Appropriate Home for Pleco

BrkD

BrkD

Unregistered User
Nov 12, 2006
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Brooklyn, N.Y
heyy just wondering if i should add a pleco into my 10 g tank to take care of some algae but they grow too big for it wouldnt they? im thinking about getting a gold nugget pleco adn those guys arent cheap.. so i wanna keep them for as long as possible and not dying on me in couple of months.
 
BrkD said:
heyy just wondering if i should add a pleco into my 10 g tank to take care of some algae but they grow too big for it wouldnt they? im thinking about getting a gold nugget pleco adn those guys arent cheap.. so i wanna keep them for as long as possible and not dying on me in couple of months.
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Plecos are no good for a 10g. They get very large. Most kind do. The smaller of the plecos even get too big for a 10g. A bristlenose pleco, one of the smaller plecos, gets up to 5 inches. As for things that might eat algae, I'm not sure if a trio of cories would be very happy in a 10gal. What all do you have in the tank? That will be very helpful to determine what might be the best for you.
 
I wouldnt suggest any pleco for a 10 gallon. Like you said the common ones get too big(even for much larger tanks) and gold nugget would not take care of any algae. Gold nuggets need wood to survive. Mine is rarely on the glass, maybe once a month and is always latched on to driftwood or a cucumber.

To take care of your algae I would suggest a mag-float and scheduled water changes. Plus no pleco means you can add more active and interesting fish.
 
try an otto, Gold nuggets need 30G min
 
Mag float

And yes, most plecos get WAY to big for your aquarium, infact some species need an aquarium about 28x the size of yours for long term care.
 
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Mag-Float is too much fun!

In a ten gallon you could get a few otocinclus. They stay small and don't require a lot of swimming room. Plus they don't eat much so as long as there is constant algae present, they will be happy.

Problem is they only eat brown and green algae.

The other choice is SAE. They get a little bit big though. Not entirely too big for a ten gallon, though it's a bit pushing it. I actually have both in my tanks...they kind of work together and sometimes they even hang out together.
 
Oh god don't do it. Dx

When I was a kid I went to the pet store and they assured me the 'little pleco' would be fine for my 10 gallon and little tetra friend.

I thought so too, until he got to the size of my arm. D: He had to find a new home.
 
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