Sorry if this is a frequent thread... I'm curious if having a freshwater tank w/pleco, or having a saltwater tank with good clean-up crew, which would be less algae maintenance if water changes are consistent? This is among a few of the reasons that I'm going back to freshwater. I do understand the point of the more light, then more algae...
freshwater pleco vs saltwater cleanup crew?
- Thread starter B.C..MI
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Lupin
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- Sep 21, 2006
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There will be rampant algal growth if there is nutrient imbalance, not just light. Plants compete with algae for nutrients.
There is no need to use fish to clean up the algae.
:welcome: to AC!
There is no need to use fish to clean up the algae.
:welcome: to AC!
I can't speak for saltwater algae, but here's what I know about FW algae and plecos...
There are other variables that will cause algae to thrive besides light. Here's a good guide to different types of algae and what causes them, along with solutions for the various types. http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm
Some types of algae won't appear unless introduced to the tank on new decor or when adding new fish, you dump the water from the bag into your tank. I had a big problem with beard algae in my 29g which was introduced on driftwood... I saw it, thought it was pretty, and left it on the wood not knowing any better. I have 3 tanks with, until recently, identical parameters, yet only the 29g had the beard algae.
As for the pleco, he isn't going to eat most of those types of algae, and it isn't possible to put together a group of fish to take care of every algae type you may encounter. The pleco pretty much eats the soft green algae that can show up on the tank glass.. and that's about it. You will STILL have to wipe the inside of the glass periodically, because he doesn't make it sparkle like you'll want.
Short answer is... don't base your FW versus SW decision on cleanup crews, because they aren't going to do all your algae maintenance for you. If you later decide you want live plants, you'll be increasing your lighting, most likely introducing new algae types to your tank, and you'll end up fighting algae with a good balance of lighting, CO2, and plant ferts... at which point your cleanup crew will mean nothing as far as algae goes.
There are other variables that will cause algae to thrive besides light. Here's a good guide to different types of algae and what causes them, along with solutions for the various types. http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm
Some types of algae won't appear unless introduced to the tank on new decor or when adding new fish, you dump the water from the bag into your tank. I had a big problem with beard algae in my 29g which was introduced on driftwood... I saw it, thought it was pretty, and left it on the wood not knowing any better. I have 3 tanks with, until recently, identical parameters, yet only the 29g had the beard algae.
As for the pleco, he isn't going to eat most of those types of algae, and it isn't possible to put together a group of fish to take care of every algae type you may encounter. The pleco pretty much eats the soft green algae that can show up on the tank glass.. and that's about it. You will STILL have to wipe the inside of the glass periodically, because he doesn't make it sparkle like you'll want.
Short answer is... don't base your FW versus SW decision on cleanup crews, because they aren't going to do all your algae maintenance for you. If you later decide you want live plants, you'll be increasing your lighting, most likely introducing new algae types to your tank, and you'll end up fighting algae with a good balance of lighting, CO2, and plant ferts... at which point your cleanup crew will mean nothing as far as algae goes.
it is a bad idea to get a pleco as a tank 'janitor'. it is a great idea to get one if you like them.
there are over a hundred species of the fish known as plecos. some are easy to find and nicely priced, others are rare and expensive. some are so common they are simply called 'common plecos'. a mix of three very-similar looking species (not interbred, just all three called the same thing), they will grow anywhere from 18-24 inches or larger.
plecos as a group eat a variety of things. the large majority only nibble on algae when it is abundant and they are hungry. otherwise, depending on the species, they eat fresh veggies, protein (shrimp, larger snails), or wood. most eat a combination of those things in varying amounts. expecting a large pleco to exist on algae alone, even if there is a lot of it, would be like you or me eating a complete daily vitamin pill and a head of lettuce every day, and nothing else. even algae wafers do not provide the amount of bulk they need to fill their huge digestive tracts, so they will always be hungry. most cases where people complain that their plecos are attacking other fish and eating the slime coat - those plecs are starving, expected to eat only algae and whatever food is leftover from other fish. i have found that when given the choice between eating a wafer or waiting until the next day for 'zucchini night', mine would rather wait and let the algae wafer rot.
i am not an expert, but i do have a lot of experience. i currently have 4 bristlenose plecos (ancistrus sp.), a Xingu royal (panaque nigrelineatus), 4 clown plecos (panaque maccus), a common pleco (gibbicep), and a rubberlip (chaetestoma thomasi). i also had a whiptail cat (rinelocaria) and gold nugget which were lost due to parasites after 6 months.
