Bristlenose plecos VS SAE

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Sinister-Kisses

Sinister-Kisses

Aimara
MFK Member
Jan 19, 2022
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I'm not a huge pleco fan, the ones I do like enough to keep are the super hella expensive kind so needless to say, it's been like 20 years since I owned a pleco lol. However, I have a group of 6 Siamese algae eaters - and I'm like 95% sure they are actually true SAE - in my 8ft tank that were bought with the express purpose of algae clean up. I've never actually kept bristlenose plecos before, but always hear that they're good for algae. Looking for feedback on whether it's likely to be worth swapping the SAE for a few of the plecos instead?
 
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I love SAE, have always kept them. The continuously browse on algae, but don't really clean the tank.

Also, I have got two albino long fin bristles in a different tank. They do an incredible job on algae, but I don't much like them. I prefer the plecos without bristles.

Keep both!
 
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I know, but I don't have BB algae issues, like ever at all. I would never keep just one, they much prefer to be in groups. But they are not touching the algae I do have even a little. So if the plecos (agreed, really dislike the bristlenose look but they're the famed algae eaters) will do what the SAE aren't, I'll swap 'em.
 
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Just let you know what I've found, peppermint Bristlenose are beautiful but no one tells you they are useless algae cleaners.
Gone back to standard Bristlenose now (Super Reds this time) and they are good algae cleaners, especially the glass, I still have some on rocks and plants but it is nowhere as much as when I just had Peps.
 
I added a couple of pairs of Bristlenose and even though I had a couple of hundred a few years later they didn't appear to have much impact on my BBA. It took me two years to catch them all and stop them breeding. There was always a pair that escaped my notice to continue the population. They were exchanged for store credit.
 
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I'll get a video of the SAE after work this evening.

Again, I'm not talking about BBA. I have literally never had issues with BBA in my tanks in 30+ years. Just regular old green and brown algae.
 
This is a very recent thread I started. You really need to have a look at it if you want to get some idea of the best algae eaters.

For the record I've also kept SAE and always found those to be ok too, but not as aggressive as BN's.

Algae munching monsters!

Some of you may remember that I set up my old hex tank back in April. My only stock in there were 12 Serpae tetras. I just left this tank to its own devices and it wasn't long before it was over run with algae. I loved the look and the algae ensured constant 0ppm nitrate readings too. However...
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My experience is limited but I ran a 60 gal tank for about a decade with a pair of panama red bns and never cleaned the glass, they were amazing. Now I have a 90 and only have 1 plain bn, the glass needs cleaned every couple of weeks to spot algae. I tried another albino bn, but it was tiny and didn't make it, have had other priorities lately, but will be adding a couple or 3 more sometime to see if that helps. Perhaps it's my individual fish that prefers hanging on the driftwood over the glass, or the sub type, or gender, I have no idea. I personally like the bristles, but if you don't, the females are much less tentacled.
 
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