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	Malawis with a plec?
evilervin Fingerling Posts: 19 Votes: 0 Registered: 14-Sep-2003	Hi I have a Malawi tank with a wee bit of a brown algae problem, its a little bit of a pain keeping on top of it so i was wondering if a small plec would would help with the clean up of the rocks and background. Oviously the Malawis do there bit but i could do with a "cleaner" in the tank. Any thoughts or ideas? The reason i dont clean the algae off the rocks, is because it looks so dam un-natural when i try to leave a little bit for fish to graze on, the only other option is to take out the rocks and scrub them which then seam to sterile.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:20
AndyCLS Fish Addict Posts: 590 Kudos: 1584 Votes: 107 Registered: 13-Mar-2003	I keep a Bristlenose plec in my Malawi tank. They're very hardy and can hold their own against even the most pugnacious Malawian. My mbuna actually ignore mine completely, and he does a great job at cleaning the algae.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:20
Week End Big Fish Posts: 414 Kudos: 436 Votes: 1 Registered: 16-May-2004	I know this is a common soln for cleaning algae..but in my own experience...in a 55g tank with 3 BN's...they dun do cleanings really....ending up with myself cleaning the glass every week...the rocks are still cover with brown and green algae.... and I personally haven't experienced any other fish that can do the job properly...
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:20
lunker101 Fish Addict Posts: 521 Kudos: 284 Votes: 2 Registered: 19-Aug-2003	A BN would b best. The are great cleaners and pretty cool fish.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:20
AndyCLS Fish Addict Posts: 590 Kudos: 1584 Votes: 107 Registered: 13-Mar-2003	I heard of a lot of varied reponses with BN's. Some people, like myself, get BN's that clean algae like maniacs, and then other people end up with ones that don't do anything or are lazy. It could be because there's so many different varieties out there lumped in with the "Common Bristlenose" - Ancistrus sp. Or it could be that other types of plecs get mislabled as BN's from time to time. Some of them tend to look very similar.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:20
jasonpisani Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 5553 Kudos: 7215 Votes: 1024 Registered: 24-Feb-2003	A BN will do a great job with Algae eating. :%):%) http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/ Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970. http://www.maltaaquarist.com
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:20
acei Big Fish Posts: 316 Kudos: 291 Votes: 1 Registered: 18-Mar-2004	just keep one bristlenose and you will be amazed. although he wont be able to "scrub" your rocks clean, he will keep the growth down to where it looks like your rocks are painted green, instead of fluffy green.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:20
songbird1963 Enthusiast Posts: 238 Votes: 0 Registered: 09-Apr-2004	I got a BN pleco and he cleaned the whole tank...glass, rocks and all of brown algae in 24 hours. And they are cute too! No one pics on mine. [span class="edited"][Edited by songbird1963 2004-07-01 14:29][/span]
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:20
evilervin Fingerling Posts: 19 Votes: 0 Registered: 14-Sep-2003	Well I got a plec not overly sure of its true type but its not a BN, and WOW he done the job alright, but I'm still dont know if I want a none malawi in my malawi tank.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:20
acei Big Fish Posts: 316 Kudos: 291 Votes: 1 Registered: 18-Mar-2004	well, you got one now!!!
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:20


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