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Has anyone ever tried intentionaly growing their own algae at a speedy rate in order to feed their plecos regularly with it, if so, how did you go about doing it?

Thanks Silirus.

I remember reading an article somewhere about commercial loricariid production in Florida. They used ponds to raise the fry and covered half the pond with a clear plastic sheet that just rested on surface of the water. This created a greenhouse effect and algae grew in large amounts on underside of the plastic where the fish could eat it. If you have ever had a tight fitting plastic/glass lid on a tank with high light you may have experienced this (I know Jools has). Not really sure how this could be done indoors, but there are a lot of smart people here.
-Shane

Hello Shane,
I appreciate your input. I also remember reading somewhere that plecos will jump on brown algae before they will green, which made me think maybe I should try growing it then killing it off to the point that it turns brown. I'm going to be trying Spinach, see how that works first though, this pleco I have isn't the sharpest of fish, he'll swim around a glass cleaning the outside, yet will not go into the intrance which is a bigger hole than the fish itself in diameter.
Take it easy.

I have had algea growing in one of my highlight plant tanks. I have 110 wats of compact lighting over a 20 long... that makes it 5.5 watts per gallon. I accidentily over dosed my fertilizers for the plants and I had both green and brown algea with a few days before I caught my mistake. Most algea are a problem with too much nitrates in the water or unbalanced amount of nutrients(fertilizers, fish waste, uneaten food, etc..). Check this link for good info on how to prevent algea... and do what they say not to do and you will succed! also having a tank in direct sunlight can have this effect.
http://www.barrreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1

Cheers, Whitepine

It depends on the species as to which algae they'll jump on. I've found Otos love the brown stuff. I haven't seen a lick of it in my 75 gallon tank since I put them in there. The Chaetostoma eats anything on a rock first, then the gravel, then the glass, then the driftwood.....you get the picture. I usually try to go a day or two a week without feeding the tank at all. These days, if I see there's very little algae, I'll only skip one feeding. I've also tried the "Pl*co Passion" algae sheets. The fish hated them, but it grows algae. I put a sheet in a filter bag and float the bag for 24 hours. You'll get algae growth.