Ottos or Bristlenose Pleco?
Hey all, I have a 30 gallon tank and am looking for some algae assistance. I currently have an angel and some gouramis and after doing some research I believe either would be suitable, It's quite planted and there are tons of hiding spots. I just can't decide between our options... I hear the Plecos get rather lazy with age... Thoughts?
More Questions From This User See All
Answers & Comments
Neither. You shouldn't even have the fish that you are keeping in that tank. How many gourami do you have and what types are they? Some gourami can grow to 24+ inches.
And your tank is overstocked, even if you have an angel and just a little dwarf gourami.
Either take all but the angel back or take back all but one of the smallest gourami.
What kind of algae is it? Green? White? Red? Brown? Some types of algae plecos or otocinclus will not even eat.
Instead of wasting money on a fish that may not even live half its lifespan in that tank, how about you try and fix the algae problem? Reduce the hours of light a day, feed a little less, change 30 or 40% of the water every week instead of 20%, clean your tank more thoroughly (scrub the glass, decor, vacuum the sand very well..)
Get rid of the other fish and start taking care of your tank properly before you go and try to add more fish that may just make the problem worse.
Plecos definately get lazy with age.
Let me put it this way - I have a 15 gallon tall aquarium, with 20+ plants. Every single plant in there was 100% covered in a thick layer of brown algae. I put in a single Oto, and within one week it was nearly spotless. Those guys are algae eating machines, it's all they do, and they're great at it. And they are very peaceful, too. I have kept them in shrimp tanks with no problems. Also, Plecos poop like there's no tomorrow...Seriously, you can go without feeding them anything for a week, and they'll still crap like they've eaten twenty algae tablets. I love my two Plecos, but they're more decorative fish, not algae eaters...Go with the Otos.
Or, in turn, limit the amount of light your tank gets each day. Light is what causes algae to flourish.
What kind of Gouramis do you have? Watch them carefully, because Gouramis are from the same family as Bettas - some will get along, but most males will fight each other to the death.
A common pleco would outgrow your tank. However a rubber lip would be fine in a 30 gallon tank do you could consider that
It's up to how your stocking your tank really. Otocinclus are really small and don't create as much bioload as plecos. But if you don't have much a pleco will do