Good algea eaters w discus?

[kribkeeper888]

Ok so what are good choices of algea eater with discus other then ottos?? I've heard of amanos, rubberlip plecos... dunno. Any thoughts??

[discuspaul]

That's a toughie, Krib - I've tried them all, with varying results.
Amanos are great, but they do tend to get intimidated by the the discus, and don't seem to do all that well at the higher discus temps.
Otos and SAE's can be ok, but I've had the experience, more than once, that when they get larger, fatter & lazier, some may tend to take a liking to discus' slime coats as part of their diet. You can get lucky, and it may not happen, but I will not keep either of these species with discus anymore.
Plecos - there's good & bad - BN's are great - compatibly - but do they do a good job getting rid of algae ? That's a big question mark.
What else ? Perhaps a few large snails - Nerites ? Something else ?
BTW Krib, the Seahawks have been my NFL team for many years - perhaps this year ?

[kribkeeper888]

Ive had good success with rubberlip plecos, hard workers and they arnt the type of fish to try chewing on another lol. I might end up trying them. The last time I had BN plecos they ate 2 large sword plants in my tank even with a large supply of algea so im not big on them haha. Snails are a last resort for me and something I will try after all else has failed haha.

(BTW I think the hawks are on the right track for this year, I hope they can resolve the linbacker need)

[discuspaul]

Well, I sure wish I knew the answer to that question !
Snails are a last resort for me too - but one never knows- maybe they can do the job.

As for the Hawks, maybe this is their year !!

[TWA]

I've had really good success with BN plecos. They eat the algae in my tanks and ignore the discus.

But I don't supplement them with anything so maybe I starve them to the point they eat all the algae.

[discuspaul]

Originally Posted by TWA

I've had really good success with BN plecos. They eat the algae in my tanks and ignore the discus.

But I don't supplement them with anything so maybe I starve them to the point they eat all the algae.

THat's great TWA, maybe starving them is the answer. If it has worked for you, let me know, and I'll certainly try them !

[kribkeeper888]

Yeah Ive never found myself in need to supplement my algea eaters haha.

[kribkeeper888]

Originally Posted by discuspaul

THat's great TWA, maybe starving them is the answer. If it has worked for you, let me know, and I'll certainly try them !

Hope you dont have any large sword plants who knows what might happen

[discuspaul]

Yeah, I do have some large sword plants - my only problem with them is keeping them well-trimmed, which I do, and finding a sure-fire way to keep fuzz algae from growing on their leaves - seems to be a recent problem - and it's the only place in my tank where I have an algae prob - everything else is crystal clear.
And Krib, give me a clue as to what you mean - what "might happen" ?

[kribkeeper888]

I had 2 red rubin swords that were both about 1.5 ft tall anyway my pair of BN plecos ether tried to get the green spot algea off of the rubin or they liked the taste of the plant because they reduced the swords to stumps in about a week.

[TWA]

I've heard BN may gain a taste for plants such as swords, I've just never had it happen.

[kribkeeper888]

Its actually pretty amazing how fast they can chew it down lol

[Miles]

Originally Posted by kribkeeper888

Ok so what are good choices of algea eater with discus other then ottos?? I've heard of amanos, rubberlip plecos... dunno. Any thoughts??

A large population of malaysian trumpet snails would do pretty good, that's what I have along with a couple ottos

[kribkeeper888]

Yeah malaysians are ok cept for the fact they ALWAYS make it down into my filter impellers and then they get ground up and that totally wrecks the impeller