Are my baby BN Plecos big enough for community tank?

[Mama Karoti]

I just purchased two albino BN Plecos. They are currently in a little 10 gallon quarantine tank. They are only about an inch and a half long. Are they big enough to make it ok in my peaceful community tank, or is it better to let them grow a bit more first? My community is 60 gal and has a pearl gourami, red eye tetras, neon tetras, platies, cories, and SAE's.

 

[Skibum3]

The tetras, platys, Cory's, and sae will definitely be fine and not pick on them, however I am not so sure about the pearl gourami. Is it fully grown and/or able to fit the pleco in its mouth?
How big is the pearl compared to them?

 

[Mama Karoti]

She is about 3 and a half inches including tail and seems to be done growing. I'm pretty sure she couldn't put them in her mouth, and she's not a picker. She only gets after the platies occasionally when they are being annoying. She doesn't bother the neons, and she pretty much stays at the top.

 

[Skibum3]

Well if she doesn't bother the neons I would say the bns are fine to go in you big tank

And from my experience I noticed bristle noses grow quickly

 

[Mama Karoti]

Ok, thanks. That's good to know. My old BN was almost full grown when I got him. I don't know the sex of these two because they are so small. No bristles yet. If they end up both being male, I hope they don't become territorial. My old one was male and would chase the other fish away from his wafer or zucchini.

 

[Skibum3]

Maybe you will have a male and female and then you could have little fry!! That's funny I have a female and she doesn't care who eats her veggies lol

 

[toddnbecka]

They should be fine in the 60, nothing in there big enough to eat them. Good bit of competition for food though, particularly with the SAE's. I'd drop in some canned green beans or other veggies at least once weekly. You'd be surprised how many fish will eat those too.

 

[Mama Karoti]

They should be fine in the 60, nothing in there big enough to eat them. Good bit of competition for food though, particularly with the SAE's. I'd drop in some canned green beans or other veggies at least once weekly. You'd be surprised how many fish will eat those too.

Ok, thanks. I unfortunately have plenty of algae at the moment. I am trying to find balance between light and micro/macro nutrients. Ever since I lost my pleco, my balance has been disrupted--not only by the algae he was eating, but moreso by the nitrates be was contributing to the system. My plants were starting to do terrible and algae was picking up and I realized it was because I had hardly any nitrates and zero phosphate.

I feed my fish cucumber or zucchini a couple times a week. I was planning on putting two slices in there at one time when I move the Plecos over. I've never tried green beans before--I will give that a try.

 

[philipraposo198]

I think they are good to go now. I have a baby bn pleco with 4 pearls and 1 blue gourami in my 75 heavily planted

I wanted to ask what type of algae do you have and how long do you run your lights? Co2? Excel¿ any dry ferts or any fert? If so how much? What plants do you got? How much of the tank is planted? Pics?

I would like to try and help with your algae problems as I have recently come.a long way withy 75g and feel I can offer some help in this area.

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[Mama Karoti]

I think they are good to go now. I have a baby bn pleco with 4 pearls and 1 blue gourami in my 75 heavily planted

I wanted to ask what type of algae do you have and how long do you run your lights? Co2? Excel¿ any dry ferts or any fert? If so how much? What plants do you got? How much of the tank is planted? Pics?

I would like to try and help with your algae problems as I have recently come.a long way withy 75g and feel I can offer some help in this area.

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Thank you. I would love some advice.

It appears there are different types of algae, the worst being the dark brownish green algae on the plants and glass. I can scrape it off the glass but it is difficult to rub off of plant leaves. It's darker than diatoms. I will post a pic of the tank and some close-ups of the algae.

It is a 60 gallon with 2x54 watt T5HO on a timer for 8 hours a day. I have been dosing 1 capful of Excel every morning, although after reading another thread about dosing glut today I think I am going to increase that. I just ordered Metricide. I'm not interested in a CO2 system at this point in time. I also dose a capful of Flourish once a week for micronutrients and add 4 or 5 root tabs every couple months.

I have several Amazon Swords, several red crypt wendtii (sorry if I butcher names), an Anubias, some water sprite, floating hornwort, two bacopa bunches, a moss ball, some very sad looking java fern, and some random java moss here and there. I recently added a second filter (now have 2 AC70 HOBs + a small circulation pump at the bottom) so my floating hornwort keeps getting pushed down. Need to figure something out there. I like it floating because it keeps my Gourami happy and my platies like to sleep in it. Might try to rig up some sort of suction cup anchor

After my pleco died, the plants started not doing so well. I tested and my nitrates were only 5ppm and my phosphates were nil. I ordered some dry Ferts and have been trying to get about 20ppm nitrates and 2-ish ppm phosphates. I've read so many different theories about the preferred ratio of those two macronutrients that I'm not sure what's best for my tank. Trying to figure that out.

Also, I change 33% water weekly.

 

[philipraposo198]

Too much light for not enough macros is my first guess. How high is your light from the substrate?

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[Mama Karoti]

27" or so. Tank is 24" tall.

 

[Mama Karoti]

They are in the big tank now and having a ball. They love the bubbles and the space and the algae, of course. I swear I can see that they have grown in the short time I have had them. It looks like one of them may be sprouting bristles, so I think at least one of them is male. Will be interesting to watch them grow.


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[Mama Karoti]

Oh my goodness, these are the fastest growing fish I have had. I swear every day I can tell a difference. They both seem to be very healthy and thriving. I will post a pic soon.


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[Bbush]

Yes, please! I'm seriously considering getting one next week.


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[RackinRocky]

Me too!

 

[Mama Karoti]

I'm having a hard time getting good pics of them because they are shy when I'm near the tank.


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[Bbush]

Close up is awesome!


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[RackinRocky]

Way too cute!

 

[Mama Karoti]

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