[hamstermann]

Got a Clown Pleco 2 days ago. I saw him at the top of the tank muching away that night I got him and Haven't seen him anywhere in there for a day or so. In addition, all the diatoms I wanted him to clean off are still on the glass. I know Plecos like to hide during the day and eat at night, but not seeing any diatoms gone makes me wonder if they don't actually eat/like them?

Do any of you know?

 

[greatfish123]

ottos are best known for eating diatoms. I've never heard of plecos eating diatoms.

 

[legomaniac89]

IME I've never known a pleco to eat diatoms. They prefer the green stuff to the brown stuff. Like greatfish said, Otocinclus are a great diatom cleanup crew, along with different species of snails

 

[hamstermann]

Dang. I got the Clown Pleco because my water (even after a few water changes) is still a bit brackish after trying to save a betta that ended up dying anyway. I tried 2 snails before the pleco, but they couldn't handle the salt. Because otos are so fragile, I was a bit afraid to try them until there were enough water changes to get rid of the salt.

guess it's time to get out the green brillo pads and get the diatoms myself.

 

[lauraleellbp]

Clown plecos eat mostly wood.

My BN pleco did a number on brown algae in my 46gal, but probably also b/c there was green mixed in.

Otos usually love the stuff.

Brown algae should be easy to wipe off with a paper towel; you really shouldn't need a Brillo pad unless there's some other algae mixed in?

 

[hamstermann]

Brown algae should be easy to wipe off with a paper towel; you really shouldn't need a Brillo pad unless there's some other algae mixed in?

Brillo pads were just more convenient - right next to the tank on my desk, as opposed to having to get up and get a paper towel.

so now I have a sword molly missing as well and the tank's pretty murky - even after a 50% water change. Think something killed it or is it just as good at hiding as the Plec? I've never known a molly to hide this well for this long before, but When I run my fingers through all the plants, I can't feel him anywhere in the tank. A quick look around the tank doesn't show any dead fish, So I don't think he jumped out...

 

[pinkertd]

BN's definitely eat diatoms.

 

[hamstermann]

Pulled out all the tall and bushy plants to look for the Missing Molly - he's just plain gone. I can't figure this mystery out. The only thing I can think is that he's buried in the substrate somewhere. I ran my fingers through it a bit, but didn't find him before teh water got too cloudy to make it any use. (good o' fluorite...)

I guess I'll just attribute it to fish stealing aliens.

 

[lauraleellbp]

Better keep up with the water changes, a decomposing molly could be a tank-crasher. :frown:

 

[hamstermann]

Found the molly. apparantly (s)he was smaller than I thought. Or the mini rapids filter tubes were larger than I thought. After my hornwort crumbled and all the leaves got stuck to the filter intake, I took off the intake's screen to clean it while leaving the filter running. He must have gotten curious, swam up the tube, then not been able to reverse. I think the tank already crashed pretty much. the water was VERY cloudy this morning, so I did a 50% water change and filled it up with dechlorinated tap water to find that the water was still cloudy. Thinking the filter must be clogged (Rapids minis are notorious for this until they're modded which I haven't had to do yet), I pulled the filter apart and found the molly decomposing in the filter floss.

so now I've tossed the filter floss, rinsed the bio rings in water that I hope was dechlorinated (I'd put Prime in a full 5 gallon bucket of tap water 4-5 hours before and used that water) and put the canister back together with new filter floss. Now I just hope I haven't eliminated too much bacteria.

Since the tank's at work and it's a 4-day weekend, I'll have to wait anxiously to see how it's doing. I sure hope it levels out, clears up, and the plants and other fish haven't suffered too bad.

Good thing it was a molly and not something more expensive! (not that it's ever fun to lose fish, no matter what they cost....)