# Alge Eater in pirahna tank



## CuzIsaidSo

Whats the best alge eater for a pirahna tank? I heard plecos are sh*t machines and make more of a mess than they clean. Is this true and Are there any other fish that will keep a clean tank?


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## FEEFA

Plcos are def shitting machines.
You could try some ghost shrimp but they may get picked off but they're also cheap to replace.

The best way to keep your tank clean is to do it yourself


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## TJcali

There shiting machines and this will eventually happen one day or another


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## anders890

TJcali said:


> There shiting machines and this will eventually happen one day or another


I have two plecos, one small and one big, I have had them for about 2 months now, and It works just fine.. The problems came only in the beginning when I put them in the tank and the piranhas immediately started to bite them in their fin, but they are doing pretty okey now and seems to be accepted..


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## Nick G

plecos work, but its only a matter of time before they become lunch. i had two that lasted about 8 months once, i think that was my record. now i just clean the algae myself.


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## anders890

Nick G said:


> plecos work, but its only a matter of time before they become lunch. i had two that lasted about 8 months once, i think that was my record. now i just clean the algae myself.


Even if they are much bigger then the P's?


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## Nick G

anders890 said:


> plecos work, but its only a matter of time before they become lunch. i had two that lasted about 8 months once, i think that was my record. now i just clean the algae myself.


Even if they are much bigger then the P's?
[/quote]
the two i had were in a tank (originally) with five 4" (ish) reds, and the two plecos were like 7 or 8"
i ended up giving 2 of the reds away (it was only a 75 gallon tank) so i guess when the first of the two plecos got taken out the reds were about 7" or so, but the plecos were like 9 or 10" at that point. the other pleco lasted another month or two but he eventually got eaten as well.

i think that what happened was that the plecos got too comfortable with the reds and that was ultimately their demise... cus for the first three months i barely saw them, then they were fighting the reds for pellets.

and plecos that big are absolutely poop machines too, so when the first got eaten, i didnt really care.


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## notaverage

Nothing will last.
I had a stripped Raphael and it last nearly a year....thing is he never moved from under the driftwood.
I literally never saw him for that long...everytime I cleaned the tank I had to check to see if it was there....

Nothing is a good choice being it will eventually be a snack.


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## anders890

notaverage said:


> Nothing will last.
> I had a stripped Raphael and it last nearly a year....thing is he never moved from under the driftwood.
> I literally never saw him for that long...everytime I cleaned the tank I had to check to see if it was there....
> 
> Nothing is a good choice being it will eventually be a snack.


Ok, then I will not waste any money on alge eaters in the future







But my reds are pretty shy and small, and almoust have problem with eating live-feeders like guppies !


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## Piranha Dan

My Pleco went a year and a half without so much as a fin nip, then I looked in there one day and saw half his tail chewed off. I moved him to another tank and most of it grew back. Also, I noticed after I removed him that my gravel was alot cleaner and the rate my nitrates went up over the week between water changes noticable decreased.
Basically, they make more of a mess then they clean up and they'll get eaten eventually. Don't waste your time/money.


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## notaverage

Here follow this thread...
You can get one of these to help clean up your tank..haha
I always post this thread when people ask these questions.

CRAY FISH


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## CLUSTER ONE

I would say snails are the best as plecos and other armoured cats usually will get eaten. My sanchezi took out the eye and nipped fins of a pleco 3-4x his size, so shear size doesnt meake it work either. I would just get some apple snails or something. Snales clean decently, but nothing will lean the glass like a swipe of a blade. My suggestion is just reduce phosphates, nitrates and dont use excess light and just try to avoid algae then snails can pick up whats left.


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## thundergolf

Ive had a chinese algae eater in with my elong for nearly a year. I give him several places to hide it seems to be smart enough to come out to feed when the lights are off and when my elongs is not paying attention. I understand that this wont last forever, but has been kinda cool to watch.


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## nero1

sean-820 said:


> I would say snails are the best as plecos and other armoured cats usually will get eaten. My sanchezi took out the eye and nipped fins of a pleco 3-4x his size, so shear size doesnt meake it work either. I would just get some apple snails or something. Snales clean decently, but nothing will lean the glass like a swipe of a blade. My suggestion is just reduce phosphates, nitrates and dont use excess light and just try to avoid algae then snails can pick up whats left.


I second this. I have always allowed for the common pond snail to make a home in my tanks. They are small but with them working in numbers they do a decent job of keeping things clean. you dont notice them so much and that also means your fish wont either. Many years ago I had an RBP kill a yellow apple snail ( my first RBP).


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## assclown

you can never have a balanced eco system in a pygo tank, dont care who
or what you have done in the past, ive lost all sorts of cats (plecos and rapheals too)

eventually snails can become dinner, lunch etc. if a pygo is so inclined to do so.
snails would be a great choice IMO as well

i have found the best algea eater is a sponge built for your tank and change your bulbs
and dont feed too much and change your water......lol, ill stop now


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## Lifer374

My rhom has always completely ignored snails which is pretty cool. I've got about a half dozen of these which helps with algae.


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## DanieleRoma

Lifer374 said:


> My rhom has always completely ignored snails which is pretty cool. I've got about a half dozen of these which helps with algae.


Absolutly the best algae eater for piranha's tanks!! Instead of pleco, otocinclus or ampullarias the neritinae are the best because piranhas dont eat them! I have about 20 of them and never problems at all! The only bad thing is the impossibility to reproduce them because the eggs need salt water


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## Ibanez247

Im with lifer on this. Snails are the best way to go. I have two large snails in my manny tank. If they get close to his chill spot he will move them. Pretty funny to watch. As far as plecos go Id wish people would learn themselves and stop calling them algae eaters. Yeah they will scrape off algae but they cant live off it. Seems every time I go to my LFS someones in there asking to get an algae eater. One they are called plecos, two you need to feed them algae alone wont keep them alive. Be like you trying to live off corn. The last pleco I had wouldnt touch algae. He prefered the shrimp I fed my reds. He now resides in a friends community tank.


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## gtc

I tried to put a Pleco with my blue diamond and they all lasted 10-20 mins. So I stopped trying


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## Soul Assassin

Plecos eat algae when they are small...than eventually stop. They are sh*t machines for sure.
I also think nerite snails are the best, especially because they cant breed in fresh water.


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