Plecos and discus

[wuvarien]

Did a search and the last post I found on this was back from 2010, so looking for some more recent info

I have a 700L discus tank and looking to add a pleco for algae control. I have a Golden Nugget in another tank, and was thinking of getting another one for the discus tank.

I hear horror stories of plecos trying to eat the slime off the discus, but I plan to keep it well fed!

Thanks for any advice

[fishguy1978]

Yes, it does happen. I kept discus and tried adding a farlowella and it would chase the discus trying to eat their slime coat. I realize it’s not a pleco but same behavior concern.

[Jools]

Did a search and the last post I found on this was back from 2010, so looking for some more recent info

Discus and Plecos haven't changed much since 2010. What, specifically, are you looking to find out?

Which species of ~1000 plecos is a good start. You could also read the gold nugget article on why that's not a great idea for discus. Ancistrus and larger Hypoptopomatinae that can appreciate higher temps are a good idea. What else depends on how well you are keeping your discus - tank size, decor, filtration and so on. Scobinancistrus, for example, work well in a higher temp/DO situation.


Jools

[wuvarien]

There is a wood and plants in the tank. Only fish in it are Discus, with soon to be Tetra as well. The Tank is 700L filtrated by FX6's

I'm just after opinions what what Pleco would work best with the Discus as an Algae eater... I know the popular choice is a Bristlenose, however I'm not too keen on those and so was wondering what options I had.

I'll have a look at the article!

[Jools]

If you return the water to the tank from the FX6 with a spray bar or two (pointed straight down so doesn't generate much current) then you'll get a decent amount of DO. In that case you have a wider range of plecos you can keep.

That said, truly, you should not really have any algae of note in a discus tank - certainly not enough to feed anything larger than a Bristlenose. Why don't you post a few pictures or a video of your set-up?

Cheers,

Jools

PS Here's a video of an old set-up of mine with discus and plecos etc. Ran that for about 6 years.

[Captainandy]

Gold nuggets don’t eat algae.
I keep a variety of plecos in my discus tanks. 173s yellow chubbies, 397 136b/c
None eat algae - most are omnivores

I have never seen a pleco latch onto a discus or any suction marks on discus

[wuvarien]

I have very little algae, it's just to maintain the spots at the back of tanks glass as it's hard to reach due to the size.

Aside from Bristlenose, what Pleco would you suggest to help out?

[Jools]

Could you post some pics of the set-up, then we can get a better idea. Anything that takes out what I think you are describing will destroy plants.

Jools

[racoll]

PS Here's a video of an old set-up of mine with discus and plecos etc. Ran that for about 6 years.

Those were my discus! Great to see them