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I asked about BN plecs in another post, and from the feed back I got that BN would be lucky if they stayed alive with Africans. Is there a better plec or any kind of algae eating fish that would do well with African cichlids? Thanks, Harry

I have 2 bns that lived with th africans for several months and they were completely fine. It's possible to keep most "bottom feeders" ie. catfish, loaches, sharks etc. You just have to provide them with their own caves that only they fit in. Also if your looking for an algae eater the africans will do it for you.

What kind of africans are they? If it's a peackok/hap tank most bottom feeders/catfishes will do fine. If it's mbuna you have to take more care but it's still possible.

The best possible fish to go with africans is syno cats. Any type of them.
But some are pricey and may require to be kept in a group so are not necessarily practical. Sometimes red tail/rainbow sharks will do ok with africans but care should be taken. Same goes for clown loaches. Also chinese algae eaters do ok wo th africans, they take turns "kissing" each other. If you want a type of plec, there are millions of options. If your tank is large get something larger, but not expensive (ideally not a panaque). However bns do ok because they have the slicer thingys by their eyes. They will use them but only under serious threat. Pictus cats do well in large groups and can defend themselves but do not necessarily do well in the long term.

The best possible option is a group of Synodontis multipunctatus/petricola/lucippnins or a single S. Euptera/Angelicus.

More info such as tank size/stock list/fish sizes/how you decorated the tank would be helpful.

But in answer to your initial question there isn't a better pleco than BN for african tank - they stay away from the others and can defend themselves better than other plecs.