aquarium-fish.info :: View topic – Algee Eater

Hi Pan, don’t rush into anything! The fact is there are many different types of algae, and many different types of pleco, and you can not really say for sure that a ‘pleco’ will eat your algae. Firtsly algae. Algae can be caused by too much light, too many nutrients dissolved in the water, but usually a combination of both. Is your tank in direct sunlight? Do you overfeed? Do you leave the lights on for too long? All will create algae. The best way to avoid algae is to reduce these parameters. On to plecos… They can get big. What are you keeping them with? If its large ciclids a pleco is fine, and will clear up a bit, but in a small tank some otocinclus would be far more suitable. Yes these species can control algae, but you should examine the reasons why its there in the first place. A well planted tank, without overfeeding, and overstocking, and suitable lighting will not have much algae. The inhabitants will exist in balance and this should be your aim. By the way, chemical treatments will kill the algae, but the causes will still be there (e.g. high nitrate levels etc) and so it will return, unless the causes are addressed.

Can you describe the algae – this can give us a clue as to what is the cause