What Are The Best Algae Eaters for Discus

[1Chuck9669]

Hey All,

I finally got my Bristlenose today. I had planned on getting four for my 125g. Well, there were five at the LFS, and I couldn't leave the last one by itself. Here are some pic's in the QT.

Thanks For All The Advice

[shd17]

^Can I ask how much did you get them for?

[1Chuck9669]

^Can I ask how much did you get them for?

I paid $9.99 ea at Petsmart.

[Palue]

You want a spottless tank, get some shrimp. I just love these guys, the Discus do not bother them at all but the shrimp have every nook and cranny of my tank clean. They love the plants and driftwood and there is not algae anywheres in my tank.

There are several kinds of shrimp you can get, just buy the bigger ones of the bunch and you will be fine. They are great to watch and the odd time I give them a alge pellet and they just go crazy over those.

I also have a bristlenose, they are okay for the glass but not the best for the rest, the shrimp take care of those areas.

Good Luck.....

[1Chuck9669]

You want a spottless tank, get some shrimp. I just love these guys, the Discus do not bother them at all but the shrimp have every nook and cranny of my tank clean. They love the plants and driftwood and there is not algae anywheres in my tank.

There are several kinds of shrimp you can get, just buy the bigger ones of the bunch and you will be fine. They are great to watch and the odd time I give them a alge pellet and they just go crazy over those.

I also have a bristlenose, they are okay for the glass but not the best for the rest, the shrimp take care of those areas.

Good Luck.....

I forgot to mention I also got 36 Ghost Shrimp when I got the Bristlenose. I saw that at least three of them were carrying eggs. Do you think 36 is enough for a 125g, along with the 5 Bristlenose?

Thanks,

May Our Threads Cross Again...

[CraigG]

I forgot to mention I also got 36 Ghost Shrimp when I got the Bristlenose. I saw that at least three of them were carrying eggs. Do you think 36 is enough for a 125g, along with the 5 Bristlenose?

Thanks,

May Our Threads Cross Again...

Here is some information for you on the Bristlenose i found online. As far as how many you'd need i'm not sure. I have 1 tiger pleco, 1 Bristlenose, 3 Corys, 3 Octos. I just got an alage bloom on a few plants. So we'll see how the Octos and brislenose does. The tiger by himself wasn't doing much seems to be like the Corys and just eat left over food which keeps the sand substrate looking good.

Quick Stats: Bristlenose Plecostomus
Family: Loricariidae
Range: South America
Size: Up to 4½ inches
Diet: Omnivore
Tank Set-up: Freshwater: Plants, rocks, driftwood
Tank Conditions: 74-79°F; pH 6.5-7.4; dH 6-10
Minimum Tank Capacity: 30 gallon
Light: Low
Temperament: Peaceful
Swimming Level: Bottom
Care Level: Easy
Reproduction: Egg Layer


The Bristlenose Plecostomus, also known as the Bushy Nose Plecostomus, comes from the rivers and tributaries of South America. It is mainly brown with a mottling of lighter areas. The mouth area and nose are covered in short, whisker-like appendages, which are used for detecting food. The Bristlenose Plecostomus makes a good addition to any community aquarium.

Planted aquariums with hardy, fast-growing plants, high aeration, and water movement provide a healthy environment. Rocks and driftwood help to accent a natural habitat and provide hiding spaces to reduce the stress for the Bristlenose Plecostomus. A recommended minimum tank of 30 gallons should be provided to house this fish.

The Bristlenose Plecostomus is relatively easy to breed and breeding occurs mostly in the winter months. This Plecostomus can be triggered to breed in the late fall by performing a 75% water change. The eggs are usually deposited on a piece of driftwood where the male will stay to guard them. The fry will become waterborne in approximately 10 days, at which time, they should be removed and raised in a separate aquarium. Feed the fry peeled and mashed peas.

Feeding the Bristlenose Plecostomus is not difficult since it is not a finicky eater. Feeding off the bottom of the aquarium, it gets most of its nutrition from left over food and algae. If there is no algae or left over food present, supplement with high quality flake food, sinking carnivore pellets, freeze-dried bloodworms, and tubifex.

Ideal tank mates include:

Angelfish
Discus
African Cichlids
South American Cichlids
Tetras
Barbs
Danios
Gouramis
Rainbowfish
Guppies
Platies
Mollies
Swordtails
Loaches
Plecos
Scavenger Catfish

**EDIT**

I started with a dozen ghost shrimp and they all seem to be gone. I know I found a few into my sump guess my overflow is to much for them. Trying figure out a way to keep them in there with out getting sucked into the overflow

[1Chuck9669]

Hi Craig,

Thanks for the info It turns out I did purchase 5 of the bristlenose. they will be housed in a 125g set-up, with 5 pieces of Malaysian driftwood.

May Our Threads Cross Again,

[cquann]

I would like to add 1 more to the list: I bought this one as Avocado Pleco $28usd...about 3inches long...at LFS...it does work some what but it does not try to get the slime of out discuses...

[thekeem]

Question from a worried onlooker:

I have 2 CAE in my Discus tank. They are aggressive. They've battled their way down from 6 and now have settled down quite a bit. They're in a large and densely planted 90G so often times they don't have issue running into each other.

I see them attack my SAE sometimes, but he's learned to fight back. They also attack each other occasionally still, but they don't attack any other fish (don't even go near the Discus), they are roughly 2 inches in size.

Are these going to be a problem for my fish? They're really tough workers and surprisingly just 2 of them do a hell of a job at keeping algae away. The SAE, on the other hand, I bought to stem my black brush and staghorn, which he did, only to retire to a life of FBW feedings with the discus, damnit.

[Bobears]

I would like to add 1 more to the list: I bought this one as Avocado Pleco $28usd...about 3inches long...at LFS...it does work some what but it does not try to get the slime of out discuses...

That's an L200 or Green Phantom. Great, great pleco. However, I'm unsure of it's real compatibility with discus. Seems like I remember the water should be a bit cooler than discus like.

One of my favs though.

[Ed13]

I would like to add 1 more to the list: I bought this one as Avocado Pleco $28usd...about 3inches long...at LFS...it does work some what but it does not try to get the slime of out discuses...

That's a Lemon spotted, L 200, Hemiancistrus subviridis. A fast water pleco that does better in cooler well oxygenated water. It's more of an omnivorous opportunistic feeder than an algae eater. Although here it needs to adapt to 80F+ water unless a chiller it's used, but it does shorten their lifespan. It is usually listed at 8" but sometime ago I saw literally dozens(hundreds at other sizes) of them arriving at an importer here from Colombia and only the smallest were at 8" many were easily pushing 12" and maybe more.

[gwrace]

As a general rule I keep one Siamese algae eater and one or two albino bushy nose pleco's in all my tanks. They do a great job of tank cleanup and so far I have never had any compatibility issues. I would agree with the poster that talked about the BN pleco having two speeds. Idle and turbocharged...

[zamboniMan]

Some of the smaller shrimp (cherries for instance) will be eaten by some discus.
Though amano shrimp are big enough to not be eaten (usually) and they do a good job with most algae.

[cyril]

Did you get any males in that bunch I didn't see any bristle on their heads

[crazycracker]

Clown Pleco - I have 1 - Does GREAT w/ the warm temps - my PH is 6.6 & I have had "him" about a year & half w/ no issues.

I always hear stories about Pleco's going 4 the slime coat on Discus & other fish. Is this true? or are certain Pleco's more known 4 this or all plecos?