Plecs Help

[alyssa1987]

hi this may have been answered in general somewhere else on this forum but i need to find out a specific answer for my personal needs i have a 25 uk gallon ish (about 110litres ish ) tank and would really like to purchase a plec of some kind for this tank and my other tank which is about half the size. i have quite a lot of algae to be eaten too so an algae eating plec/catfish is what im after. im just not sure on what to get for either tanks i would like one that grows quite big in the larger tank but that would live in there reasonably comfy. any help on my decision is much apretiated thanks. Alyssa

 

[rabbut]

Algea eating fish are high-waste and in that respect can caurse more algea them they eat I would personally look into what algea you have and what is caursing it, and reduce it that way How often do you need to clean it off? What does it look like (picture or description of appreance)?

There are a few species out there that are small and algea eaters. Probibly the best and most common is the bristle nose plec, or bristle nose ansistrus (Can go by either name) then there are clown plecs that are also fairly common and (if I remember correctly) are primerily hervivores Otcliocinctus(sp?) are another option, but you would need a good group to make a noticable difference with them IME

Avoid commons and gibesepse like the plague, as both get too large

HTH
Rabbut

 

[Robot_Rooster]

a clown plec is slightly smaller than a bristlenose plec either are fine in a small tank

 

[ILuvTropicalFish]

Alyssa,
I discovered plecos years ago and would not keep a tank without them now. I used to get the common pleco when they were small and then trade them back in to the LFS before they got too large. I started feeling like I was not helping by creating demand for them because ulitmately they will die because of their size and lack of places for them to go and thrive.

I recently decided to research and find one that would not get so large, and that I could find locally. My LFS got some small bristlenose in and currently I keeping three of them. There are others that do not get so big but there are other issues from being jumpers to not being good tank cleaners. I almost got a gold nugget pleco until I found out they are notorious jumpers. And at $25, I was not willing to take that chance.

While it is true that they produce alot of waste, I find them invaluable in keeping my tanks clean. It is easier to me to gravel vac the pleco waste during a water change than it is to scrape the algae. I definitely know when I do not have a pleco in my tank.

It is true you should know what is causing the excess algae, but I have found that mine is due to two causes. I like having the lights on in my aquariums and I use a phosphate buffer in my 55 gallon. Phosphate aids algae growth.

I recommend the bristlenose plecos. Also, if your LFS has another variety, take the time to do the research on it before you buy because they are not all good at what you want them to do.

 

[alyssa1987]

I think my algae is also due to having the lights on alot but thats because i want to see my fish and at certain times of the day for a couple of hours they do sometimes get some sunlight on them plus even when the lights are off i have got glow in the dark paint on the outside of the back of the tank which isnt really bright but it keeps it lighter than it would normally be its so funky to watch at night because the fish look like shadows moving around the tank because the feint light behind them.

 

[rabbut]

The gold nuggets would not eat algea either. They are Byransistrus, so predominantly meat eaters. They are notoriously hard to aclimate and usualy struggle for the first few weeks, but if you can get them past that onto a diet of meaty frozen foods, you are clean and dry. These plecs only jump if stressed, and are most likely to commit suicide in the first week IME

Plecs in turn caurse algea, as their high waste increases nitrates in the tank unless you are doing twice weekly decent size waterchanges, and so they are "double edges swards". If you are adding them to reduce maintanance, you are wasting time, as they simply convert time spent algea cleaning into time spent gravel washing and waterchanging If you prefur waterchanging to algea cleaning, go for it, but I prefur the latter in most cases

All the best
Rabbut

 

[alyssa1987]

but water changing is a job that needs to be done anyway so i think it is a good option i think i will get some otos i just dont know for sure if they will get on with the fish i already have im not sure cos both tanks have different fish in them

 

[alyssa1987]

does anyone know what you can keep or not keep with otos? Any help with this apretiated but my lfs has a very good reputation and im sure they will inform me tomorrow when i go fetch some otos unless they or anyone on here tells me if they are unsuitable with the rest of my fish. Thanks Alyssa

 

[Robot_Rooster]

both plecs and otos are peaceful fish

 

