brisltenose or butterfly l52 pleco owners

[klipsch]

hi,

im planning to get a pleco for my datnoid tank because im having algae problem and i want to add some new species to the tank.

which would you recommended between the two? i want a more good looking and an efficient algae cleaning pleco.

anyway, can you please post adult pictures of the bristlenose and butterfly plec? thanks

 

[davo]

Not sure what you mean by butterfly plec (if you mean B. kweichowensis or similar butterfly loaches-in which case these are coldwater fish) or D. brachyura (http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/image.php?image_id=2202) or the other Dekeyseria sp. (http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/image.php?image_id=3216) but they would all eat algae. There are many types of Ancistrus (aka bristlenose plecs) and here is a list of species: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/genus.php?genus_id=4#1082 although many can be difficult to tell apart and there are many hybrids. Each one eats algae to different extents, and of course are all differing sizes so i'm not sure if your current fish would see them as a snack or not.

More importantly is that plecos are not the best algae removers. There are not too many that eat algae, plenty won't touch it if they are being fed properly, and it also depends on the individual. For example commons and G. gibbiceps are often bought to eat algae and i've had a quite a lot of specimens that didn't eat algae. They also add a lot to the bioload of the tank, further promoting algae growth. Unfortunately there aren't fish that will do the work for you, and it is best to try and control the algae with waterchanges, and little sunlight/low light levels in the tank (if possible unless you have a planted tank), and of course a good old fashioned algae scrapers. If you do a search for algae and plecos you'll get quite a lot of info, its a FAQ.