Should I or Shouldn't I get some algae eaters?

[DIY]

Hi All,

I've got 6 young discus in their own tank. I'm getting a small amount of algae (brown) which isn't too much of a problem.

What I want is your opinions on the benefits & drawbacks on adding an algae eater to my tank..

I'm thinking if I do add, based on previous posts in this forum I would most likely go for either some Oto's, Bristlenose or whiptail's

Wadda y'all think?

[Mattzilla]

i have bristle nose in both my discus tanks and they are great. they keep the tank very clean and i don't have to worry about algea blooms. they are a must in my books....they are cheap as chips and never bother my discus

[kalebjarrod]

agreed matt

i have them in all my tanks :D

[weird]

Mattzilla, do they do alright at 30 degrees and highre ? What is the max temp you have had bristlenose in your tank with no problems ?

Oh, yes to continue with the question of the thread, yes I think algae eaters are great. Just avoid the big plecos cause I hear they are poo machines.

[Mattzilla]

commong plecos will tend to eat the slim coating off your discus and stress them out. so stick with b/n or peppermint b/n...they are much better with discus.

weird... i keep my discus tanks at 29 deg and they are fine. i have has my tanks at 32 deg when medicating before and they have also been fine...but that was only for a couple of days.

i'm not even sure what temp b/n prefer... about 26 deg i think..(could be wrong though).

they even laid eggs at 29 deg not long ago but they ended up being a tasty snack for my corys...lol

[kalebjarrod]

i had my tanks sit at 31 for about three weeks and they actually laid eggs too!

B/N are tough little guys

[Chris McMahon]

i had my tanks sit at 31 for about three weeks and they actually laid eggs too!That's pretty good.

I bought two pairs of bns (separately) over the last 3 or so months. All supposed reliable breeders. Haven't had a single new egg. Paid $50 for one pair, $60 for the other. :evil:

I put it down to the 29C temp, but your experience seems to sink that idea.

[kalebjarrod]

yeah but did any of the fry survive NOPE

cooler tabk and i will see what happens :wink:

[chris_d]

Bns are great with discus however the guy at my lfs says that their ideal water is aroun7- 8.0 ish mark, more alkaline. acidic water for discus is not ideal for them to breed in.

i too have a pair around 5-6cm(sdult size) nothings happening. when i bought them i had to leave them in their bags for over 3hrs to bring down their ph.

[DIY]

Thanks guys,

sounds like BN is the popular choice.
I've seen a peppermint BN at an lfs some time ago and it looked pretty cute, but if my memory's correct it was pretty expensive.
how big do they get? and do they slow down on on algae eating as they get older?

[kalebjarrod]

you will need to feed your B/N some other things other than just alge

pumpkin, zucinni, lettuce they love thier veggies

i have no idea how big B/N get, anyone elese

[weird]

I was lucky with my adults, they grew big without me giving them their veges like zuchini, lettuce etc ... I was using a general "sinking complete food tablet" that has corys and plecos on the front.

But after feeding my babies, I know how much they love veges and will on occasion now throw in a lettuce leaf in my community tank (the sucking catfish seamed to like it as well).

What bristlenoses also appreciate is driftwood, the theory is that it helps their digestive system.

[DIY]

After doing a bit of "googling" it seems most sites recommend oto's for brown algae

has anyone witnessed their BN's eating brown algae?

[Chris McMahon]

i have no idea how big B/N get, anyone eleseAverage seems to be around 8-10cm. I've got several 10cm specimens. My LFS had a single female that was at least 15cm, but at $60 I wasn't buying. They sold it a few days later.

[chris_d]

i've seen them eat white fungus looking thing from my intake and outake pipes of my filter....a great 'house cleaner' lol

[leanne31]

I have bn in my discus 4ft as well they do a good job of cleaning up the algae my only problem was when my 10cm male started getting a bit territorial and chasing everything in site he thought he was the king of the aquarium he even started eating form the worm feeders at the top of the tank chasing away the discus when they came to eat so i had to remove him but my smaller ones are no problem.

[goldenpigeon]

high every 1 i have bn and whiptails and both r great! i find the bn hide a bit more but the whiptails r not as active but i have never had a quick glance at my tank (display tank) and been unable to see the whiptails. i have a 6ft tank so thats not to bad. but the bristlenoses r just as great i particularly like my pepprmint over albinos and the standards.

David