Getting algae to grow?

[QCppg]

My two small plecos still haven't taken to algae wafers, so how do I get green algae to grow? Does "green" medecations kill it? I get plenty of brown algae in my 18-gallon, but no algae period in the 20 (where the small plecos are). Both tanks are lighted with a pair of 48-inch flourescent bulbs in the standard "cool white" color. Will just replacing these bulbs with "grow-lux" or aquarium bulbs help? Thanks.

 

[OrionGirl]

Commons will do better on a meatier diet. They also need to have access to wood--they eat a lot of it.

 

[TKOS]

Try getting some shrimp pellets or else one of the complete tablets. It isn't really wise to try and sustain fish on the amount of algae that grow in an aquarium.

 

[QCppg]

I have both these foods, I am not sure if they eat what I drop in or not because I haven't vacuumed the tank since I got the second pleco. I just haven't seen them eating on the algae tablet (my large pleco attacks the biscuit as soon as it hits the bottom no matter when I drop it in). But then again my large pleco eats a lot of the cichlid mini-pellets I feed my angelfish (which I intentionally use more than the fish eat so that the shrimp get their share).

 

[RioXingu]

The plecos are probably eating the algae before it becomes noticeable. Algae may start to show in places inaccessable to the plecos.
In addition to wafers, I feed veggies to my plecos--slices of zucchini, cucumber, yams, green beans, etc.
All my tanks have driftwood too, deemed necessary for most species of plecos to munch on.

Bill in WI

 

[happychem]

Before I brought back my common plecos, they seemed more interested in shrimp pellets than algae disks. They also seemed more effective as scavengers than algae eaters, especially as they get big.

 

[Hans]

i dont think mine eats anything but wood

 

[Dragon_Lord_Tia]

mine grows so Forking slow how can i get it to grow faster its the slowest 1 ive had since ever i have wood,algea etc

 

[happychem]

Hmmm, I know what go mine to grow really fast, an algal bloom that resulted from a combination of a friend overfeeding my fish while I was on vacation and brutally warm water from %#$*&# incandescent lights.

I wouldn't recommend it, the other fish were less than appreciative and tended to protest by, um, dieing.