Algae - not enough?!

Cammie

Cammie

Large Fish
#1
Feb 26, 2010
106
0
0
Bournemouth, United Kingdom
#1
Hello!

I haven't been here for a while and I've missed you loads! ;)

I think my plec is running out of algae! Is that possible?! The glass is quite clean, I can't see any algae on there? I am feeding him an algae wafer every now and again (I try as little as possible as it makes him do HUGE poos!)

I do have 5 amano shrimp and 4 of them are massive, I mean they have probably increased by 500%! Can they be eating a lot of the algae too?!

I have live plants and the lights are on a lot so I would have thought there would be more than this?!

Any thoughts would be fantastic *thumbsups x x x x
 

L

littletankbigworld

Superstar Fish
#2
Aug 16, 2009
1,318
0
0
SW Pennsylvania
#2
It's very possible. I recommend feeding lots of vegetables to your plec to supplement his diet. There are a couple things you can do to encourage algae growth. Dosing potassium sometimes creates a ton of algae. It does in my tank and if I remember correctly, Newman has some experience with doing potassium and getting a lot of algae. I've also heard that adding lace rock to your tank may create a brown diatom bloom. Nothing happened to my tank when I added lace rock but you could give it a try.
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#9
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#9
lauraf said:
If he is a common pleco, you won't be able to have him in your tank for long. They grow huge!
Click to expand...
Saw the sadest thing the other day at a LFS. Someone brought in a common pleco to 'dump off' on them. He had been living in a 20 gallon tank. He was easily 15" long if he could straighten out. He was curled into a circle, his head near his tail, due to the cramped conditions. The store said they knew someone that had a huge cichlid tank that might take him. I bet his spine is deformed now :(
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#10
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#10
OrangeCones said:
Saw the sadest thing the other day at a LFS. Someone brought in a common pleco to 'dump off' on them. He had been living in a 20 gallon tank. He was easily 15" long if he could straighten out. He was curled into a circle, his head near his tail, due to the cramped conditions. The store said they knew someone that had a huge cichlid tank that might take him. I bet his spine is deformed now :(
Click to expand...
That is so disturbing. Cammie, take note! But I know you wouldn't do that. Trade Barry back to the store and get a bristlenose plec instead - the albinos are rather striking. In honour of Barry, you could call it White. ;)
And for feeding, you can pop spinach or zucchini into boiling water for 30 seconds, rinse under cold water, and fasten to a little rock with an elastic band. My albino bristlenose even likes his raw!
 

Cammie

Cammie

Large Fish
#11
Feb 26, 2010
106
0
0
Bournemouth, United Kingdom
#11
Things like that make me want to punch people who do that :mad: (and I'm not a violent person at all!) I get very upset when people mistreat animals :(
Barry is only 3inches long and I'm keeping my eye on him, I find it funny how my LFS can sell them (and all their fish) and not check the size of your tank or tell you how big they grow!
Good job there are sites like this and you become more knowledgable on caring for your fish! Lol, I treat mine like babies, if I could I would give them a cuddle! :rolleyes:
I don't know if it's best to take Barry back now or when he gets a little bigger, I love him!
Love the idea of naming my new one White lol!
Zucchini?! Ah we call that courgette here! x x x x
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#12
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#12
Yes, courgette, of course. I remember living in Oxford and trying to find a 'zucchini' . . .
Cammie, it will get harder to trade your fish in the longer you have him - do it now, believe me and others here. You will get even more attached to Barry. Get your albino bristlenose White now, and you will love it wholeheartedly!
 

A

AndiH

Large Fish
#13
Sep 17, 2009
104
0
0
The Iron Range of Minnesota
#13
I have to agree with Laura. It's easier on you emotionally and him physically to do it when he's small or even better, since you're moving, is take Barry back and then get the bristlenose when you're tank is set up again. It would be one less fish for you to worry about when transporting and one less fish to get stressed out by the move.
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#15
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#15
That poor pleco brought into the LFS is not doing good :( It can't swim properly and the cichlids are picking in it (they know when something is 'wrong' and take out the diseased in their midst).

For now, they've moved him to an empty 40gallon breeder tank (more floor space than the 20gallon high he was in) to see if he can straighten out and learn to swim. I'm glad they are trying to help it. I think a lot of stores would just kill it.

Anyway, I agree with the above, the move is a great time to do it.

I also have a cat that I'm attached to. She was 20 yrs old last month and still kickin'!
 

Cammie

Cammie

Large Fish
#16
Feb 26, 2010
106
0
0
Bournemouth, United Kingdom
#16
They do sound like a good LFS, let's hope he gets better. Don't you wish you had a massive tank to look after him?!:(

20 years old?! Wow! My cat was only 6, she had an awful tumor which grew so big so fast, it was a horrible cancer, very sad :( But I did have a cat, Windol, she was the grandma and she lived to 18 and her daughter, Widget, lived to 19 and she died last Summer, in her sleep :)

You can't cuddle fish but they definitley make you calmer and chilled, sometimes I'll be looking at the fish and befor you know it, you've wasted an hour! x x xx
 

You must log in or register to reply here.