[wilchil64]

The gold nuggets would not eat algea either. They are Byransistrus, so predominantly meat eaters. They are notoriously hard to aclimate and usualy struggle for the first few weeks, but if you can get them past that onto a diet of meaty frozen foods, you are clean and dry. These plecs only jump if stressed, and are most likely to commit suicide in the first week IME

Plecs in turn caurse algea, as their high waste increases nitrates in the tank unless you are doing twice weekly decent size waterchanges, and so they are "double edges swards". If you are adding them to reduce maintanance, you are wasting time, as they simply convert time spent algea cleaning into time spent gravel washing and waterchanging If you prefur waterchanging to algea cleaning, go for it, but I prefur the latter in most cases

Sorry for jumping into the thread with a question, but I bought a lL134, Leopard frog plec 3 - 4 inches big, about 10 days ago. Since putting him in the tank, we have barely seen him, just the tip of his tail poking out of the bogwood in the morning when we get up.

Also there is algae growing on the glass in the tank. Will he eat the algae eventually when he settles in or is he likely to prefer something else? I have been putting in algae wafers, but have stopped for now as he is not eating them and I keep having to remove them after 24 hours before they decay.

In my other tank I have a bristlenose and he motors through the algae, is constantly on the glass and slate, there is no green anywhere in the tank and the lights are on for the same amount of time.

Would I be better off putting another ancistrus in with the leopard frog plec to eat the algae or is it likely the leopard frog is still settling in and may start eating soon?

Thanks.

I would definitely recommend an ancistrus for eating algae, anyway. Ours is gold/albino, he/she is just growing bristles and is a funny little character to watch, we all love him to bits!

 

[rabbut]

I think the L134's are Hypancistrus, so omnivores? I'd get that checked in the "plecos and other locharids" section of the catfish sub-forum though, as they aren't one I've kept If that is the case, you will have to suppliment their algea diet with twice weekly meaty food feeds to keep them healthy long-term.

Not all plecs are peaceful. L18/81, one of the three gold nugget species (can't remember which one of the two, I think it is the L81) will literaly kill any other pleco that goes in with it You need to check before you buy any plec, just what it's teperament is like. Ancistrus are peaceful and commons+gibbies are semi-agressive

Ottos are fine with anything that won't eat them. I have had some latch onto large sided fish before (angels), for the slime coat, but this I understand to be very rare

HTH
Rabbut

 

[wilchil64]

I think the L134's are Hypancistrus, so omnivores? I'd get that checked in the "plecos and other locharids" section of the catfish sub-forum though, as they aren't one I've kept If that is the case, you will have to suppliment their algea diet with twice weekly meaty food feeds to keep them healthy long-term.

Thanks. What is he likely to eat? I feed the fish frozen or live brine shrimps every second day, but he doesn't come out when I put the food in, so I imagine he's not getting any of it.

 

[rabbut]

Muscle, coccle, bloodworms occasionally work, white bait just pretty much any large frozen food that can get to the bottom. I use muscle personally for my L66

 

[loachman]

does anyone know what you can keep or not keep with otos? Any help with this apretiated but my lfs has a very good reputation and im sure they will inform me tomorrow when i go fetch some otos unless they or anyone on here tells me if they are unsuitable with the rest of my fish. Thanks Alyssa

They are fine with just about any fish that cannot eat them.

p.s. punctuation is your friend.

 

[wilchil64]

Muscle, coccle, bloodworms occasionally work, white bait just pretty much any large frozen food that can get to the bottom. I use muscle personally for my L66

So I can put a chunk of white fish in for him to eat? Cooked or raw? Do I need to weigh it down, I guess so!

Will he be ok with just algae wafers if I can get him to eat something like that? What about the other fish, will they be ok if I start putting chunks of fish or mussels in there (they are freshwater tropical, not marine fish?)

Sorry for the stupid questions. The only other plec I have is a bristlenose, and he is quite happy with the algae wafers, I presumed the L134 would be too.

Will the leopard frog plec also eat algae from the sides of the tank and if not can I put a bristlenose in with him?

Thanks.