Need a driftwood algae eater...

DaveSurfer

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I'm setting up a 33 gallon with a huge piece of driftwood and will be stocking it with SAEs, otos, and cherry shrimp for the algae crew. What can I get that will effectively clean off the harder, flat green algae that grows on driftwood? I know that plecos do this but they also eat plants and uproot stuff.

THanks!
 

Tom Barr

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Rubber nose plecos do a decent job.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

DaveSurfer

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Tom Barr;35529 said:
Rubber nose plecos do a decent job.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Thanks Tom! And they won't be nibbling on the glosso or HC right? In a 33 gallon how big do you think they'd grow? Hopefully only a couple inches max. And they won't eat my cherry shrimp? ...and oops this thread was suppost to go into "Fish for planted tanks".
 

rich815

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DaveSurfer;35584 said:
Thanks Tom! And they won't be nibbling on the glosso or HC right? In a 33 gallon how big do you think they'd grow? Hopefully only a couple inches max. And they won't eat my cherry shrimp? ...and oops this thread was suppost to go into "Fish for planted tanks".

Make sure you do not want to grow Rotala 'Vietnam' or wallichi if you plan to have SAEs.
 

DaveSurfer

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rich815;35598 said:
Make sure you do not want to grow Rotala 'Vietnam' or wallichi if you plan to have SAEs.

:( Wallichi? Really? I was actually planning on that one as my bright red plant! Weird I never thought SAEs ate any plants...
 

Carissa

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My shovelnose pleco does fine in my 30g, he has not grown much past the 3" he was when I bought him, and he has never touched my plants, only eaten algae off of them.
 

DaveSurfer

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Carissa;35630 said:
My shovelnose pleco does fine in my 30g, he has not grown much past the 3" he was when I bought him, and he has never touched my plants, only eaten algae off of them.

Yeah the rubbernose can get to 5". But I googled "shovelnose" and am getting it as a catfish not a pleco (although I guess plecos are a catfish) In the pic below it looks much like a loach as has the markings of a yoyo loach! I love the looks!!
007-21.jpg


I have read that the shovel nose can grow to 2 feet!! Maybe it just grows into the size of the aquarium though. Or is the wrong type? I see "Tiger" shovelnose. Are there smaller types?

So it does eat the flat green algae off driftwood. And do you have HC or glosso?
 

Signus

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The myth that fish grow to the size of the tank has been the death of countless goldfish. More often, it arises from uncontrolled amounts of nitrates and physical trauma which stunt further growth.

Fish have indeterminate growth over their lives. They may reach the maximum length quickly, then slowly add on girth and depth to their bodies (kinda like humans as we reach middle age :D ).

-----------------

Sorry for going off topic.

Bristle nose plecos are a good choice too.
 

shoggoth43

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That shovelnose is definitely not the one you're looking for. The red tailed cat behind it would be even worse. These are big fish for big tanks.

You might have more luck here but I didn't find anything on the shovelnose pleco. The best I could find seems to indicate that if might be the same as a rubbernose.

PlanetCatfish • the online home of aquarium catfishes
 

DaveSurfer

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shoggoth43;35667 said:
That shovelnose is definitely not the one you're looking for. The red tailed cat behind it would be even worse. These are big fish for big tanks.

You might have more luck here but I didn't find anything on the shovelnose pleco. The best I could find seems to indicate that if might be the same as a rubbernose.

PlanetCatfish • the online home of aquarium catfishes

Yeah they looked like they grow huge. I've found out there's a few species of rubbernose. The one I think I need to get is the L187b not the L187 or L187a or "rubberlipped" as they grow very large. The Rubbernose L187b only gets a few inches. I have to make sure they won't eat my HC, glosso or shrimp though! I've spent a lot of time getting those carpets going and I don't want anyone eating it!
 

Carissa

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My pleco may not be a 'shovelnose' that's just what I was told when I bought him. He's sort of speckled as opposed to striped, and has a square mouth on him. He's a pleco, not a catfish. I have had regular plecos too and they have never eaten my plants.
 

Philosophos

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Here's a good site for Loricaridae ID, check the L-number catalog:
Planet Catfish

Rubbernose plecos are good. In addition, Ancistrus spp. in general will rasp on wood for digestive aid while eating algae. I've kept a couple kinds with tougher plants; no damage resulted. The driftwood was always clean.

-Philosophos
 

DaveSurfer

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Philosophos;35823 said:
Here's a good site for Loricaridae ID, check the L-number catalog:
Planet Catfish

Rubbernose plecos are good. In addition, Ancistrus spp. in general will rasp on wood for digestive aid while eating algae. I've kept a couple kinds with tougher plants; no damage resulted. The driftwood was always clean.

-Philosophos

Yeah the L187b is the guy I need to get. I do have soft plants like HC and glosso so...
 

Philosophos

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Either L-187 would do. There are probably other Chaetostoma that would function similarly as well. You could also check out any of the beaufortia spp. Despite the typical recommendations, I've found flow doesn't matter much with them; they like it but don't need it. They're good algae eaters, though not the same reputation as the rubbernose. I've never had problems with them damaging things, and they look neat.

-Philosophos
 

DaveSurfer

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Philosophos;35850 said:
Either L-187 would do. There are probably other Chaetostoma that would function similarly as well. You could also check out any of the beaufortia spp. Despite the typical recommendations, I've found flow doesn't matter much with them; they like it but don't need it. They're good algae eaters, though not the same reputation as the rubbernose. I've never had problems with them damaging things, and they look neat.

-Philosophos

Hmmm...they do look cool. How big do they grow? I'd like something nocturnal though. I don't want him sucking on everything during the day.
 

Philosophos

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For Beaufortia, I've had various experiences with their size. The 4 year old ones in my 33g aren't more than a couple of inches. A lot of the time they're about 3 inches, give or take a bit. I saw one monster that must've had some sort of condition; it looked about ''6.

IME they're skittish; tend to move rather than cling. I've seen them active on both day and night cycles.

You won't want to push your aquarium temp too high with these guys. I've kept them at 26c without any problems; some sources recommend 23c.

-Philosophos
 

DaveSurfer

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Philosophos;35862 said:
For Beaufortia, I've had various experiences with their size. The 4 year old ones in my 33g aren't more than a couple of inches. A lot of the time they're about 3 inches, give or take a bit. I saw one monster that must've had some sort of condition; it looked about ''6.

IME they're skittish; tend to move rather than cling. I've seen them active on both day and night cycles.

You won't want to push your aquarium temp too high with these guys. I've kept them at 26c without any problems; some sources recommend 23c.

-Philosophos

Thats the thing too, I'm putting cardinals in there which like tempertures closer to 30.
 

Philosophos

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I've kept cardinals in 25c without any trouble. True, they have a higher upper tolerance, but it's not necessary in my own experience. In all honesty, I've found that outside of breeding, fish keepers can get a bit too paranoid about the temperatures they expose their fish to. Think of the average water temperature swing between dry and rainy seasons in some of the places that these fish come from.

-Philosophos