Will I need a pleco?

[Criptos]

Well i have a list of the fish i want to get and the people on this website told me instead of 3-5 Cory cats get 6-8 so i said okay I'll get 8 of them and well I have been wondering if i will even need to get a pleco anymore? Would I have to get him algae waffers?

 

[mr86mister]

if you want a fish to deal with algae get a small otocinclus, and if you have that many cory cats then no need for a pleco

 

[greenmaji]

You never have to have a pleco.. I wouldnt advise having a pleco unless you like pleco's. If there are no bottom feeders at all you can always clean the tank.

 

[Meredith]

You probably dont need a pleco. I don't know the size of your tank, but if you had your heart set on one, there are many smaller varietys you can get. I have some corys, a plec and otos and I do supplement with algae tabs and veggies.

 

[megladonsharky]

I agree you need to want a pleco ... if you dont want one dont get one buy one for me

 

[Guest]

personally i would always have a pleco in every tank becuase i never have to scrape algae off the sides of my tank, and i honestly pity the people that do! I have a pleco and 2 oto's ,but i heard that oto's won't eat the sheets of green algae that get on the sides of an aquarium.

Of course, you don't have to have one, or bottom feeders, but remeber, your "cleanup crew" all do different things.
Cory's mostly eat debri's off the bottom
Oto's are good for soft algae like brown algae and i think, (not sure) hair algae
Pleco's are good for those sheets of green that get everywhere and have to be scraped off.
I am happy to say that i have never had any of this except for inside my filter and sometimes on the clear plastic that covers my light, water splashes up on it and i will get a little algae growth

HTH

 

[malkore]

pleco's don't solve most algae issues. You should never rely on fish to kepe the tank clean.

Without knowing the tank size, I cannot recommend a pleco. Most inexpensive pleco's are going to reach 12" or more in size. The spendier ones ($20 or more) are usually where you find the species that stop at 6", or even 4".

 

[Frank_the_Tank]

pleco's don't solve most algae issues. You should never rely on fish to kepe the tank clean.

Without knowing the tank size, I cannot recommend a pleco. Most inexpensive pleco's are going to reach 12" or more in size. The spendier ones ($20 or more) are usually where you find the species that stop at 6", or even 4".

I got my rubbernoser pleco for under $5 at petsmart.

 

[greenmaji]

Maintaining good water chemistry and having appropriate lighting (not too intense or on for too long) are the best ways to prevent algae.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I agree on the advice that not all pleco's eat algae. I have a rubbermouth pleco in the 29 gal tank and weekly we have to clean the hard green algae off the glass.

 

[Guest]

pleco's don't solve most algae issues. You should never rely on fish to kepe the tank clean.

Without knowing the tank size, I cannot recommend a pleco. Most inexpensive pleco's are going to reach 12" or more in size. The spendier ones ($20 or more) are usually where you find the species that stop at 6", or even 4".

I know, i do weekly water changes and gravel vaccum to get rid of debri's.. but im talking about spending hours scraping the sides of the tanks, of course i have low light, so maybe thats why, but ive never had that problem, I was just sharing how helpful a pleco can be... and a general clean up crew.

 

[megladonsharky]

Pitbull plecos max out at 2 inches are peaceful cute sweet and about $5

can you tell I love my pleco

 

[Criptos]

I have a 55gal I do want a pleco, most likely a Sailfin. I am not looking for it to totally clean the tank I am still going to but I just thought he/she could help me out.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Criptos- If you are looking for a sailfin, may I recommend a Sailfin Gibbiceps. Here's a link. And I don't mean the Marble Albino, he's kind of odd looking, but the top one. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1021 They are slow growers and will eventually outgrow the tank, but most do unless you buy one of the smaller ones, but I don't know of any small sailfin pleco's.