Alternative to plecs??

[Norbert]

Just curious what fish, other then plecs, you use as clean-up fish in your cichlid tanks?

This guy's from Lake Malawi, came in with a wild fish import from the lake. He does an outstanding job of keeping the hard surfaces in the tank cleaned up, even does a fair job on the substrate.

He's really only suited for tanks with big rowdy cichlids that can take care of themselves though as he's meaner then a junkyard dog :becky:

I initially thought he was Labeo cylindricus but his eyes are not very red so I'm not sure anymore.
http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad31/Norbertphoto/Malawi%2012-09/DSC_00072922.jpg

[emartin]

Looks cool!

For brown and flat green algae I keep ABN plecos... Awesome looking fish, peaceful (except for fry tanks), and do a great job.

For all the other algaes I have Siamese Algae Eaters. They are really neat fish, great behavior and often perch on plants or decor like Steatocranus and other river cichlids do when they rest but have no problem swimming around the tank. They do an amazing job keeping hair algae off of plants and out of the display tanks. Supposedly they eat every single kind of freshwater algae known to man except flat algaes like brown and green algae, and carnivorous algaes (so rare though it should never be a problem.... I don't think carnivorous algaes are actually algaes though).

For an alternative to ancistrus plecos for flat algae cleaning, there is Euchilichthys sp. from African. Daves Fish gets them in once in a blue moon...
http://davesfish.com/images/Euchilichthys%20sp.jpg

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/genus.php?genus_id=146

[DJRansome]

Zebra nerite snails. They are doing well in my peacock tank, and OK in the Tang tank. Not so good in the mbuna tank.

[emartin]

nerite snails are the marine ones right?

Oh and I forgot to mention that Siamese Algae Eaters I have seen at about 5"...I have two at that size :-). Can be stupid though.... I killed one once (my third 5" one :() when it swam up a python hose and got its head stuck in the suction part and had it crushed. By the time I realized the damage was but was still alive. Immediately rescued it but it died later. Then I had one of my other 5" ones do the exact same thing but I was in the same room when it happened and I heard the "noise" when the suction got clogged and rescued the poor fella... Had some cuts on him and was bleeding a real tiny bit but he was back in full health and eating like a pig a week later LOL.

[Norbert]

Looks cool!

For brown and flat green algae I keep ABN plecos... Awesome looking fish, peaceful (except for fry tanks), and do a great job.

For all the other algaes I have Siamese Algae Eaters. They are really neat fish, great behavior and often perch on plants or decor like Steatocranus and other river cichlids do when they rest but have no problem swimming around the tank. They do an amazing job keeping hair algae off of plants and out of the display tanks. Supposedly they eat every single kind of freshwater algae known to man except flat algaes like brown and green algae, and carnivorous algaes (so rare though it should never be a problem.... I don't think carnivorous algaes are actually algaes though).

For an alternative to ancistrus plecos for flat algae cleaning, there is Euchilichthys sp. from African. Daves Fish gets them in once in a blue moon...

Those are awesome and have been on my must have list forever it seems like (the Euchilichthys I mean), I want to add some to my West African tank...how do they do in a group? have heard they can be tough on each other.

Zebra nerite snails. They are doing well in my peacock tank, and OK in the Tang tank. Not so good in the mbuna tank.
I googled them, very cool patterns on some of them, saw some with yellow stripes on a dark background, nice.

nerite snails are the marine ones right?

Oh and I forgot to mention that Siamese Algae Eaters I have seen at about 5"...I have two at that size :-). Can be stupid though.... I killed one once (my third 5" one :() when it swam up a python hose and got its head stuck in the suction part and had it crushed. By the time I realized the damage was but was still alive. Immediately rescued it but it died later. Then I had one of my other 5" ones do the exact same thing but I was in the same room when it happened and I heard the "noise" when the suction got clogged and rescued the poor fella... Had some cuts on him and was bleeding a real tiny bit but he was back in full health and eating like a pig a week later LOL.
Bummer :( I had a purple spotted gudgeon do that once too, what a dummy. My SAE's are smart, they've been living with my puffer for a long time, no trouble, they are great at keeping my plants clean and neat.

[toddnbecka]

For an alternative to ancistrus plecos for flat algae cleaning, there is Euchilichthys sp. from African. Daves Fish gets them in once in a blue moon...ThatPetPlace in Lancaster, PA has them listed in-stock: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/6847/product.web
I'd be tempted to get a few and try breeding them if I didn't already have enough projects underway.

[emartin]

Those are awesome and have been on my must have list forever it seems like (the Euchilichthys I mean), I want to add some to my West African tank...how do they do in a group? have heard they can be tough on each other.


I googled them, very cool patterns on some of them, saw some with yellow stripes on a dark background, nice.


Bummer :( I had a purple spotted gudgeon do that once too, what a dummy. My SAE's are smart, they've been living with my puffer for a long time, no trouble, they are great at keeping my plants clean and neat.
What puffer do you keep?

I have NO idea about the Euchilichthys sp... You'll have to ask Dave or the folks on planetcatfish.

I'd imagine that they'd be very similar to the members of the Loricariidae family in both behavior and breeding.... guess why LOL

[DJRansome]

The zebra nerites are freshwater/brackish but there are also marine varieties that cannot live in our tanks. The color is a chestnut brown and black stripe, they are very cool. A little delicate in that you cannot feed them commercial foods but they need algae in the tank to survive.

[Norbert]

ThatPetPlace in Lancaster, PA has them listed in-stock: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/6847/product.web
I'd be tempted to get a few and try breeding them if I didn't already have enough projects underway.
Thanks for the heads up!

What puffer do you keep?

Tetraodon pustulatus...Cross River Puffer

The zebra nerites are freshwater/brackish but there are also marine varieties that cannot live in our tanks. The color is a chestnut brown and black stripe, they are very cool. A little delicate in that you cannot feed them commercial foods but they need algae in the tank to survive.
I see, found some images of that type as well, nice looking snails.

[emartin]

Norbert post pics of your Pustulatus... Not many pics of them on the net!