Tank growing algae; should I get a pleco?
- Thread starter Nabbig2
- Start date
:Druu;1535503; said:
No, I'm not talking about a common pleco. I'm talking about one of those dwarf plecos, that reaches a maximum of five inches. Would it be okay in a tank without gravel?
Even a pleco at five inches is pushing for a 10g. They need plenty of hiding places. Will you provide them those? Substrate is not a problem.Nabbig2;1538458; said:
get rid of all the plant life and you won't have any problems with algae. you don't need to add more fish even with a lil bit of light you will still have even tough stuck on algae.
Another thought would be to cut down on the amount of food given to the fish. Algae has a tendency to grow in "nutrient rich" water which can be an indication of over-feeding.
I used to feed my 55 gallon angel tank daily and would need to scrub the glass at least once a week. When I cut back to feeding only 3 days a week, I might need a light scrub once a month.
The answer to your pending question is: the pleco would probably do fine without gravel. But I would take everyone else's advice by addressing the cause of the algae instead of finding a "fix-all" fish.
I used to feed my 55 gallon angel tank daily and would need to scrub the glass at least once a week. When I cut back to feeding only 3 days a week, I might need a light scrub once a month.
The answer to your pending question is: the pleco would probably do fine without gravel. But I would take everyone else's advice by addressing the cause of the algae instead of finding a "fix-all" fish.
But the thing is that I haven't done anything with this 10 gallon. I just put water, chemicals, a sponge filter, and a heater. Dwarf plecos don't eat baby guppies, right? And yes Lupin, don't worry I have plenty of cover for the pleco.
no the pleco won't eat the fry, but it will produce a ton of waste that will encourage more algae growth and the pleco also needs meaty foods and would benefit from driftwood a lot, they don't just eat algae. cutting your lights back to 4~6hrs a day and increasing water changes will stop the algae from coming back after you reach in and pull it out, in a 10g it shouldn't take more than a few minutes if that.
Danyal;1538865; said:
Good point about the waste. Do you think otocinclus will do good? Or maybe I don't need an algae eating fish. I'll see how much algae grows, and if baby guppies graze on it. Thanks.
