need acrylic safe aggressive algae eater

[csarkar001]

heard BN plecos can damage acrylic (seems to be controversial but i dont want to take the chance)

need a catfish that can do a good job on the algae both green and brown. has to be discus safe, of course. any such?

--chandan

[mmorris]

I don't know of one. Sorry. I can't put wood in my acrylic tank unless I have some sort of `cleaner' and I investigated it pretty thoroughly. Perhaps someone else has an idea. It's one of the reasons why I'm switching my acrylic tank for a glass one.

[rbarn]

Might try some large adult Amano shrimp.
Wont keep it acrylic but will keep it off wood and plants.

They might last with your Discus, they might not.
Try and slip them after a big meal and lights out maybe.

Little buggers are 6 legged Hoover algae vacs.

[csarkar001]

rbarn:

thanks for the suggestion but 90% of my algae is on the acrylic itself.

[Apistomaster]

Bushy Nose Plecos do not harm acrylic tanks, period.

[csarkar001]

Bushy Nose Plecos do not harm acrylic tanks, period.

Larry:

given your breeding experience with plecos, obviously i value your opinion. But the three pictures submitted on this thread , below, by SilentRunning seemed pretty convincing. would love to get your thoughts:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=60659&highlight=pleco+acrylic

also, if i go with ottos in place of the bushynose, any thoughts on the tradeoffs?

thanks,
chandan

[mmorris]

I asked the president of my local aquarium club, `Pleco Dave,' what he thought about bnp's and acrylic and he advised me not to add them. Can you tell us about your personal experience with this, Larry? It would be appreciated.

[Consigliere]

Not totally sure but I think Otos are OK with acrylic.

[mmorris]

I don't know that I trust them with discus though. People report mixed results.

[rickztahone]

i wouldnt put Otto's with discus. ive done it twice in two separate occassions and twice they have gone after my discus

[Scribbles]

What about approaching this from a different angle? Shortening the time that your lights are on or changing to a lower wattage light might help. If you can elliminate the cause of the algae then you wont need to add algae eaters. Just a thought.

Chris

[rickztahone]

What about approaching this from a different angle? Shortening the time that your lights are on or changing to a lower wattage light might help. If you can elliminate the cause of the algae then you wont need to add algae eaters. Just a thought.

Chris

this is a very good point Chris. what is your lights ON schedule like OP?

[csarkar001]

i only leave the lights on for 6 hours a day. as i now work at home, i wish it could be longer.

my real problem with the algae is not how fast it grows but how hard it is for me to scrub. at 5'3", i'm a short guy and the tank is very large/deep ... even with a step stool and a large scrubber, its hard for me to get leverage, especially near the corners.

plus, i have had a lot of mishaps over the years with accidentally picking up sand from the bottom during a cleaning session, with the result being several ugly scars on my tank.