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um, plecos are good algae eatters, (i think better than CAE, and when they get larger won't have hidden surprises).

And otto would be better for a 30 and algae given that the tankmates are aggressive or huge.

but with plecos, always make sure u havea tank to house them if they get very large.

Does anyone know if the zebra plecos are good algae eaters? I know they are a little pricey, but they stay little and would be perfect in my 30 gallon tank, if only they eat algae worth anything. Input on this anyone

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

i used to have about 4 of these cool guys not so long ago. I think at that time, i bought them for around SG$6, which i think roughly converts to US$4...they usually come in during the pleco season over here in singapore, so not sure about availability anywhere else in the world.

That is the cutest oto I have ever seen!!! Where in the world would I be able to get one? I have not seen them for sale online (at least the places that I looked) Does anyone have a source? He's darling!!! Those little otos are precious, and this B&W striped one is adorable!

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

Here's a link about zebra otos

Cool, will do. Thanks for the tip!

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

If you got cash lying around to consider Zebra Plecs, you should have enough for Zebra Otos. Look into them, they're pretty cool, and, if I'm not mistaken, do munch on algae quite effectively.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

That's kind of what I figured, but it never hurts to ask. I'm thinking, instead, of getting a couple of Otocinculus for my tank. They're pretty cute and I hear they are some algea nibblers

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

Zebra plecos won't eat any algae at all, or so I've read. As was said, they are carnivores. Most people that buy zebra plecos nowadays get them because they serve as a status symbol. If you like their looks, then you can pick from lots of other species in the genus that are just as striking but cost way less.

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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."

I find my BN and ottos do a good job at removing algae. My tanks look cleaner than when I tried doing it by hand.

http://www.fishprofiles.com/site/aquarank.aspx

They are more carnivorous and won't eat much algae if any. Zebra plecos aren't a useful member of the aquarium community and just make good show pieces. There are lots of algea eaters that stay small. Bristlenose are probably the most common smaller pleco that's eat algae but nowhere near as colorful as a zebra pleco.

1 of the main problems we ran into was that we were dealing with mostly livestock. Livestock are left outside and albino or even near albino livestock end up with severe sunburns. Aside from that they tended to have more sensitive skin including alot of contact allergies, a greater chance of illness from the weather, and a more sensitive digestive tract. True albinos do not exist in horses which is a good thing. The nearly albino horses which carry 3 dilution genes and only eye or muzzle pigment are a real pain and few people wish to deal with them. I've also found gerbils tend to decline in health and litter size when their genetics get closer to albino. Alot of dilution genes in mammals leads to lethal offspring or reduced offspring numbers. I've come across lethal dilution genes in horses, gerbils, and guinea pigs.
If these albino or near albino animals are kept in temperature controlled conditions out of the weather they don't really have too many problems but animals kept in conditions more like livestock tend to show alot more health problems than those without dilution genes. For those reasons in my horse breeding stable I prefer to avoid breeding animals with more than 1 dilution or spotting gene. I need horses that can be worked hard in any type of weather and the closer you get to albino the less likely you are to get an animal like that.

Really? While consulting with the onc. branch at the NIH during my prefellowship, I working quite a bit with albino mice. Upon my inquiry, I was told that said mice were in fact, due to melanin definciencies, slightly more vision impaired, making them very human responsive, whichis arguably a good thing in domesticated animals. Other than said affliction, they appeared to eat and grow at a rate comparable if not faster (the largest animal in the lab was an albino) than the regular lab mice and were perfectly healthy.

Maybe it's different amongst fish or at least plecos but among mammals albinism does create weaker animals. We've discussed it in my genetics classes a few times and I've seen it in almost all the animals I've dealt with. With the animals I've bred I've come to highly dislike albino forms or anything similar to albino.

Many species, due to the allure of value enhancement, are labelled as "false zebras". Don't let that misnomer fool you. I've even seen this gone so far as having 134s and 176s listed as spotted zebra plecos. Whatever.

"I think albino forms of fish or almost any animal are very ugly and unnatural. Albino in all animals also causes the animal to be weaker."

Untrue. Albinism is generally an entirely separate ideology from physical malady. It favors the genetic minority specifically in the genes regarding pigmentation. In fact, many, including myself, have noted more vigorous spawning activity and general overall health amongst melanistic and/or albino inviduals, namely L144 and said ancistrus sp(4).

I agree. I'm going to have to relocate my big pleco "Lips" to a 120 gallon I'm planning to get for Christmas, he's getting a little big for my 30. I need an algae eater that stays small for that tank. I liked the look of the Zebra pleco and would still get him just to have as a good lookin' fishy (they don't need to be utilitarian IMO) Those zebra oto's are one cute and useful fish. If I can't find a few before I get my 120 up and cycled I will be more than happy with just the regular oto's or a bristlenose.....they stay small and eat algae like there's no tomorrow!!

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

I think albino forms of fish or almost any animal are very ugly and unnatural. Albino in all animals also causes the animal to be weaker.

Unsure on its name and L# but there is a fake zebra pleco..look very similar only its stripes tend to be dark brown rather than black

If you just want a black and white pleco there are lots of species and at least here they are much cheaper. Which is why I chose against getting a zebra pleco. I didn't need one with that pattern exactly. Along with the zebra otos I just liked the black and white color.

Unsure on its name and L# but there is a fake zebra pleco..look very similar only its stripes tend to be dark brown rather than black
still very pretty and here is alot cheaper. even though both are illegal imported

Ewwwww!!!! TMI! I want to get a bunch, but I'll have to pass if they're $100 a piece......that no worky for me!

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

If you want a pretty looking algae eater then get Golden Bristlenoses - they're pretty.

Also worth noting - ottos should be kept in groups because a) they like shoaling, and b) they have a bacteria in their gut that helps them digest algae. If a fish, for some reason, loses this bacteria their only source of replenishing it is the friend's poop True /:'