Snails and mbunas

[rrcoolj]

Hey guys, my 55 gallon cichlid aquarium is all cycled and i'll be getting fish in a week. but my tank has algea all over the glass. Normally I would just buy a rubber lipped pleco but I've read mbunas are known for killing plecos. I wanna know would apple snail shells provide adequete deffense over a mbunas bite. And would they be alright to add to the tank?

 

[Dreamsofpeace54]

your pleco will eat leftover fish food before anything else, if you really want the algae gone get a scrapper and go at it.

 

[rrcoolj]

but how am I gonna get behind the rock work?

 

[r3d]

Go with the snail idea, they should be fine

 

[pat3612]

Make sure the snails are a good size like apple snails otherwise they will just be fish snacks .Pat

 

[rrcoolj]

Make sure the snails are a good size like apple snails otherwise they will just be fish snacks .Pat

Thanks, I was planning on getting apple snails

 

[Dreamsofpeace54]

if they want to they can still get at the apple snails, mine dig mts outta the sand all day and eat them.

and u can get the algae when you take the rock work out to clean the poop out from behind there too, unless your too lazy to do that too.

 

[mike dunagan]

My africans kill snails much faster and are less likely to kill plecos over snails...

 

[paulW]

but how am I gonna get behind the rock work?

I leave algae on my back wall, I just get what I can reach on the side walls.. The important thing for me is to just get the front viewing area clean..

 

[rrcoolj]

I just read that apple snails make terrible algea eaters. And I don't think my petstore sells bristlenose plecos. Are there any other algea eaters that are compatible with african cichlids?