Bristlenose Placo

Matt101905

Matt101905

Love Guru
Feb 11, 2009
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Arkansas
I got a quick question. I have a Bristlenose Pleco in my 55gal. and he doesn't eat hardly any algae at all. I have alot of green spot algae all over the front of my aquariums glass. I think all he does is eat my driftwood. Anyone heard of this? Plus I think its a female. What kind of pleco should I have instead of her since shes not doing her job.
 
What fish do you have aside from the pleco? Nerite snails do a better job but if you have fish that will harass the snails, then snails are not an option. They also need hard alkaline water to avoid shell erosions.
 
She needs to eat your driftwood it helps her digest her food.
 
Lupin said:
What fish do you have aside from the pleco? Nerite snails do a better job but if you have fish that will harass the snails, then snails are not an option. They also need hard alkaline water to avoid shell erosions.
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As of right now I only have 3 rasboras has his tank mates....I'm hopefully moving my 55 and 20 upstairs and putting sand in both tanks. My well is basicly through pure limestone...we have a pH of about 8.3 but I have a water softner, Idk if that makes any difference. As for future tank mates I'm not sure as of right now...I know some more community fish (rasboras and tetras)...2 small angels...and some cories. Other than that nothing mean.
 
Matt- Bristlenose will not eat spot algae, no fish will. You'll need to scrape it off. They do eat the biofilm that forms on the surface of everything in the tank, diatoms, and soft green algaes. They also usually need to be supplemented with algae tabs and zucchini.
 
Matt101905 said:
As of right now I only have 3 rasboras has his tank mates....I'm hopefully moving my 55 and 20 upstairs and putting sand in both tanks. My well is basicly through pure limestone...we have a pH of about 8.3 but I have a water softner, Idk if that makes any difference. As for future tank mates I'm not sure as of right now...I know some more community fish (rasboras and tetras)...2 small angels...and some cories. Other than that nothing mean.
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What's your reason for using water softener? Normally, this isn't necessary. Most fish are quite adapted to various water conditions already.
 
Lupin said:
What's your reason for using water softener? Normally, this isn't necessary. Most fish are quite adapted to various water conditions already.
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The water softener is for the whole house. Our well water is so hard with lime that the dishwasher spraybar gets stopped and its just nasty water to drink. My parents would have to buy a new coffee maker prob. every 3 months because of the water. The well is drilled through pure limestone. 250ft (around there). Plus the dishwasher would leave nasty water spots all over the dishes and my aquarium equipment is covered in white junk from when the water would spash on it and then dry. Its really nasty. Does a water softener affect the pH or anything? I'll test when I get home from college.
 
Water "softened" from water softeners have more dissolved minerals than regular water, just not the calcium and magnesium associated with hard water. So basically your pleco is in water higher in TDS (total dissolved solids) than your regular water. pH is insignificant really...

I've kept BNs in very hard water without problems. You should also supplement it's diet with vegetables.
 
As previously stated, I don't know of any pleco, much less any fish that will eat green spot algae. Sorry, that's gonna have to be some elbow grease!
 
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