I recently switch my tank over to sand and plecos produce a ton of waste that has to be cleaned every day because it looks nasty. Will my tank be fine without a pleco?
Do you really need plecos?
- Thread starter djredtex
- Start date
yes it will be fine with out a pleco
they are a messy fish. get a magnetic algae scraper it will work just as good
they are a messy fish. get a magnetic algae scraper it will work just as good
I'm going to get speared for this on this forum, but I don't care...Pleco's are gross. Some of the fancier ones are nice (zebras?) but most are just giant poop factories.
You get one if you like em/ as for algae razor blades work great.
No tank needs them but if you like em like me you will have them.
No tank needs them but if you like em like me you will have them.
Plecos are one of those fish you either love or hate. People who collect plecos collect for the fish, not to "clean" their tanks. Yeah, get rid of it if you are having second thoughts. Just make sure it goes to a good home. 
gl
glI wasn't always fond of plecos, but the more I looked into them the more I started to like 'em. None of our tanks ever need any fish, we just keep the ones we like!
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I always have a pleco or two and I'm surprised at how much of a difference they make. In my 240 I have 2 (about 10" or so) and they can purge my entire tank of algae in 2 days. Im only talking brown algae though. And I have a gravel substrate so thier messes are less evident.
A lot of people dont understand what plecos actually eat. I dont understand algae myself, but from experience plecos eat brown algae and avoid green and black algae. If you have a problem with brown algae, a pleco can help, if its green or black algae, theyre useless. Also, if you get rid of your pleco you may discover you have had brown algae all along but it was getting consumed fast enough that it never became evidennt.
You can always use plants or an algae scrubber to help out since theyll lower nitrates, which will slow algae growth. Magnets and scrapers and whatnot are labor intensive comparitively speaking, but effective. The only downfall is they obviously only reach the algae you can reach.
You can always pull your pleco out into another tank for a few days or a week or so and see what happens. If it stays clear youll probably be fine with out one. If brown algae shows up, you can always try alternative methods for dealing with it.
A lot of people dont understand what plecos actually eat. I dont understand algae myself, but from experience plecos eat brown algae and avoid green and black algae. If you have a problem with brown algae, a pleco can help, if its green or black algae, theyre useless. Also, if you get rid of your pleco you may discover you have had brown algae all along but it was getting consumed fast enough that it never became evidennt.
You can always use plants or an algae scrubber to help out since theyll lower nitrates, which will slow algae growth. Magnets and scrapers and whatnot are labor intensive comparitively speaking, but effective. The only downfall is they obviously only reach the algae you can reach.
You can always pull your pleco out into another tank for a few days or a week or so and see what happens. If it stays clear youll probably be fine with out one. If brown algae shows up, you can always try alternative methods for dealing with it.
Thanks everyone for the great info you gave me a lot to think about. Still undecided if the pleco stays or if he go's but leaning towards stay. I'll just have to deal with the mess.
I just got a brown algae pop in my tank. Was thinking of getting a bristle nose
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