of course. . . . i don't have algae problems.
there are over a hundred species of the fish known as plecos. some are easy to find and nicely priced, others are rare and expensive. some are so common they are simply called 'common plecos'. a mix of three very-similar looking species (not interbred, just all three called the same thing), they will grow anywhere from 18-24 inches or larger.
plecos as a group eat a variety of things. the large majority only nibble on algae when it is abundant and they are hungry. otherwise, depending on the species, they eat fresh veggies, protein (shrimp, larger snails), or wood. most eat a combination of those things in varying amounts. expecting a large pleco to exist on algae alone, even if there is a lot of it, would be like you or me eating a complete daily vitamin pill and a head of lettuce every day, and nothing else. even algae wafers do not provide the amount of bulk they need to fill their huge digestive tracts, so they will always be hungry. most cases where people complain that their plecos are attacking other fish and eating the slime coat - those plecs are starving, expected to eat only algae and whatever food is leftover from other fish. i have found that when given the choice between eating a wafer or waiting until the next day for 'zucchini night', mine would rather wait and let the algae wafer rot.
i am not an expert, but i do have a lot of experience. i currently have 4 bristlenose plecos (ancistrus sp.), a Xingu royal (panaque nigrelineatus), 4 clown plecos (panaque maccus), a common pleco (gibbicep), and a rubberlip (chaetestoma thomasi). i also had a whiptail cat (rinelocaria) and gold nugget which were lost due to parasites after 6 months.
of course. . . . i don't have algae problems.
it is a bad idea to get a pleco as a tank 'janitor'. it is a great idea to get one if you like them.
there are over a hundred species of the fish known as plecos. some are easy to find and nicely priced, others are rare and expensive. some are so common they are simply called 'common plecos'. a mix of three very-similar looking species (not interbred, just all three called the same thing), they will grow anywhere from 18-24 inches or larger.
plecos as a group eat a variety of things. the large majority only nibble on algae when it is abundant and they are hungry. otherwise, depending on the species, they eat fresh veggies, protein (shrimp, larger snails), or wood. most eat a combination of those things in varying amounts. expecting a large pleco to exist on algae alone, even if there is a lot of it, would be like you or me eating a complete daily vitamin pill and a head of lettuce every day, and nothing else. even algae wafers do not provide the amount of bulk they need to fill their huge digestive tracts, so they will always be hungry. most cases where people complain that their plecos are attacking other fish and eating the slime coat - those plecs are starving, expected to eat only algae and whatever food is leftover from other fish. i have found that when given the choice between eating a wafer or waiting until the next day for 'zucchini night', mine would rather wait and let the algae wafer rot.
i am not an expert, but i do have a lot of experience. i currently have 4 bristlenose plecos (ancistrus sp.), a Xingu royal (panaque nigrelineatus), 4 clown plecos (panaque maccus), a common pleco (gibbicep), and a rubberlip (chaetestoma thomasi). i also had a whiptail cat (rinelocaria) and gold nugget which were lost due to parasites after 6 months.
of course. . . . i don't have algae problems.
I don't think it's a bad idea to get a pleco to do "janitor" work in an aquarium. Personally, I think the "common" pleco is rather ugly. But when I was a kid and had freshwater tanks, it just seemed that algae wasn't much of an issue because "Mr. Pleco" always seemed to eat the brown algae on the glass. I'm no newbie to aquariums, I've maintained about 10 reef aquariums througout the years.
Well then, what type of pleco should I get if I want it to get big and eat the brown algae that grows on the glass of an aquarium?
plecos are horrible at eating alge!give me an otto anyday!
for their size Oto's do a nice job on algae. but to say pleco's are horrible at eating algae...I would say you don't have much experience with Pleco's as some do a fine job on it.
as mentioned earlier.. it depends on the species of 'Pleco' .
That said.. I keep both FW and Marine tanks. the jobs of the clean up crew in a Marine tank is entirely different than what a 'clean up ' crew would do in a FW tank.
many of the species in a marine tank consume detrius matter and algae..
the crew usually consist of several species of snails and crabs..some include sea cucumbers or star fish.
their job is to keep uneaten food to a minimum, turn the sand beds(which keep the sand beds healthy) and clean up unwanted algae.
the marine tank set up with a fuge(refugium) deep sandbed and Live rock actually to a small degree complete the nitrogen cycle.
unlike a FW tank.