PLeco Question

The best algae eaters of the pleco world are the royals and the BNs. Personally BN's aren't anything great to look at. As to needing something that eats algae and doesn't poop, don't look for a pleco. The better solution if you want a nice looking pleco, and a good eater, than have a planted tank. My 135 stays at about 5ppms Nitrate, plus I dose 3 times a week potassium nitrate.

Otos are GREAT at eating algae and they don't disturb anything in the tank. The only problem I could see is if you have fish that might eat them, like my juvie pbass did

the common pleco eats lots of algae so does rubber lips but they both poop as much as they eat no getting out of that but the glass will be clean

try a farlowella..they dont get as big as plecs (around 7-8 inches) they look interstign and mine cleans everythign liek a champ. minimal crap too.

Depending on the species, farlowellas can get to be over 12". I have seen them for sale at my LFS at 15"+ on several occassions.

i would suggest bristlenoses. Many of the common species max out at around 4 inches so they wont bet monster and poop up your tank. the smaller varieties also tend to be much more satisfied with eating algae off glass instead of requiring supplemental foods. It is true that most of the common ones you find arent too physically attractive, there are varieties that are less commonly found that do look great. i personally are a fan of the albino long-fins. There are also white seamed and blue seamed varieties that are a little harder to find but are really cool to look at. They are also relatively easy to breed. Also one of the cheaper plecs, unless you find a blue or white seam.

drowning

Regardless of species, even common plecos, and common BN's you WILL have to supplement. Once they become larger, they need meat. BN's sometimes can be extreme bullies as well toward other bottom dwellers. I have had one that killed several different cats. The harder to find white seam is no where near as effective as the common bn at eating algae. There are also several species of "common" bn's that can hit the 10" mark. Due to the close coloration of these species it can be hard to tell them apart.

Regardless of which kind you get, to be effective at eating algae, they are going to have a large waste. while a small bn doesn't put out as much as a 12" royal, it also doesn't eat as much algae. Yin and Yang baby.

Oh god, i just wrote a long reply and lost it. ill try to reiterate

I dont think anyone will to make the argument that any plecs dont need some supplement. On many occassions, the larger plecs may ignore unsightly algae on the glass and require or demand meaty foods. The species of bns i refer to tend to be content to 'clean' through the course of thier lives while being supplemented. I suppose since they dont get as big, algae that grows on glass supplements them much better relative to thier larger counterparts.
I agree that bns tend to be much a much more aggressive species. To the extent that they will kill cats is extreme. dont get me wrong, im not doubting you, but it is certainly an extreme case and should not be the standard.
I have not had much experience with the keeping of the white or blue seam for the long haul. The shipments that i have seen do tend to be much less active, so i dont doubt that you may be right in that they are not as effective as the "common" variety.
Yes, there are several species of "common" ancistrus that do reach well beyond 4 inches as the term bristlenose can be used to refer to a vast amount of different ancistrus. The species i refer to is the variety that is most commonly bred and sold in the US which make up more than 90% (conservatively) of the plecs that people refer to as bn. This variety, which our friend will most likely have access to, max out at 4-5 inches.
We all know that plecs are incredibly dirty little bastards. However some are more appropriate for the average home aquarium and the truth is is that most plecs are not. The common plec for instance is a horrible aquarium fish for the standard aquarium considering size and waste. Although a 12 inch panaque will eat more algae nominally than a smaller bn that i refer to its cost/benefit ratio in terms of waste produced to tank cleaned is much higher than the latter, putting aesthetics and enjoyment to the side. In addition its size makes it more 'suitable' for the average aquarium, im sure you wont argue for instance that the 12 inch panaque is better for a 30 gal aquarium than 2 of the common bristlenoses i refer to on the basis that it will eat more algae. I assumed that we were giving suggestions for the more 'appropriate' choice.
I appreciate your opinions and as always they are a great asset to this site.
How is your L200 breeding project going? i was given a small group of them and considered working with them but didnt have the time. These not much out there on breeding, and would be interested in your progress.

Drowning

WyldFya;525303; said:

Regardless of species, even common plecos, and common BN's you WILL have to supplement. Once they become larger, they need meat. BN's sometimes can be extreme bullies as well toward other bottom dwellers. I have had one that killed several different cats. The harder to find white seam is no where near as effective as the common bn at eating algae. There are also several species of "common" bn's that can hit the 10" mark. Due to the close coloration of these species it can be hard to tell them apart.

Regardless of which kind you get, to be effective at eating algae, they are going to have a large waste. while a small bn doesn't put out as much as a 12" royal, it also doesn't eat as much algae. Yin and Yang baby.

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