A Pleco

[tropical cat]

Hi guys, its been about a year since i posted something so you guys properly wouldn't remember me.

I have a question, what is a good Pleco to go with my oscar? My oscar lives in a 55 gallon, and i have an algae problem. Its black beard algae and have to get rid of it with no avail. So i was thinking what would be a good pleco to go with him, he is about 20cm.

[andyroo]

IME (common) plecos are terrible at cleaning that stuff up- try snails, maybe Mystery.
The best thing I've seen with that dreadful algae has been a marble headstander, though I'm not sure how one would do with the oscars.
A

[cider]

Hi Trop,
Just to let ya know, if you get a plec, you will need to feed it, ie:alage tabs, fresh veggies etc. They can't survive on alage in your tank alone. I keep 3 plecs and 2 never clean the glass. And you should also take into consideration that plecs grow to various sizes. Commons can grow to 2 feet and would need to be in a tank that can accomodate that size. The fancy plecs can be costly and if you are buying one for clean up only, perhaps you should look into something else. Also ,you should be aware that plecs are notorious poop machines, lots of vacuuming ! ..and most need wood to help digest food. ok ,that said, if you still plan to get one, it would be a good idea to do your homework and find one that suits your tank.

I have a Farlowella ,which is very peaceful,not sure it could survive with an oscar, but it is a good glass and ornament cleaner, BUT, you still have to provide food as they easily starve ,being very passive , agressive fish would get the food first. My plecs eat most of the veggie, then my farlo eats what is left and there is no fighting. The plecs I have are passive as are most.

Snails can be a pain , as most are asexual and can reproduce beyond one's patience, sometimes covering the entire substrate and difficult to get rid of ,once introduced. However , some members keep them happily...so it is good that you have asked for advice,before jumping into the pot, so hope other memebers can give you advice too so you can choose what is best for you. Good luck
G
PS, I will look for the plec site which explains care and size info ,perhaps it would be helpful

[cider]

hi again, ok the site is Planet catfish, click on ''catalog'', then click on ''L#'s" . They list a gazillion types of plecs and their food and water needs ,and their sizes. please note -not all listed are available, but enjoy the eye candy gotta love 'um !
HTH ,
G

[Diana]

Most of the algae eating Loricariads eat only the flat, stuck-on sorts of algae, like green spot algae, not the hairy sorts like black brush algae. Fish and shrimp that may eat it will get eaten by the Oscar.

Fill an eye dropper with hydrogen peroxide. If it is the 3% active ingredient that is common in the USA you can use as much as 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons of tank volume (= 1 ml per 20 liters)

Turn off filtration and pumps.

Squirt the H2O2 directly into the mass of BBA. Little squirts here and there, directly into it, to the maximum dose per your tank size. You may not treat every bit the first day.

After a few minutes turn on filters and pumps.

Treat again the next day, then move on to the next batch of the stuff. Keep on repeating: 2 days treat the same patch, then on to the next patch.

Daily water changes to remove the H2O2 from the water. Yes, mostly it breaks down into water and oxygen, but not always, so do the water changes.

When the algae turns pink, it is dead. You will probably have to scrape it off, and it may come back (not the dead stuff, but there are always more spores drifting around)