Small Pleco Type Or....?

[redskygrave]

Hi all!
 
I have a 20 gallon fry tank at the moment. The fry are about 1/3" in size. 
 
I've noticed a bit of algae growing in the tank (not a big deal I can clean it and I do); my question is this though: Is there a type of Pleco that I can put in the tank that would leave the fry alone and won't grow to a giant size like in my other tanks? 

 

[the_lock_man]

Plenty.
 
Have a look through this thread.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Red Cherry Shrimp are also a great choice for keeping a fry tank clean.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'd second the RCS over a pleco in a fry tank.  Shrimp have a MUCH lower bioload, which will mean less concern about ammonia spikes and needing to do more water changes and chance sucking up the fry.  The shrimp will also clean up the excess food...

 

[laurac94]

How about some oto's?? They eat lots of types of algae and I dont think they will bother your fry, you will need to keep them in a group of around 6 but only grow to about 2" long

If not I would go with cherry shrimp, get 10-15 and they will set up a breeding colony

 

[redskygrave]

I like shrimp we've had 5 ghost shrimp in the past, but they tend to jump out through the filter gap in my hoods (haven't been able to keep one for more than a month each...)

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If they are looking to get out, there may be a water quality issue.

 

[redskygrave]

Everytime I tested the water levels were awesome. Except hardness (still havent found a way to make that better that isnt ridiculous)

 

[eaglesaquarium]

That might be the issue with the shrimp - kH should be between 3-10, from what I've read regarding ghost shrimp.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Try putting some crushed coral in a bag in your filter. Bear in mind it takes some time to work. Over time, as it slowly dissolves, add more.
 

To raise both GH and KH simultaneously, add calcium carbonate (CaCO3). 1/2 teaspoon per 100 liters of water will increase both the KH and GH by about 1-2 dH. Alternatively, add some sea shells, coral, limestone, marble chips, etc. to your filter.

from http/fins.actwin.com/aquariafaq.html
 
The calcium part is good for shrimp to make "shell" and the carbonate part is good for holding the pH stable and feeding the nitrifying
bacteria. You should be able to scrounge a few cups from a saltie or African cichlid keeper. Other wise you have to buy a bag of it which will be more than you need for a while. I had to get a 25 lb. bag. I will die before I can use it up for this purpose.
 
If you want to try this you I would suggest starting with about 1/2 cup in a 40-50 gal. (150 - 190l) tank. Wait a week or two and test. Then adjust the amount, up or down, accordingly.

 

[Wildbetta]

I definately agree with the cherry shrimp for the fry tank.  I just recently moved my shrimp into my fry tank.  They are busy helping out as cleaning crew in there and don't harm any of the fry.  Plecos...even the smaller ones have a very large bioload which would create ammonia at dangerous levels for fragile fry plus most plecos would eat a tiny fry if they landed on them just right.  Just one of those unfortunate side effects of being a tiny fry in a very large world.