# Any suggestions of alage eaters???



## broujos (Jul 8, 2011)

Well.. I have a 50 gallon tank with a bgkf 2 angelfishes and one siamese algae eater, and i need another algae eater, but i cant choose which kind!! im thinking about a BN pleco, but im afraid that the siamese will bully him... can someone help?? THANKS!


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## gorangers0525 (Oct 13, 2011)

I suggest more siamese algae eaters.


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## broujos (Jul 8, 2011)

gorangers0525 said:


> I suggest more siamese algae eaters.


thanks, but i have heard that its recommended to add different kind of algae eaters, because each of them eats different kind of algae, so there is no algae left.. also why do u recommend it??thanks!


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## Andarial (Feb 12, 2011)

Is it a siamese or chinese algae eater? Siamese algae eaters, unless you have a false flying fox, are peaceful fish and do not bully other fish. I have a bn pleco with my Siamese algae eater and they get along fine. The only reason I didn't get another siamese algae eater is because he wasn't that interested in cleaning up the algae as much as he was interested in eating the left over food. So I have him for scavenging and my bn pleco for algae. It works out quite well.


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## broujos (Jul 8, 2011)

Andarial said:


> Is it a siamese or chinese algae eater? Siamese algae eaters, unless you have a flying fox, are peaceful fish and do not bully other fish. I have a bn pleco with my Siamese algae eater and they get along fine. The only reason I didn't get another siamese algae eater is because he wasn't that interested in cleaning up the algae as much as he was interested in eating the left over food. So I have him for scavenging and my bn pleco for algae. It works out quite well.


im not so sure, but it is yellow - gold!!


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## Andarial (Feb 12, 2011)

Well if it's a Siamese Algae Eater then it should look like this
http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/may08/images/siamese-algae-eater-lg.jpg 

They are only aggressive to their own species, unless kept in groups of five so I suggest keeping them either in that or single.


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## broujos (Jul 8, 2011)

Andarial said:


> Well if it's a Siamese Algae Eater then it should look like this
> http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/may08/images/siamese-algae-eater-lg.jpg
> 
> They are only aggressive to their own species, unless kept in groups of five so I suggest keeping them either in that or single.


Chinese Algae Eater | Flickr - Photo Sharing! it looks like that!


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## Andarial (Feb 12, 2011)

That's a false flying fox or Chinese Algae Eater, they are aggressive fish when they get larger and only eat algae for a little while. They get quite big, and what they end up doing is snacking on your other fish. They will start to eat the slime coat and other stuff off the other fish in the tank. I don't suggest keeping them in a community tank, unless you can have a strictly aggressive tank or something that is full of fish that can handle themselves. I just don't trust the little buggers no matter how adorable they are.


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## KendraMc (Jul 20, 2011)

get rid of him. chinese algae eaters would rather eat the slim coat off of other fish, possibly killing them, as they get older than eat algae. click on the shaded name to read more about them. they aren't good fish to have with other fish.


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## broujos (Jul 8, 2011)

Andarial said:


> That's a false flying fox or Chinese Algae Eater, they are aggressive fish when they get larger and only eat algae for a little while. They get quite big, and what they end up doing is snacking on your other fish. They will start to eat the slime coat and other stuff off the other fish in the tank. I don't suggest keeping them in a community tank, unless you can have a strictly aggressive tank or something that is full of fish that can handle themselves. I just don't trust the little buggers no matter how adorable they are.


oh.. thanks... do you think that they can hurt my angelfishes??? should i turnt it back to the pet shop i bought it??? if i have to, what algae eater should i buy???


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## KendraMc (Jul 20, 2011)

it will eventually hurt the angels. try to give it back to the store, they may even let you trade it in. BN plecos are ok, common plecos get rather big and would need a bigger tank than yours i think. some of the inverts, shrimp and snails, can also be good i believe, but i don't know enough about them to really recommend anything. you can look through the fish profiles (second tab in across the blue bar at top) for more information. make sure you get something that can deal with the same water parameters as the angels (shouldn't be hard).


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## Andarial (Feb 12, 2011)

Definitely can hurt your angelfish, give him back. I would get a bristlenose peco considering they only get about 3-4 inches at the most, my little guy is 2.5 he's an albino. The albino tend to be smaller for some reaosn, but they are awesome algae eaters <3 and adorable to boot too. They are sweet little things and hardy, I haven't had any issues with him, in a 50 gallon you might be able to get two if you wanted depending on how many fish you have. ^^ I agree with Kendra always check the parameters first and do research


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## broujos (Jul 8, 2011)

thank you really much guys!!! i appreciate the help !!! )) .. now can someone tell me all the colours of BN plecos???? thanks!


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## KendraMc (Jul 20, 2011)

i think they just come in normal and albino. both are kind of cool, though they aren't the prettiest fish out there.


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## Andarial (Feb 12, 2011)

I think it's just normal and albino, I wanted normal but my tank is only 25 gallons and so I wanted to get the smallest kind XD so I got the albino. And though the little nubs on their nose is kinda weird at first you sorta fall in love with them later on. They kind of remind me of bulldogs XDDD lol


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## broujos (Jul 8, 2011)

hahahaha!! thank you really much guys.. all of you!


