A question about algae eaters

[PostGhosty]

Before we switched from community to africans, we had bottom dwellers and algae eaters, (pleco's and catfish) but what can you use in an african tank, that the Cichlids won't harass.

Please forgive my ignorence, we just recently started keeping Cichlids a few months ago and are really enjoying them. We had a pair of jewels that had about 200 fry, that ended up being someones dinner. But it was quite an experience to watch the parents care for the young. They probably would have had a better chance if we hadn't interfered. My husband put up a tank divider, on the opposite side of the jewels nest, and I guess all they wanted to do was get back to that spot. We lost them all, but we did enjoy watching them.

But back to the topic, any thoughts on what we should do for a scavanger? Or if we really need one with a Cichlid tank?

Thank you,

Ghosty

[SGypsyMermaid]

i have one ornery, one-eyed jewel cichlid in a tank with 2 synodontis nigriventris(upside-down catfish). the cats hold their own. :wink:

[angelhf13]

I have a placo in with my africans that does very well. The africans do pick on him a bit, but placo's have good body armor....they are very spiney so the africans cant do much damage picking on them. As long as the placo is at least twice the size of the africans you shouldn't have any problem. If you want bottom scavengers, I think a good choice are clown loaches...they hold thier own in my other cichlid tank, but as I've learned recently, they are very suseptable to bacterial infections.

[matt1066]

I also have a pleco that keeps the rocks and glass clean.

In addition I have 2 Synodontis multipunctatus and 1 Syn. eupterus.

I dont see mine that often as they are shy and prefer to come out when the lights go out, however after a few weeks they will get more bold.

I know that the above will all prosper in a hard, alkaline tank.

Beautiful as well, also a bit expensive-where I live the multi's cost me $25 a pop for juvies the eupterus was @ $15.

Good luck,

Matt

[thmandan22]

Yes, I agree the Plecos have Very thick skin and if you look closely you can even see tiny spikes sticking out of them. once i accidentaly touched him, he felt like rock and he did'nt even move.
dan

[Frontosa29]

i have 5 syn. nigriventis with my africans in my 75 they do a very good job... as for the algea i dont have that big of a problem most mbuna are algea eaters they take care of most of t he problem...if there is still a lot of algea...i clean it off of the front glass and leave the rest they like to graze....oh and plecos do have a good amount of armour but take a close look at some plecos in african tanks they have no eyes..i see no reason to put a pleco in an african tank...i know that a slow change of ph can be done but regardless to take a south american fish that thrives at a 6.0 and put it at an 8.2 or even 7's i have trouble believe that it has no long term effects or short term for that matter...besides they go eyeless :bawl:

[merlyn2221]

I have 3 Synodontis eupterus catfish who are a little shy, but munch on algae all the time.

If you get a pleco, make sure it is young and can take the high pH and hard water conditions. You might try a bristlenose varitey. They have a hard bony plate that mbuna will find hard to damage.

[WorldNation]

i have a plain cory, an pside down syodontis, and a pleco in my 100gal. they never get bothered by the africans

[thmandan22]

Yes. the plecos eye and fin are there only real weak spots that they can get bit in. like i said once i touched him he was hard as rock i thought i was touching some of my rock i have in there they are very boney and can swing there tail around(the spikes on his tail) so they can stand up for themselves, maybe its just cuz my other fish in there is 4'' long and he doesnt pick fights, usually.

[angelhf13]

I guess it all depends on just how agressive your africans are...as far as placos go...thats why I said the placo should be twice the size of the africans at least. The ph factor is a concern, but my placo seems to do best in my african tanks with a higher ph. There are different types of placos too, so I guess that would be a factor as well. Ive never had one without eyes though!! Ive never heard that before...though I am sort of new with africans. Id hate for my placo to lose his eyes, Ive had him for 2 years! I'll be watching him more closely now, thats for sure!

[matt1066]

Pleco's dont like light all that much, they have evolved a mechanism to cope with this. If you look really close you will see little shades on the eyes, which the pleco can enlarge or contract at will.

I have kept common pleco's at ph 8.2 with no appreciable side affects that I can see. The biggest problem is that they grow very quickly from a maintenance man to a poop machine.

Matt

[Adam]

I have 2 plecos, about 2 inches long with my n. leleupi, j. regani, and n. brichardi and they have not been touched. Fins are all fine, nothing at all wrong with them.

[Mbuniac]

Another good catfish is Synodontis robbianus. Very similar to Syn. nigreventris. only supposedly slightly smaller. I've read that they only get up to 5", but I have 2, one 6" and one 8". Where the nigreventris is primarily grey/black, the robbianus is red/brown. More attractive IMHO (if a syn. can be called attractive). Of course Syn. njasse is probably the ideal cat for an african tank, they are a bit pricey and not too easy to find at an IFS.

[SGypsyMermaid]

(if a syn. can be called attractive). Of course Syn. njasse is probably the ideal cat for an african tank, they are a bit pricey and not too easy to find at an IFS.

sam-i-am, of course a syno can considered attractive!! :P did you mean to say that syno njasse is ideal for a malawi tank?(since they are the only syno endemic to lake malawi?) because s. petricola and s. multipunctatus are from lake tanganyika.

[Mbuniac]

Hi Gypsy!
Of course I meant "Malawi"!!! After all, that's the lake with the best fish! :lol: (can't wait to hear the mail I'm gonna get for that one!)

[Mbuniac]

P.S.
I'm looking at my two Syn. robbianus in my isolation tank right now (thinking I might have missed something), and I have no desire whatsoever to snuggle up to them or anything. Guess they're just not my type :?: