And they need feeding! Whereas many snails can become pests in an aquarium, nerite eggs will not reproduce in a home aquarium, as they require brackish water for reproduction. Author: Mats Petersson Photographs: courtesy of Fishlady at fishkeeping. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.
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Skip to content Algae eaters are often considered the solution to algae in the aquarium. Why is there algae in the tank in the first place? Many fish thought of as algae eaters are very messy and can actually make the problem worse by adding to the bioload of the tank.
Will I need to feed my algae eater? If so, what? A young Gyrinocheilus aymonieri aka Chinese Algae Eater — these can grow large and become aggressive There are more practical solutions and alternative algae eaters As mentioned above, it is often more effective to clean algae off yourself, or treat the cause instead of the symptom.
Hermione and Barney demonstrating why Bristlenoses are much more suitable for the average aquarium. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.
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You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Their larger size 2in makes them better able to defend themselves in community tanks, setting them apart from the Cherry shrimp. This species is great at eating various types of soft algae as well as decaying plant matter and some leftover fish food. Every aquarium has its own unique ecosystem and, accordingly, special care should be taken to meet the needs of an individual tank.
Working best in a fairly established freshwater aquarium, Nualgi sets the groundwork to promote a beautiful and healthy aquatic environment that any well-chosen algae-eater would love to complement. With Nualgi working to perfect your tank, the only thing you have left to do is pick the right algae-eater. The algae-eaters listed here are popular and good at their jobs, but this is anything but a definitive list. I have a problem with Plecostomus. The first one looked ill before he passed; struggling to maintain his ability to stay on the bottom.
The second one died a horrible death. He was ferociously clinging on for days before he lost his struggle they both haunt me to this day, but the latter nearly killed me. They both lived with the same tribe but years apart, and the aquarium had been changed to a larger one.
The first was a 50gal. They both had three goldfish as aquarium mates — the same ones — still alive, 13 years old, got at local fairs by my child. Why is it that both Plecostomus, healthy and happy, died after a few years? What could I be doing wrong? Only thing I can think of it may be due to the amount of ammonia being produced by their tank mates the goldfish… Compared to other freshwater species goldfish produce a lot more ammonia and hence thrive in much larger environments, this is something which your Plecostomos may have been more sensitive to which thus gave them shorter lifespans.
A healthy Pleco will have a bit of a belly on it not shrunken in which is a sign of starving. Good Luck! I have had issues with rubber lip pleccos. I tested my water, brought it in for samples to make sure my kit was good — nothing! So I got another rubber lip — he only last a couple of months. I had to replace my plants with plastic ones in this tank because of the BATs and started a 20g fully planted tank.
It is a single species with Red Rasbora, an Oto and racer snail. If not, I bet that is your problem. I wish someone with more tank knowledge than me had answered you. My sister had a 10 gal. Only this year did she up to 20 gal. Her Plecostomus has been with her all these years, so tank size is not the issue. My Plecostomus is about 4 years. I have a 20 gal. Do you have live plants? Do you do regular water checks for PH balance? My sister and I keep a 7.
Not enough info here to really help you out. We would need to know water parameters pH, ammonia, etc. Water change frequency?
When did the aquarium change from 50 to 70 gal happen? Also, when plecos live with goldfish and algea levels become too low to sustain them, they can eat the slime coat off of the goldfish. If this happens they can get infections, get sick, and possibly die. Maybe there was something toxic for them in the water. Do u have water testing kits? Try some api master test kit. Check the temperature. If the water gets too cold, the plecos will die. Unlike goldfish, made to adapt.
Hi, Sorry to read about this. Is this a planted tank? If so, how densely planted is it? If not, how do you deal with ammonia? Do you do water changes? If so, how often and how much volume do you replace?
Are you feeding your Plecos directly with food designed for them like sinking wafers? Or are you simply allowing them to find their own food? Do you know your water parameters before and after water changes? Where did you purchase both plecos from?
Another thing to think about is that you got these plecos when they were already inches. There are several variables that may have affected their health long before you got them.
For all you know, these plecos could have already been years old. This very well may have been a result of nothing you did. You stated you have a large tank and good filtration. But do you have high oxygen content? I would always recommend having a bubbler that puts out a good amount of bubbles along with your filter. Most plecos also like a medium to high water current in the tank because most are native to rivers , which can require an extra step to achieve.
Depending on how your filter works, you may need to add a circulation pump. Another thing to take into consideration would be lighting and hiding spots, which kind of go hand in hand. Plecos are all nocturnal, as far as I know, and are disturbed by being constantly exposed to bright light. The last factor would be diet. Most plecos are highly omnivorous, which means a diet of just algae is incredibly insufficient. Most need a few fresh veggies as well as frozen thawed blood worms in addition to algae at the very least to keep them healthy.
Drift wood is also necessary. They will eat this as well as it helps them to digest their other food properly. Overall, they are much more complex than a lot of people realize. If there are any of the things I mentioned that you are not doing, that could be your problem.
If you ever see this, I hope it helps! Plecos are aggressive to eachother. It could have been lack of food, aggression, or it grew to big for the tank. You should have a minimum of a 75 for just the pleco. And gold fish are notoriously dirty fish.
If you have a well planted 75 gallon with your 3 gold fish and a pleco at exactly 74 degrees high end for gold fish, low end for plecos , it would still be wise to have your pet store check your water levels periodically.
Typically if you take a sample in they will do this for you for free. I had the same issue with a beautiful Pleco i had too.
I gave it algae pellets and it at whatever was also in the tank but i learned that you cannot just depend on the pellets and what is in the tank. I learned you need to add things like zuchinni or cucumbers and let them eat on it during the night. Not clear if your plecs were bristlenose?
I have one who lives in a 50 gallon live planted community tank. I feed a mixture of flakes and wafers once a day early evening.
Occasionally blanched courgette. I have many places for fish to hide and mr pleccy has a favourite place in a potter tube. He enjoys grazing on driftwood and comes out when it is feeding time. I have a mixed tank of shrimp, nerite snails, pygmy loach cardinal and neon tetra, harlequins, siamese algae eaters and five banded barbs. Algae eaters are specific organisms that thrive on a diet of algae. Not all organisms eat all types of algae, however, and it is critical to choose the type of algae eater that will make meals of the specific algae in your tank.
The most common algae eaters include snails, shrimp, clams and even some fish, such as specific types of catfish or plecos. To be sure you are choosing the best algae eater for your tank…. Above all, avoid getting an algae eater before you have algae for them to eat. They need enough algae to survive, and if your tank does not have any, getting an algae eater is not a technique to be sure you don't develop an algae problem.
When the problem is there, however, they can be a welcome — and hungry!
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