pl*co for a 15g

[Billy Bob]

What would be the most suitable sort of pl*co for a 15g??

 

[Troy-N-Eli]

Hmmm.  We were turned onto the bulldog pl*co by our LFS.  Is very cute and effective, also stays small, according to the guy at the LFS 4-5" max.

Also, something that small, do you necessarily want a pl*co?  A couple otos would do the job very effectively also, esp if you have brown algae.  Ours got twice their size (fatness wise) w/in a couple days.  Just another option to consider.

 

[AndyL]

For a smallish tank, i'd probably stay away from the pleco's... A couple SAEs (if you can find the real ones) and a few cories would probably do a better job! (and they wont get huge)

My cleanup crew in my 10g, is now 2 CAEs (Chinese algae eater, sold usually as just an Algae eater; or false algae eater), a pair of albino cories (cute lil guys) and now an amano shrimp. They do great work!

Andy

 

[Matt Nace]

Ottos  or Rubber plecoes are my favorite.  If the tank is planted, the ottos in my tanks always seam to stay on the leaves more than the glass.

Hey Andy,

Take a look at this link.
There are siamese algae eaters=good
There are false siamese algae eaters=pretty good
There are also chinese algae eaters=not good
http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/
(I should note, the CAE gets very mean as it matures. It stops eatting just algae and flakes and starts sucking on fish)

 

[luvfishies]

Bristlenose plecs are a smaller one that eats algae. clown plecs (there are different varieties) are also smaller, but not always algae eaters. They are shy, also.

Look at ancistrus and peckoltia families at planetcatfish for more ideas.

 

[colesea]

I love my clown plecos. In fact, I'm not 100% sure of what they eat, but I've two in my 20H and have not had algae. I don't have any CAEs, SAEs, Ottos or anything else that is an authentic algae eater. My Rainbow Shark might help prevent algae growth because he seems to enjoy eating the protien stuff that coats the surface of the decor. The two clown plecos seem to love Hikari bottom feeder waffers, Wardly Spirulina chips, Hikari Carnivor waffers, Tetramin bottom feeder tabs, and are pretty omnivorous from what I've been able to tell. I don't the exact L-species I have, but they came in as clowns *shrug*.

Algae prevention should not be left up to just the fish though. Proper light and nutrient mangement in the first place goes a much longer way to keeping a tank algae free.
~~Colesea

 

[flr410]

Good Point colesea
  nutrient management is important, I learned that point when I used fertilizer for my plants for the first time, instead of helping my plants I caused a Algae Outbreak.