Hello, I have one 2 inch albino pleco, i have had about a month, I bought it with my 10 gallon tank. I have 3 4 inch pond rockets, and I got these two golden algae eaters about a week ago. My tank is going crazy with algae, and is filled with shells, that evidently the pleco and algae eaters love to eat off of. my algae eaters seem to be getting well established, and even bold toward the goldfish, and growing. Herein lies my confusion. When I got them, there was like a centimeter difference in size, between the two. Now, even though they have both been growing, the small one has maybe grown half an inch, meanwhile, the other one has grown to twice its size. Can anyone tell me why the small one isnt growing as fast, or perhaps why the bigger one is? does anybody have any ideas what could be the difference between the two?
Golden Algae eaters.
- Thread starter Taleh
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Do they look identical otherwise? One may be a female or slightly older, got it's growth spurt first?
Also a side note, that the Golden Algae eater is a form of Gyrinocheilos aymonieri Chinese algae eater, they do often eat a bunch of algae as the start growing to adulthood. After awhile they stop eating as much algea.
AND the big huge caution on this type of fish is that they at some point, also often decide sucking on the fish's slime coat is a big treat. Goldfish are at huge risk as they have a good slime coat.
Golden Dojo Loaches are frequently recommended tank mates to have with Goldfish. They will forage at the bottom areas of the tank and eat some algae, but not like some fish will.
You may consider reducing the lighting period, or use a split photo period using a timer so you can enjoy them when you are around.
Also maybe feed a little bit more slowly / and maybe it will be less food as well, as the fish catch more of the food before any additional is added, and less falls to waste. Reduce waste material in the tank.
One additional help is to do more frequent/ larger pwc's. This reduces the organics which can contribute to more algae.
The food type may be higher in phosphates which can contribute to the problem.
Also a side note, that the Golden Algae eater is a form of Gyrinocheilos aymonieri Chinese algae eater, they do often eat a bunch of algae as the start growing to adulthood. After awhile they stop eating as much algea.
AND the big huge caution on this type of fish is that they at some point, also often decide sucking on the fish's slime coat is a big treat. Goldfish are at huge risk as they have a good slime coat.
Golden Dojo Loaches are frequently recommended tank mates to have with Goldfish. They will forage at the bottom areas of the tank and eat some algae, but not like some fish will.
You may consider reducing the lighting period, or use a split photo period using a timer so you can enjoy them when you are around.
Also maybe feed a little bit more slowly / and maybe it will be less food as well, as the fish catch more of the food before any additional is added, and less falls to waste. Reduce waste material in the tank.
One additional help is to do more frequent/ larger pwc's. This reduces the organics which can contribute to more algae.
The food type may be higher in phosphates which can contribute to the problem.
