I originally posted this in the "Other catfish" section by mistake.
I have a problem keeping a pl*co in one of my tanks. It's a 10 gal that builds up algae fast. My LFS says to get a small pl*co which I did. The pl*cos always do a great job and clear up the problem, then (I presume) because there is no more algae for a while, they die. The only fish I have in there is a cory and a few Black Tetras, so the fish are not killing it. What can I do? What can I use instead? I also tries Ottos but the same thing happened.I have tried putting in Spirulina (after lights out)but that didn't solve the problem. PLEASE HELP
Need help getting rid of Algae
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MatsP
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Barbie
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What is your maintenance schedule? Water parameters? There's a post at the top of this forum that outlines what information we'll need to help you diagnose problems. Please fill it in completely to the best of your abilities. If you don't know the answers to a good number of the questions that might be contributing to the problem.
Barbie
Barbie
Without water parameters, tank maintenance info any answer will probably be guesswork.
My first thought would be that adding a fish (I am guessing a 'common pleco') to a tank that is too small for its eventual 26-30 inches is making short work of it and killing it.
they grow quickly, produce too much waste, then choke on it if they are in a tank of inadequate size. When keeping small tanks it is best to heavily research any fish that goes into it to make sure they dont get over 2-4 inches at most (the internet is a good tool for this, use the search engine to study fish you are interested in buying). Avoid making impulse buys and be very wary of any info given to you by LPS employees, they will tell you anything to make a $ , usually false info that will end up costing you a fortune. If the tank is new you may be having a problem with cycling or 'new tank syndrome' which will kill off fish in new tanks for the first few months. A good fish for your tank would most likley be the otto or the common bristlenose.
My first thought would be that adding a fish (I am guessing a 'common pleco') to a tank that is too small for its eventual 26-30 inches is making short work of it and killing it.
they grow quickly, produce too much waste, then choke on it if they are in a tank of inadequate size. When keeping small tanks it is best to heavily research any fish that goes into it to make sure they dont get over 2-4 inches at most (the internet is a good tool for this, use the search engine to study fish you are interested in buying). Avoid making impulse buys and be very wary of any info given to you by LPS employees, they will tell you anything to make a $ , usually false info that will end up costing you a fortune. If the tank is new you may be having a problem with cycling or 'new tank syndrome' which will kill off fish in new tanks for the first few months. A good fish for your tank would most likley be the otto or the common bristlenose.