Help me pick algae eaters please

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Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2011
3,441
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New England
I have pretty much avoided getting algae eaters, but I think I'm at the point where I would like one in each of my 75's, just to help a little.

I like plecos, but do not want to spend a lot of money. I also want something that is tough - as in, hardy. In other words, I am not setting up a tank for this fish, like people do for rarer plecos, etc.

There are rocks, and driftwood in each tank, and of course some algae.

I really like the true albino plecos, but have not seen any. What are some other ideal choices?

I really like Siamese Algae Eaters, but those will get eaten, even in my community tank.
Let the ideas flow!
 
You could try pterygoplichthys pardalis theyre pretty hardy in my experience and are commonly available ususally sold as Albino Chocolate plecos, theres a normal colored variant that looks a lot like a common pleco but Ive never seen them for sale unless they were mixed in with a shipment of hypos. I'm not sure how great a job they'll do on algae and whether or not they will work at all depends on the tankmates.

Though honestly I feel compelled to say that getting a fish for algae control is a bad idea. If you have algae problems you should look at the root cause and not try to solve it by introducing another animal. Most grow out of the algae scavenger phase anyway and then theyd not only stop cleaning your tank but would starve to death. There, thats my public service announcement.
 
Thanks for the posts, guys!

To clarify, I don't have an algae problem - I take care of that myself during each water change. I just want something to help out a little on what I miss, as well as eating regular food.

Good call on the "Chocolate Plecos" I like those - I saw a few a while ago, but they always look super thin - otherwise I would have gotten two.

Flagtails are probably too peaceful for my tanks.
 
I would recommand a royal pleco. I bought one 6 inches for $40 bucks, in two days, it ate all the green algae in my tank. I think it's a great pleco to have in a community tank. It's not territorial nor aggressive. Plus, it's a pretty odd looking fish.
 
Well first depends on what kind of fish you have in yoru 75 gals. As long as your not feeding live foods like black worms or you don't have fishes with a high protein diet then your ok. Get Albino Bushynose plecos I gurantee you'll love em for a 75 gal get the bigger ones cost a lil more but worth every penny. one of the best algae eaters and pretty hardy just know too much protein in their diet they bloat and die. But other than they they are beautiful and awesome algae eaters. The regular chocolates are fine too and cheaper. Same fish different color thats all. Chinese algae eaters are great but grow slow, if you have a community tank they are perfect.
 
check out bristlenose aka bushynosed plecos, they're hardy and entertaining. I think they'd fit well, plus they are available in long finned albino varieties which are gorgeous
 
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