Are candy striped plecs good algea eaters?

[k2snowboards88]

I"m looking for a small algea eater because theres quite a bit of algea in my tank. I really like the looks of the candy stripe pleco, and its small adult size. Do they make good algea eaters to clean up a tank? Or at least decent? If not, what kind of fish would you suggest. I want the fish to stay under 10 inches though.

Thanks

edit: i really don't like the bristlenose plec because its so ugly. even the common plec looks 1000x's better.

 

[k2snowboards88]

Do golden nugget plecos eat algea?

 

[SirMinion]

No, although they will eat a little algae, they mostly meaty foods & vegitable matter, the same goes for Golden Nuggets.

The only efficient small algae eating plecs are bristlenoses and ottos. (ottos need to be kept in a group)

 

[Earthgirl]

Hey Sir, how about a clown?
Mine always has a little ponch and he eats algae......
Not as effcient as the BN though, but he does an ok job
Also, gold nuggets are pretty to look at..... when you see the little bugger

 

[SirMinion]

A clown would be about the same as a candy-stripe with algae efficiency, but each fish is different. Some spend more time rasping at algae than others. As I said in my last post, Candy stripes (& clowns) do eat algae (as earthgirl's clown proves), just not as well, on average, as bristlenoses.

 

[SirMinion]

I just remembered another small pleco that's great with algae (also needs meaty foods though)

Rubber-lip plecos, (chaetostoma sp.) are great litle cleaners, and all but three species stay really small. They're pretty too.

Here's one of ours.

Chaetostoma Thomsoni

 

[brissiegal]

i really don't like the bristlenose plec because its so ugly. even the common plec looks 1000x's better.

Bristlenose plecs are not ugly!!!!!!

They are BEAUTIFUL creatures!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SirMinion]

i really don't like the bristlenose plec because its so ugly. even the common plec looks 1000x's better.

Bristlenose plecs are not ugly!!!!!!
They are BEAUTIFUL creatures

Absolutely

 

[brissiegal]

Absolutely

bravo!!!

 

[Earthgirl]

Sir Minion!

Only a face a mother could love!





















I so want another Medusa male

 

[SirMinion]

Sir Minion!
Only a face a mother could love!

Me? ... or the fish?

 

[mandi]

Are you absolutely set on getting a pleco?

If not, I'd say get a few otos. I got 3 of them to "clean up" my 6 gallon eclipse tank (and wow they did a good job!) and then after I set up my 20 gallon, I moved them into there, and I've never had a speck of algae in that tank.

I'm a little prejudice though because I think they're adorable lil boogers.

 

[SirMinion]

Are you absolutely set on getting a pleco?
If not, I'd say get a few otos.

Otos (Otocinclus Vittatus) are plecos!

A member of the loricariidae family of sucker-mouthed catfish, they even have an L-number (well, datz LDA number anyway) - LDA23

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

i really don't like the bristlenose plec because its so ugly. even the common plec looks 1000x's better.

Bristlenose plecs are not ugly!!!!!!

They are BEAUTIFUL creatures!!!!!!!!!!!

i totally agree with you!
my bnose is as cute as a button

 

[k2snowboards88]

Are you absolutely set on getting a pleco?

If not, I'd say get a few otos. I got 3 of them to "clean up" my 6 gallon eclipse tank (and wow they did a good job!) and then after I set up my 20 gallon, I moved them into there, and I've never had a speck of algae in that tank.

I'm a little prejudice though because I think they're adorable lil boogers.

Well i would have gotten some otos, but they're too small and might get eaten in my tank. But i did get a pleco anyway. It was sold as a golden nugget pleco, but it definitely isn't. It looks like some type of rubber lip pleco. If any of you know what it is, that would be great. He does a great job of cleaning algea, but he's pretty shy and runs away when i get too close to the tank.