Cold Water Pleco

[mhancock]

Hi there,
 
I've set up a cold water tank at work, it looks great, but algea is starting to form.  It's brown algea appearing on the tops of white ornaments.
 
Is there a cold water version of a pleco, or a suitable alternative, that will keep this at bay?
 
Or would a better solution be just to keep the lights on for less?
 
Thanks,
 
 
 
 
Mark

 

[ProAquarist]

What's the temp? How large is the tank? In most 'coldwater' (room temp) tanks bristlenose will be happy and always do a great job. If it is too cool or small for them there are ottos and hillstream loaches, but neither is particularly good at really controlling algae (the ottos would be better).
 
Is the bulb more than 6 months old? If so it probably just needs to be replaced.

 

[mhancock]

What's the temp? How large is the tank? In most 'coldwater' (room temp) tanks bristlenose will be happy and always do a great job. If it is too cool or small for them there are ottos and hillstream loaches, but neither is particularly good at really controlling algae (the ottos would be better).
 
Is the bulb more than 6 months old? If so it probably just needs to be replaced.

 
Hi,
 
Thanks for the response.
 
Tank is 190L corner unit.  Room temperature so may get cool in winter nights or breaks when work (school) not heated, doubt would get less than 10oC though.
 
Would one of these be OK in cold water?  I have a few in various warm tanks that I could move over.:

 
I've not heard of needing to replace bulbs after 6 months!  Why do you suggest that I do?
 
Thanks again,
 
 
 
Mark

 

[Vethian]

florescent bulbs degrade over time.  6 months is a recommended time to change the bulb for aquariums to better sustain life.  especially for plants.  you should check your bulb and see how fast it degrades.  

 

[mhancock]

...... check your bulb and see how fast it degrades.  

 
The bulbs both seem to be fine - there are two, one is new, the other is several years old.  Presumably there's no issue rather than loss of light - they don't start giving off harmful frequencies of light after a while surely!?

 

[Paradise3]

Hiya, that pleco you pictured is a Sailfin and will reach 18-24 inches long and need a 6ft tank minimum when adult.

Coldwater(room temp) tanks that can have drops in temperature are usually best left with coldwater or temperate species such as hillstream loaches, etc..

As for the bulbs - They don't particularly lose light but the quality of the light output is reduced after sort of 6-12 months. I have two bulbs on my tank that are over 6 months old but still look the same as they did brand new. But I know I'll need to replace them soon because the light output will be reduced now if not soon and my tank will probably start suffering with algae.
The algae you have sounds like "new tank algae" as it's commonly called as most newly set up tanks suffer from it. Both of mine did when newly set but now they are fine

 

[mhancock]

Hiya, that pleco you pictured is a Sailfin and will reach 18-24 inches long and need a 6ft tank minimum when adult.

Coldwater(room temp) tanks that can have drops in temperature are usually best left with coldwater or temperate species such as hillstream loaches, etc..

As for the bulbs - They don't particularly lose light but the quality of the light output is reduced after sort of 6-12 months. I have two bulbs on my tank that are over 6 months old but still look the same as they did brand new. But I know I'll need to replace them soon because the light output will be reduced now if not soon and my tank will probably start suffering with algae.
The algae you have sounds like "new tank algae" as it's commonly called as most newly set up tanks suffer from it. Both of mine did when newly set but now they are fine

Thank you - won't move the pleco over, at the moment there's loads of space for it but I know he'll need to go when he's too big for my tank - unless I can convince my other half that a bigger tank is what our lounge really needs!
 
It's not a new tank, it had malawis and catfish in before, it's just been re-scaped and re-filled.  Same bacteria as before in filter, and water de-chlorinated of course

 

[ProAquarist]

10C is really cold, are you sure it gets that cold?
 
Bulbs may look fine for 2 years or more, it is a very slow loss in intensity and shift in color. I guarantee that if you replace those bulbs it will look better. If not just return them or set them aside until later, but unless they've been replaced in the last 6 months they need to be replaced.

 

[Paradise3]

 

Hiya, that pleco you pictured is a Sailfin and will reach 18-24 inches long and need a 6ft tank minimum when adult.

Coldwater(room temp) tanks that can have drops in temperature are usually best left with coldwater or temperate species such as hillstream loaches, etc..

As for the bulbs - They don't particularly lose light but the quality of the light output is reduced after sort of 6-12 months. I have two bulbs on my tank that are over 6 months old but still look the same as they did brand new. But I know I'll need to replace them soon because the light output will be reduced now if not soon and my tank will probably start suffering with algae.
The algae you have sounds like "new tank algae" as it's commonly called as most newly set up tanks suffer from it. Both of mine did when newly set but now they are fine

Thank you - won't move the pleco over, at the moment there's loads of space for it but I know he'll need to go when he's too big for my tank - unless I can convince my other half that a bigger tank is what our lounge really needs!
 
It's not a new tank, it had malawis and catfish in before, it's just been re-scaped and re-filled.  Same bacteria as before in filter, and water de-chlorinated of course

 

 
Unless you've been applying ammonia for the bacteria to live off you will have lost it. They die off pretty quickly with nothing to eat, etc.

 

[mhancock]

Hi,
 
I've not been at work for 6 weeks, seen the tank again today and the brown algae is much worse.  What is the best algae eater suitable for a 190L coldwater tank - previous posters have mentioned hillstream loaches, is that the best option?
 
 
M

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Unless you've been applying ammonia for the bacteria to live off you will have lost it. They die off pretty quickly with nothing to eat, etc.

 
This is not true. The bacteria have strategies for dealing with loss of nutrients. They go dormant and can stay viable for a long time this way. Have a read here if you do not think this is the case:
 
Strategies of aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria for coping with nutrient and oxygen fluctuations
Joke Geets, Nico Boon and Willy Verstraete
FEMS Microbiology Ecology Volume 58, Issue 1,pages 1–13, October 2006
http/onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2006.00170.x/ful
 
Plecos are tropical fish- especially the L number ones. here is Quote from a scientist/researcher in Brazil posted on PlanteCatfish
 

 
23C is on the cold side for most "fancy" plecos that come from the Amazon (i.e. L numbers).

You could look at the Chaetostoma genus, but these need a very clean tank with good water movement. What are the other inhabitants? Another option is a whiptail such as Sturisoma aureum.

All plecos will live longer than 10 years, many much longer.

from http/www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=40018&p=273119&hilit=cold+water#p273119