I've Bought The Wrong Pleco

[da7thson]

Hi Guys,

i did the cardinal sin on sunday. Went to the LFS with the missis wanting a Bristlenose pleco (wanted something to get rid of the alge on the sides of the tank and on the plants, but has to be under 6" when fully grown).

Got there and they didn't have any. Well i'm pondering and walking around look at what they have with the missis saying "are you buying this or not" I asked and was told that the clown pleco was similar in size and would do the same job. Get the new purchase home and he skuttles off under the bog wood and pretty much stays there all day upside down. On the reading, i've seen now that the clown will either not eat alge at all or very little.

So, do i try and find someone to swap the clown for a Bristlenose (when i can find one), or do i get somthing else for the tank (i think my tank is full or just over full)?

Cheers

Andy

 

[ZoddyZod]

a BN should not be seen as a soloution to algae removal, there are other factors that are contributing to your algae problem and you should look to address those first instead.

Can you tell us more about your set up?

Is it planted?

What size is the tank?

Filter model?

How long are your lights on for?

What fish are in there?

 

[da7thson]

Is it planted?

Yes - Amazon sward, java moss, water asteria and a couple of other types

What size is the tank?

125L

Filter model?

juwel bio (the standard one with the tank)

How long are your lights on for?

2 hours in the morning, 8 in the evening

What fish are in there?

Alge started before fish were introduced during fishless cycle. 6x zebra danios, 10 cardinal tetra, 1 clown pleco, 3 dwarf cichlids.


Alge is a hair type on some of the amazone swards. and i have a little on the back of the tank and filter.

 

[moochy13]

a tank that recieves the correct amount of light usually wont have any algae. this is your first problem, try reducing the amount of light it gets see what happens. plecs aren't surefire solutions to getting rid of algae, common misconception. if its eating algae, its because its not being fed enough usually.

 

[xingumike]

As above, they are not like a clean up crew in a marine tank, although most BN's will help with certain algae

That said, P. maccus (clown) are great little fish, do you have wood in the tank?

 

[Blubble37]

a tank that recieves the correct amount of light usually wont have any algae. this is your first problem, try reducing the amount of light it gets see what happens. plecs aren't surefire solutions to getting rid of algae, common misconception. if its eating algae, its because its not being fed enough usually.

+1

 

[minnnt]

A BN will not touch hair algae anyway mate. If you cut your lighting down to 7 hours a day (or even 6) then the algae problem will probably subside a little. Make sure there is plenty of circulation in the tank and isn't in any direct sunlight. Also try adding more plants as these out compete algae for nutrients.

 

[da7thson]

Coolio, will try all the above.

Thanks

Andy

 

[Dezi]

Was so pleased to read all your comments!! I'm a newbie...... with a small tank (I'm embarrassed to tell you the size and how many fish I have in it!!!!) Not to worry, will be upgrading in the next few weeks. My supplier told me I could keep 1 fish per litre of tank water??? Is he just trying to sell me more fish

Your comments have opened my eyes!!!!

 

[Blubble37]

My supplier told me I could keep 1 fish per litre of tank water???

Absolute tosh!

Try putting a pacu in a litre if water and you will find you neeed a bigger tank sooner than you'd think.

Think about their full grown size rather than what they say as their job its to make money.

 

[fluttermoth]

Was so pleased to read all your comments!! I'm a newbie...... with a small tank (I'm embarrassed to tell you the size and how many fish I have in it!!!!) Not to worry, will be upgrading in the next few weeks. My supplier told me I could keep 1 fish per litre of tank water??? Is he just trying to sell me more fish

Your comments have opened my eyes!!!!

Don't worry; we get newbies who've been given terrible advice from suppliers and 'the man in the shop' all the time!

If you're worried your tank is overstocked, do extra water changes (temperature matched, dechlorinated water, of course) until you can either upgrade your tank or re-home some fish. You can change 50% daily, or more, with no problems (although you might not need to do that much, depending on the tank size and your stocking level).