration on my tank as compared to the typical baseline of 4x)

 

[loachman]

Pick your plants carefully, goldfish will likely snack on them. Generally, the algae eaters in common use like more tropical water temperatures.

 

[stang1]

Most Plecos prefer tropical water with a minimum temperature of about 23C.
You could try something like Hillstream Loaches which are ideal for cooler water. They are best kept in a group and also require highly oxygenated water.

 

[LookingToLearn]

thanx so much for all the info.
Got lots more research to do!

 

[johanv]

thanx so much for all the info.
Got lots more research to do!

You can try weather loaches or butterfly plecs.

 

[aquila]

butterfly plecs.

Otherwise known as hillstream loaches/borneo suckers/butterfly loaches, these guys do better in a species tank as they like fast flowing oxygenated water. I keep a couple in my goldfish tank but I have a pair of powerheads circulating water for them and a pebbled bottom for them to cling to.

Most plecos need tropical temperatures and in any case can be lethal to goldfish, they tend to creep up on them at night when they're sleeping and try to suck the slime coat off them. Have you considered apple snails instead?

 

[LookingToLearn]

[
Otherwise known as hillstream loaches/borneo suckers/butterfly loaches, these guys do better in a species tank as they like fast flowing oxygenated water. I keep a couple in my goldfish tank but I have a pair of powerheads circulating water for them and a pebbled bottom for them to cling to.

Most plecos need tropical temperatures and in any case can be lethal to goldfish, they tend to creep up on them at night when they're sleeping and try to suck the slime coat off them. Have you considered apple snails instead?
[/quote]


Thanx so much for the reply. I will look into them. I originally wanted snails but I am a lil concerned about a possible overload. Have you ever had snails? Was this a problem for you.

 

[aquila]

Thanx so much for the reply. I will look into them. I originally wanted snails but I am a lil concerned about a possible overload. Have you ever had snails? Was this a problem for you.

If you just get one apple snail (or 'mystery snail') you should be fine. Unlike most snail species they require a male and a female in order to reproduce so one on its own shouldn't get up to mischief! Check out http/www.applesnail.net/ for more info. They do like to eat aquarium plants but will generally leave tougher plants alone.

 

[LookingToLearn]

Thanx so much for the reply. I will look into them. I originally wanted snails but I am a lil concerned about a possible overload. Have you ever had snails? Was this a problem for you.

If you just get one apple snail (or 'mystery snail') you should be fine. Unlike most snail species they require a male and a female in order to reproduce so one on its own shouldn't get up to mischief! Check out [URL="http/www.applesnail.net/"]http/www.applesnail.net/[/URL] for more info. They do like to eat aquarium plants but will generally leave tougher plants alone.

Thanx so much for the link. I have been reading up alot on them this afternoon and I also found some topics on them in this forum.. I think I am sold! LOL

I just can't wait to get that tank up and cycled!

Did you take those pics of your fish? they are so beautiful! I tried to take some nicer pics of mine but they just aren't turing out...

Thanx again for the reply..

 

[aquila]

Did you take those pics of your fish? they are so beautiful! I tried to take some nicer pics of mine but they just aren't turing out...

Yes I did, it's harder than you think and it helps that I have a good camera If you look on the picture section of the forum there's a good guide on how to take pictures of fish.

These were all taken before my tank revamp, it looks a lot different now.

 

[LookingToLearn]

Gorgeous! Your fish are just awesome! You must just love staring at that tank.. I can't tell you how much time I have spent just staring and my 2 lil guys...

Are those your real plants?

p.s. I looked at the tips for taking good pics.. I tried but I think my camera just sux.. lol.

 

[aquila]

Are those your real plants?

Those are all the ones that got eaten. I'll take some new pics sometime, it's all densely planted now and looking much better. And yes, I spend far too much time watching the fish, they're very charismatic when they reach that size and all have their own characters. Two are going into spawning mode at the moment so they're being very funny to watch!

 

[Fish911]

I just have a question can you put alge eaters in a tank of cold water?just woundering?

 

[murphyk32]

perfered not, they perfer a tropical temerature, as stang1 suggested above.

Murph