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I need an Algae Eater for a 10 gallon tank. I currently have a Common Pleco. I know he needs a much bigger tank so I want to find him a better home, but then that leaves me wihtout an algae eater. What would be the best replacement for him?



Christina

I think a bristle nose pleco will work in a 10. They stay small (5" max) I believe. I would say ottos, but they need to be in groups of 3 and it would depend on what else you want to put in there. Definitely a bristle nose though!!

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~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

ottos are small. and will take care of the problem.

Otos require good water quality which can sometimes be a problem in that small of a tank. With frequent maintenance otos would be a good choice otherwise a bristlenose or other algea eating pleco of the same size or smaller would be a better choice.

Everyone has said it is hard to keep the parameters up to snuff. I have not had trouble with that. I have had my tank for abotu 3 years and the only tiem I had trouble with it was in the very beginning. It had a bit of a rough start, but now it is great. I have very few problems with keeping it going.
What abotu a rubber lipped pleco?


Christina

I keep a rubbernose pleco in my 10g tank.
However he is really tiny (~3/4". I have read
that Rubbernose Plecos grow very slowly,
about 1 inch per year.
They grow to about 4 inches.
I think you would be ok to get a rubbernose pleco,
but in 3-4 years it *may* get too big and you may need to upgrade to a 20g tank.


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If your tank is stable & problem free, i would add some Otto's.

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Ancistrus domesticus has been recorded at lengths of over 8". NOT 10 gallon fare.

Don't take this the wrong what, but... What the heck is an Ancistrus domesticus? I looked for the common name and nothing came up. I am assuming that you mean Rubber Lipped Pleco, but I am of course not sure.
Please explain
I wish I as keen on all of those scientific names, but unfortunately life is a little too busy and frustrating for me right now to learn all of those names. Hopefully soon I will have a little more free time to learn them because I woudl relly liek to learn them.



Christina

All catfish in the genus Ancistrus can be referred to as a "bushynose" or "bristlenose" pleco, though certain species may have slight variations on these names. For example, Ancistrus ranunculus is often known as either the "medusa pleco" or the "medusa bristlenose".

In this case, Jon mentioned Ancistrus domesticus. As far as my understanding goes, this refers to a plethora of Ancistrus which have been bred in captivity to the extent that the true species is unclear. These fish have most probably been bred between species, meaning that many domestically produced Ancistrus catfish are hybrids. I believe that a totally new and viable hybrid of species is considered as a species itself. Thus, Ancistrus domesticus is the name for these genetically-muddled and humanbred plecos.

Feel free to correct that if I got my assumptions wrong.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

So would this be what everyone calls a Common Pleco? What abotu a Clown Pleco? Would he work in my 10 gallon? They are one of the dwarf plecos as well.



Christina

Nope, "common" plecos go by several different scientific names since there are several species. The two most often seen are Pterygoplichthys pardalis and Hypostomus plecostomus. As far as I know, all of these fish grow to at least ten inches in length, though far larger sizes are common.

One clown pleco would fit in a ten gallon tank, but these fish are usually poor algae eaters. They also require driftwood both as a hiding place and for consumption, so you'll need to plan for that.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Ah, the wonders of taxonomic names.

Dvmchrissy, a good place to start when trying to master the rationale behind scientific names is the venerable Innes book on tropical fishes (it's a TFH publication, and EVERYONE in the trade will know what you're after because it's been around that long). Book not only has a wealth of fishkeeping info (even if some of it is now out of date) but explains scientific names and deciphers them for you under each species heading!

Trouble is, the South American Sucking Catfishes (Family Loricariidae) is one of the WORST families that a beginner could explore when trying to decipher scientific names, because [1] there have been so many revisions of the Family over the years [2] there is a superabundance of invalid trade names in circulation [3] there are species still waiting to be described and named (the L-numbers), and [4] many of the names are labyrinthine tongue-twisters to English speakers because the majority are derived from Classical Greek. Try saying Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps out loud and you'll soon understand what i'm getting at!

As for your 10 gallon, if your water quality is good and stable, then I'd recommend Otocinclus too. For one thing, they have a small maximum size (a 2 inch Otocinclus is a BIG one), for another, they're excellent and diligent algae eaters, and for another, they're compatible with a huge range of so-called 'standard' community fishes. I've now had them for nearly 11 years, and I'd recommend them every time.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002