Myth confirmed... Plecos DO clean glass.
- Thread starter Retuks
- Start date
there's no doubt that they do that, but the misconception is that they're doing their job, i disagree, they just eat.
plecos eat algae-and a ton of other crap......try cucumber,squash,pumpkin and zucchini-basically any squash type family
To the OP: To say that plecos don't clean glass is untrue, so you are correct on that statement. Sure, some do. Most don't. I think that when people state that they don't clean glass, they're doing it to discourage the other myth, the one spread by pet stores and other establishments trying to sell plecos, that if you have algae, you should buy a pleco. It's simply ridiculous to buy a fish to fix a problem. Most algae growth is due to an overabundance of the things algae feeds on -- so, keep a "cleaner" tank -- less nitrate, less uneaten food, etc., and you won't need a pleco.
That being said, for an individual in your situation, with ten fish who can all potentially reach three inches in a ten gallon tank, I think the advice given to you was to scrub the glass with an algae scrubber or try snails. This advice was offered for several different reasons, one, because the exodons would terrorize and injure the pleco, and two, becuase you already have such a huge biomass in your small aquarium.
Sure, they'll clean glass, but if you're only increasing nitrates by adding a fish that poops a lot, thus giving the algae more food to eat, what's the point? Then you'll have more algae, because it's finding the tank to be a wonderful environment, especially since the new addition, and then the pleco eats more (if it is, indeed, the type that eats algae off of the glass) and then he poops more, and then there's more algae.
Mag-Float glass cleaners are very nice.
That being said, for an individual in your situation, with ten fish who can all potentially reach three inches in a ten gallon tank, I think the advice given to you was to scrub the glass with an algae scrubber or try snails. This advice was offered for several different reasons, one, because the exodons would terrorize and injure the pleco, and two, becuase you already have such a huge biomass in your small aquarium.
Sure, they'll clean glass, but if you're only increasing nitrates by adding a fish that poops a lot, thus giving the algae more food to eat, what's the point? Then you'll have more algae, because it's finding the tank to be a wonderful environment, especially since the new addition, and then the pleco eats more (if it is, indeed, the type that eats algae off of the glass) and then he poops more, and then there's more algae.
Mag-Float glass cleaners are very nice.
I put a plec in my RD tank when it had filthy glass as i could not put my arm in . And plec cleaned glass perfectly
Really, I never realized this was thought to be a myth with commons? Guess my guy is a glutton. I have a common around 11" (had him around 8 years), and he never stops eating. He will gut a 4" long .5" think slice of zuchinni and still forage for food (i.e algae). I had 3-4" angle algae covering a 40 breeder that he cleaned out in less the 24 hr period, most of it gone overnight. He eats pellets, shrimp, superworms, snail eggs, all sorts of veggies, and any and all algae he can get ....... and consequently defecates constantly.
There are a few points to be made here.Retuks;3491540; said:
One, you don't know what the myth is.
Two, plecos are like any other fish that are owned for our enjoyment first, and maybe a role second.
Three, you lump all plecos together when there are major differences in dietary needs of the various species that are out there. You definately imply that all plecos like algae which could not be further from the truth.
Four, even within some species the preference for food can vary tremendously from fish to fish.
The best example comes from my two sailfins that are both around 15" TL (different tanks for their own safety). Sailfins are an omnivorous pleco species. As adults they require a healthy amount of plant and meat foods to be healthy. My standard sailfin prefers a heavy meaty diet, and the albino one prefers a much greener diet. The standard sailfin won't eat vegeatables at all, but the albino one loves vegetables. Both are active and healthy fish even with the large dietary discrepancy.
Why mention point number four? Well, the OPs thread title is mis-leading. It adds to the real myth that plecos are glass cleaners who don't need a supplemented diet. Seeing as this myth is something so many people here, and on other reputable sites, have gone to great lengths to dispell I just hate seeing threads that begin like that.
(I have a bristlenose pleco) here is a couple of before/after photos I dug out::
My bristlenose will eat algae and keep my 85 clean. Plecos also eat the bacterial film that develops on the glass. My L-25 scarlet pleco will not touch any vegetation but likes mussels and shrimp and pellets. They are both in the 85 and ignore each other.
