Algae Eater(s) For 20 Gallon Long

[celaeno]

what hardy algae eater(s) can i fit in a 20 gallon long with 4 rosy barbs and a kribensis? would the tank be too small for a single bristlenose? if not, do bristlenoses like to be in pairs/trios/groups?

 

[Shadow~Fox]

You could keep a BN in there easy. In saying so a nice large group of ottos would look good to.

 

[celaeno]

i read that bristlenoses need bogwood to chew on. is that true? (because i don't intend on getting a bn if that's the case) also, how big does a female bn get?

i'm worried that the otos won't survive my constantly varying ph, which i use baking soda to keep from getting too low.

 

[Shadow~Fox]

No BN dont need bog wood, but I would just provide some.

 

[Rhiannon]

I have a beautiful peice of bog wood brought especially for my BN but never once seen him sucking on it, he prefers the glass, ornaments and filters.

 

[lilfishie]

i read that bristlenoses need bogwood to chew on. is that true? (because i don't intend on getting a bn if that's the case) also, how big does a female bn get?

my 8/9 year old female was roughly around 4 inches and the male was slightly larger, i think this is about as big as the common brostlenose gets
and i never kept them with bogwood, and they were happy enough to breed 6/7 times

 

[crazie.eddie]

BN's do not chew on wood. They will be fine alone.

What type algae problems do you have? BN's will not eat some types of algae, like thread, Blue-green, or brown algae.

 

[celaeno]

i have green algae that covers the tank floor, back, and all ornaments.

 

[stang1]

If you check out Planetcatfish it says that the elements in bogwood may form an essential part of a Bristlenose Plecos diet.
I have 3 BNs and they all practically live on bogwood so it would be a good idea to make sure you have some in the tank.

 

[celaeno]

so do they require a piece of bogwood or not? also, do they produce a lot of waste?

 

[LisaLQ]

Yes, they should be provided with bogwood - it isn't as vital for them as it is for panaques, but most species of plecs eat bogwood as essential fibre in their diet. For a female BN you shouldn't need a big piece though, a little one could always be hidden in the tank somewhere

All plecs poo a relatively large amount for their size, but a bristlenose shouldn't make so much poo you cant cope with it - at worst you'll have to do a bit more gravel cleaning, but I doubt it'll be a huge amount for one female bristlenose

 

[LisaLQ]

Edited to add - if really necessary not to have bogwood, you could always spend out a little more on the plec wafers that have wood in them - Sera do them, as do Tropical

JML do too:
http/aquarama.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=720

Sera Catfish Chips (note - not their other catfish pellets called Vipachips):
http/www.finking.co.uk/aquatic-supplies/...mp;productId=22

And these are the Tropical ones:
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...p;rd=1&rd=1

The JML and Sera links above aren't sites I've used - just web links to show you what to look for - so I'm not recommending those sites as I've no experience with them

 

[dwarfgourami]

I have been keeping a grown female bristlenose in a 19 gallon tank together with 3 peppered corys, 3 one-two inch juvie bristlies, a platy and 4 amano shrimps for the last couple of weeks. tbh this was not the arrangement I would have chosen, but it was either that or let the world be flooded with little baby bristlies. Anyway, what I have found was, there was a tiny ammonia spike when I first added her, but that was easily sorted with a few extra water changes. There is more dirt on the bottom and I am doing two weekly gravel vacs instead of the one, but it's not unsurmountable. I am extra concerned about keeping the tank clean because of the corys and their sensitive barbels, but we've been fine so far. I am a little worried about what I'll do when we go away for 2 weeks at Easter, I'll certainly try to sell the juvies before then, and maybe put her back in the big tank with a tank divider- or even let her have one more batch of fry in the big tank (yes, Mr Bristlie, you do get to have sex, but only 3 times a year, when we go on holiday). But when I'm here and keeping an eye, it seems to work ok.

 

[celaeno]

Edited to add - if really necessary not to have bogwood, you could always spend out a little more on the plec wafers that have wood in them - Sera do them, as do Tropical

JML do too:
http/aquarama.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=720

Sera Catfish Chips (note - not their other catfish pellets called Vipachips):
http/www.finking.co.uk/aquatic-supplies/...mp;productId=22

And these are the Tropical ones:
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...p;rd=1&rd=1

The JML and Sera links above aren't sites I've used - just web links to show you what to look for - so I'm not recommending those sites as I've no experience with them

i live in the usa, so don't have access to those 3 brands. can you suggest other ones?

 

[LisaLQ]

I dont live in the US so dont have any access to other brands in order to recommend any *lol*

Hope someone else can help!