Malawi Tank - Need good critter for algae defense

[jarrodaden]

Please recommend a good critter for algae defense. I hate scrubbing. This is for a 72 gallon malawi tank.

[cichlid1409]

bristle nose plecos work well and they dont get very large. I like the albino variety they are a very nice yellow color.

[tunedis95]

i hear ya on the scrubbing part....i don't turn on my lights as much...and instead of using a scrubbing pad...i use an old filter from a back hanging unit...I'm able to cover 4 times the area using that.....just a tip...

[armthehomeless]

Please recommend a good critter for algae defense. I hate scrubbing. This is for a 72 gallon malawi tank.

Best algae defense: Keeping the light off when you aren't there. In a cichlid tank, you won't likely have live plants. No reason to have the light on when nobody is around.

With that said, cichlid1409's suggestion of BN plecos work well. From what I remember, your wife will like the "yellow" of the albinos as opposed to the brown color of the regular BN.

[Enin]

I read somewhere that you need about 1 bristlenose for every 20 gallons. I have 4 ablinos in my 75 tank and they are machines again alge. They do need hiding places for the day time though, my trophs like to pick on them.

[jarrodaden]

So the cichlids won't pester them... I wasn't aware of that. I am rather partial to the bristlenose and I like that idea. I might even make a little love shack for them and see what happens.

[Enin]

The first day i put the plecos in the tank the Ikolas were messing with them pretty bad and i didnt want to put a love shack in. I thought it would throw off my tanks look. So i went to home depot and bought a 1.5" pvp pipe and 2 90 angles. I buried it under the sand behind 2 holey rocks with only the 90 angles sticking up alittle. I was hoping the plecos would call this home and stay in the pipe during the day. Acouple hrs later i saw that a Ikola had laid claim to the pipe and he was traveling through the pipe and gaurding the pvc pipe. I think the agressive fish will claim just about anything you put in there.

[Gene D]

My trophs largely ignore my ABN. They are more of an oddity to them than anything. The trophs swim closer to take and the ABN get all worked up but I have never seen a troph try to mess with one of mine

[armthehomeless]

So the cichlids won't pester them... I wasn't aware of that.

This isn't entirely true. Some cichlids will bother BN (Ex: Melanochromis, Champsochromis, etc.), some won't (ex:Aulonocara), and some might (ex:Labidochromis). Have you decided what type of cichlids you are going to put in there?