Algae or pleco recomendation with oscar
- Thread starter thefishmonger
- Start date
well... that 55G is gonna be pretty much maxed out with just that oscar in there once it gets big, so i'd really not reccomend adding anything more to the tank. you'd probably have to upgrade to a tank of about 75-90 gallons before you can add anymore fish. even then... all of the good small algae eaters will be lunch for the oscar and most of the big ones either stop eating algae once they get to an unedible size or produce copious amounts of waste, which just lead to even more algae in an unending cycle. oscars are already pretty high bioload fish, so with a another high bioload fish in there you'd be cruisn' for a bruisn'.
good maintainece schedules and filtration will stop algae from growing in excess. there is really no point in getting an algae eater of any kind and would do no good for your already silghtly OS tank in the long run. plants may help compete with algae for nutrients, but the oscar would most likely destroy them and those he won't don't grow fast enough to really compete with the algae.
good maintainece schedules and filtration will stop algae from growing in excess. there is really no point in getting an algae eater of any kind and would do no good for your already silghtly OS tank in the long run. plants may help compete with algae for nutrients, but the oscar would most likely destroy them and those he won't don't grow fast enough to really compete with the algae.
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I've been thinking of building a 100 plus gallon long tank within the year so size shouldn't be an issue down the road when the oscar grows.
I hope you realize that oscars gonna grow crazy fast.... it could be full grown by early 2008 if you feed it a proper, varied diet free of feeder goldfish.
also, remember I said that most large algae eaters move on to bigger and better foods once they get big or produce too much waste themselves to be efficient. I still say skip the algae eater unless you want one just for fun. a BN pleco might work and still be efficeint, but the oscar may be able to eat it if it gets big enough or at least mame it if it's a mean one.
Yup, I agree with FC22. These oscars grow crazy fast. You will be needing that big tank way before you may realize. But... to answer your question... I would recommend a bristle nosed pleco (also as FC22 suggested) . They remain on the small side.
Just make sure to give it a good place to hide...something your soon to be big bruiser oscar will not be able to over turn or move.
Just make sure to give it a good place to hide...something your soon to be big bruiser oscar will not be able to over turn or move.
i would reccomend a common pleco, as when they stop eating algea , they clean up the food that the oscar will leave behind all over the bottom, I have always kept a pleco with my oscars for that reason. get one about the size of your oscar and build him a cave in the big tank.
the cave will progressivley get larger as the plec grows,
the cave will progressivley get larger as the plec grows,
a nice magnet and a python should work fine. adding any fish will just be more work for you, if you know anything about biology.
algae eater eats algae. . . poops. . . you don't clean the tank. . . poop rots. . . nitrates are released. . . more algae grows. . . gets eaten. . . more poop. . . nitrates getting higher. . . algae eater is getting big, stops eating algae, keeps eating leftover oscar food. . . keeps pooping. . algae gets worse, all hairy and black. . . algae eater is starving, starts sucking on the oscar's slime coat because you don't feed it properly. . keeps pooping . . . . nitrates reaching a toxic level. . . algae is taking over and you can't see either of your fish. . . oscar gets stunted. . . Hey, you don't need a big tank anymore!
It all works out in the end.
algae eater eats algae. . . poops. . . you don't clean the tank. . . poop rots. . . nitrates are released. . . more algae grows. . . gets eaten. . . more poop. . . nitrates getting higher. . . algae eater is getting big, stops eating algae, keeps eating leftover oscar food. . . keeps pooping. . algae gets worse, all hairy and black. . . algae eater is starving, starts sucking on the oscar's slime coat because you don't feed it properly. . keeps pooping . . . . nitrates reaching a toxic level. . . algae is taking over and you can't see either of your fish. . . oscar gets stunted. . . Hey, you don't need a big tank anymore!
It all works out in the end.
