Need an algae eater

**Omega3s** · 03-10-2013, 04:15 PM

Hey everyone. Im looking for some opinions about an algae eating fish. Currently I have a tank with a young Jack Dempsey (roughly 2.5-3 inches). He is fairly calm. He doesn't dig or eat any plants yet lol. And im having an algae issue in this tank. Its diatoms I believe because its brown and wipes away easily. So I went to Petco and bought a bristlenose pleco. The JD didn't bother it at all and he cleaned a little bit of algae. But he died roughly 6 hours after being in the tank. So I got a second BN pleco, same thing, dead within 24 hours. So I've decided that I don't want another pleco. I can clean the glass with an algae scrubber with ease, I just want a fish to eat algae off the plants and decorations. My choices right now are SAE/ Flying Foxes. Maybe get 2 or 3 of these? They seem big enough that the JD wont try to eat them. The other thing im looking at is a Red Tail Shark. I have a rainbow shark and it LOVES to eat algae off rocks and I feed him algae wafers that he consumes overnight. So what I've read says that RTS will eat algae off decorations. So my two main picks are SAE or 1 RTS. Which one do you all think will work best? Or what other fish might you reccomend? Thanks in advance guys!

**Cliff** · 03-10-2013, 04:25 PM

If you problem is diatoms, then I would not to get any other fish to eat it

The reason being is that diatoms are caused by silicates in your tank. They will come from one of two sourses, newly added substrate, or your water supply. If you just set-up your tank in the past few months, then weekly cleanings and a few extra water changes will control the outbreak and the diatoms will disapear on their own once all the silicates are used up. If the silicates are coming from your water supply, then you could use a chemical filter media to remove them. I use chemipure to remove the silicates from my tap water

What are your current water parameters ?

**talldutchie** · 03-10-2013, 04:25 PM

Diatoms is a classic sign of a tank starting up. An uncycled tank fits in with your two death bristlenose.

I'm sure others are going to advice SAE. I'm not. We have no clue about your tank size, if it's cycled or not. Ultimately algae is your responsibility.

**CrunchyLeaf** · 03-10-2013, 05:14 PM

If the two Bristlenose died so suddenly, I definitely do not recommend adding anything to the tank until you determine why they died.
Can you post tank size and water parameters? (Actual numbers of Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates, not just "Fine")

**MandyK** · 03-10-2013, 05:23 PM

+1 to Crunchy.

Bottom dwellers tend to be your first warning bell when something is wrong.

**Omega3s** · 03-10-2013, 06:37 PM

29 gallon tank. Been running for 5 or 6 months. Its been cycled.

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
nitrate- 10 to 20
pH - 7.5
temp- 79-80 degrees

Its a planted tank and it has housed a convict and pleco in the past. I think the BN were just bad stock. I drip acclimated the 2nd one for an hour. I've never had fish die that quickly before, so I just find it odd that it would be something im responsible for. I mean, wouldn't my Jack be sick if the water was bad.

As far as the silicate goes, that's probably accurate because I switched to black sand when I got the JD.

**mizzoutank** · 03-10-2013, 07:11 PM

you know that JD will massively outgrow your tank?

**Omega3s** · 03-10-2013, 08:00 PM

After a little research, Ive found that other people have had the same problem. They also mentioned that their BN plecos had dark greenish areas under their chest. Both of my BNs had this as well. It might be a bacterial infection of some kind. So what might cause that to occur so quickly?

**mizzoutank** · 03-10-2013, 08:43 PM

i'm not too sure on that.

the only time i've had a pleco die so fast was because the tank wasn't cycled and ammonia stays higher at the bottom of the tank.

moreoever, you have an aggressive fish in your tank. he can easily have bullied the pleco to death as that fish will need a 75gallon tank.

**talldutchie** · 03-10-2013, 08:54 PM

Originally Posted by Omega3s

After a little research, Ive found that other people have had the same problem. They also mentioned that their BN plecos had dark greenish areas under their chest. Both of my BNs had this as well. It might be a bacterial infection of some kind. So what might cause that to occur so quickly?

Seems farfetched. If it was that they shop staff would be picking death fish out several times a day.

80 is warm for the "common bristlenose", 75-76 would be better.

again, there's little to go on here except we now know what we suspected, the tank is too small for long term accommodations.