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## Andarial (Feb 12, 2011)

If you do decide to get one, there are several things you might want to consider, they like caves and must have driftwood of some sort because it helps them digest (I think)... either way I know they need it, they are usually kind of shy in the beginning so if they hide don't worry too much, and also they like veggies. Most don't even need to be blanched for the Bristlenose because of their ability to rasp, mine loves the squash so I just remove the skin and take out the seeds put it on a veggie clip and away he goes <3 it's fun to watch. ^^ You are most definitely welcome most of the stuff I've learned is either from here or from my own experience so I love sharing ^^


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## KendraMc (Jul 20, 2011)

i have a common pleco, and i give him fresh zucchini once a week, peel and all. he eats the insides and only sometimes the peel, but it doesn't bother him so i don't remove it. it is fun when you get to see them eat, but they are nocturnal (common and BN i believe) so you don't really get to see them much.

and the drift wood is a must. mine hides underneath it all day.


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## Andarial (Feb 12, 2011)

Ah thanks for the info on not removing the peel and seeds, I always thought for some reason it would be harder for them to digest, but I guess not XD. I guess I don't have to worry so much anymore, and he can just enjoy it all.


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## gorangers0525 (Oct 13, 2011)

The reason I suggested more algae eaters is because they prefer larger groups. But if you're going to bring the algae eater back to the shop I'd also suggest a bristlenose. Definitely a great pleco to have and they don't get too large.


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## KendraMc (Jul 20, 2011)

gorangers0525 said:


> The reason I suggested more algae eaters is because they prefer larger groups. But if you're going to bring the algae eater back to the shop I'd also suggest a bristlenose. Definitely a great pleco to have and they don't get too large.


... i was under the impression that plecos in general would get territorial with others of their own kind/similar species...


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## Andarial (Feb 12, 2011)

I'm not sure, if you get a breeding pair I think it'd be fine, or two females (though not positive on that) ,though I have heard of people keeping Bristlenoses together without issues though I have no idea what gender they were


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## Groovysunflowers (Sep 29, 2011)

Andarial said:


> I'm not sure, if you get a breeding pair I think it'd be fine, or two females (though not positive on that) ,though I have heard of people keeping Bristlenoses together without issues though I have no idea what gender they were


From the research Ive done, Plecos are pretty difficult to sex, as they don't normally have external factors such as mollies and platties do. Sometimes they say females will have a rounder nose or stuff like that, but you can never really be too sure.










I think these plecos are beautiful, if you're able to find them anywhere. Also -be sure to know what type of "algae eater" you have, whether it's Siamese or Chinese. Chinese algae eaters do not, in fact, prefer algae in their diet. they may eat algae as juveniles, but will grow up to prefer flake food, and are agressive. If you have an aggressive tank, its best to either buy in groups of 5 or as a single member. I have a single juvenile in my tank right now with plenty of hiding spots and he hasnt shown any territorial behavior, so im lucky for now. But if you like the way they look, I suggest getting a lot of Otocinclus. They are very similar in looks and size, and can tolerate a wide range of water parameters. They are best in groups as well.

*EDIT: I got my information backwards. Chinese algae eaters can tolerate a wide parameter of water, the Ottos cannot. Ottos are peaceful fish, best kept in a group of 3 or more.
Oto Catfish (if you'd like to read about them)
And the image i attached is a Starlight Pleco, available as BN


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## Andarial (Feb 12, 2011)

Bristlenoses are easier to sex than most plecos, but if you want to do oto cats they would be good too ^^ you just need established algae in the tank to start off with because usually you will lose some or most of them if you don't considering they are wild caught and usually don't start off eating algae discs in the beginning, but remember they only eat specific kinds of algae, brown diatoms or common green algae, also its best if you have a planted tank because they thrive in that situation. And even though you only need a group of three with your size tank you should probably get five or more I would think just because of the amount of space they have to clean and they would be happier with more. They only grow to be like 1.5 inches I think at the most.


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## broujos (Jul 8, 2011)

thanks guys, but my black ghost knife will eat oto catfish i think ... about bn plecos... do you think that they will deal problems with my angelfish and bgkf ??? thanks!


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## Jbrofish8 (Jul 7, 2011)

KendraMc said:


> ... i was under the impression that plecos in general would get territorial with others of their own kind/similar species...


I think he was referring to siamese algae eaters. At least I think...since at the start of this post he told him to get more SAE's.


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## Jbrofish8 (Jul 7, 2011)

broujos said:


> thanks guys, but my black ghost knife will eat oto catfish i think ... about bn plecos... do you think that they will deal problems with my angelfish and bgkf ??? thanks!



how big is your knife? 

My mom has a 90g with a gold knife and she has about 5 otos in that tank. Her knife is very unusual though and doesn't act like most knife fish. He actually feeds at the surface with the other fish in the tank, and RARELY hides at all. Hes out and about most of the day.. which I find really odd since I was under the impression that knife fish were very shy. Haha.


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