Are plecos worth the bio load?

[Strider90]

Young ones eat algae, bigger ones generally need more than just the algae in the tank. Personally, if I had the room for a pleco, I would definitely have one. but if its pooping too much for your liking, you can always sell him and go for a bristlenose instead, they grow to 6". As opposed to a pleco, which can reach well over 12"
L number plecos stay small also, and they look really nice, they're just a little costly. Peppermints are another good option, they're the same as bristlenose, but they look much nicer and they generally only get to 5-6" also.

 

[Fishmanic]

if you don't overfeed, that will help keep the bioload lower...I generally feed my pleco 2 to 3 times a week ..with a medium sized algae wafer... He probably also feeds on flakes that I drop in for the other fish.. And he can also feed on algae on the tank walls. Once in a great while I will also drop in a few shrimp pellets . When I do water changes, I syphon all around the top of the sand , especially in his territory.

 

[Nicko19]

You really should enter that last one in the next FOTM contest, it really caught everyone’s eye!

Wow really? Thanks! This photo is from google images I shall try my best to get a great photo of the L168, it can be tricky as they don’t seem to be as active as the peppermints, that’s how I got such a good zoomed in picture of her but the L168s they have been out an about recently so I’ll do my best to get a good snap

 

[Fishmanic]

Nicko19: The next fotm contest is for Bettas only starting on august 15th. But you could enter it in our october 15th fotm contest. Right now we are accepting entrants for our Tank of the Month contest. Maybe you would like to enter the totm competition.

 

[Nicko19]

Nicko19: The next fotm contest is for Bettas only starting on august 15th. But you could enter it in our october 15th fotm contest. Right now we are accepting entrants for our Tank of the Month contest. Maybe you would like to enter the totm competition.

Certainly that sounds great! I still have a few more things to sort out like lighting and the discus to finish off the aquarium, I should be close by October 15 I’ll see how I go

Thanks for that I appreciate it

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Wow, there are some beautiful plecos in this thread! I agree that common plecos are seldom worth the space and bioload. I also agree that getting a fish to solve a problem seldom works out; on the other hand, I do tend to design my tanks so that various fish play a role in the tank ecology, and algae eating is certainly part of that. Planning is a little different than reacting.

I have a gold bristle nose pleco in my South American tank (my daughter named it brissleplacky) and it does a great job. Fun to watch too, though he occasionally gives us a scare by resting upside down. He was out in the open all morning until I took the camera in to get his picture.

You might also look into panda garras. I have them in two of my tanks, and they are one of my favorite fish. They are tough, adaptable, active, and interesting. Great little algae eaters, too.