hypothetical question

[pica_nuttalli]

Supposing someone had a tank of non-herbivorus African Lake Cichlids and an algae problem. What would you recomend as an algae eater for a:

• Aggressive Malawi Tank (Big Fish)
  
• Aggressive Malawi Tank (Small Fish)
  
• Semi-Aggressive Malawi Tank (Big Fish)
  
• Semi-Aggressive Malawi Tank (Small Fish)
  
• Aggressive Takanyaki Tank (Big Fish)
  
• Aggressive Takanyaki Tank (Small Fish)
  
• Semi-Aggressive Taganyaki Tank (Big Fish)
  
• Semi-Aggressive Taganyaki Tank (Small Fish)

please pardon my spelling and if any of these descriptions is a moot point. i'm not really a cichlid person, so i'm just guessing on what the best general categories would be. please offer any other suggestions if i've missed something.

 

[Ferris]

From a Malawi point of view, i would go (and have done) with a sailfin Plec with any Mbuna. They are big enough to look after themselves even with the most agressive species.

For smaller semi-agressive Malawi's, bristlenose plecs should be OK.

 

[freddyk]

I'd throw a common bristlenose into any of those setups, except for really large piscavores. The biggest problem with plecos in rift lake setups is the absence of wood - even these guys should have some.
The good news is that a moderate amount of wood can go in a buffered alkaline tank with no effect on the water, in my experience.