No algae

[BIRD0887]

So ive had fish in my tank for 6 months and there is no visible algae growing? I have a rather big pleco that kinda was acting wierd last nite into today and my trapdoor snail wasnt moving around this morning, he was up in his shell. im worried my algae eaters have nothing to eat...i dont understand why i dont have any algae growing??

Water parameters r perfect to, so im rather confused

[NOLANANO]

The term "Algae Eater" is kind of bad PR for Plecos and snails and the like. Yes they will eat algae but they also need to be fed.  You should be at the very least dropping an algae wafer into the tank once or twice a week, especially a newish tank with no visible algae. Also most Plecos need so sort of wood to chomp on as well as some meat in their diet to go along with algae.  As adults, I find that most plecos stop eating the algae on the glass and decor anyway.

[BIRD0887]

@NOLANANO I feed an algae wafer every nite cuz of the size he is and he usually eats them. But last nite when i got home he was jst laying on the bottom instead of the glass and he ddnt move all nite until this morning when i fed the fish....My snail was on his back to up in his shell but now hes cruising around the tank. So im not sure, i just dont want a pleco that size to die, so im trying to figure out what to do with him. I wanna keep him but i knw his quality of life rn isnt very good, until i get a bigger tank

[NOLANANO]

How big is the Pleco and what size tank? Also what type of Pleco?

[jwcarlson]

Can you define what you mean by water parameters are perfect?  Isn't this the same tank?

 

[BIRD0887]

@jwcarlson yes it is the same tank. I did 30 percent water changes for 7 days and now i have 0 nitrites and the nitrates are in the safe zone. My ph is good and my water is low alkalinity. @NOLANANO i believe it is a common pleco, that is about 8-10 inches long. I feel rly bad for him rn cuz he doesnt have a lot of room to swim. He basically has stayed in that spot in the picture for wks. he move around at nite and now yesterday and today he is just laying on the bottom, im rly worried something is wrong. I know he eat because ive seen him eat the wafers at nite. But the fact that i dont see any visible algae concerns me. You would think after having fish in the tank since the beginning of Aug that there would be?

[mynameisnobody]

You should be much more concerned with the footprint of the aquarium for that size pleco which will basically double or triple in size. I wouldn’t worry about growing algae because no amount of algae grown will suffice its feeding regimen. Also, if the tank is only a couple of weeks old then that may be why there’s no algae. I’d get it a much larger tank with a ton of hiding spots. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/pleco-care-guide

[nabokovfan87]

So... unknowingly you may have an issue.  That's a "common pleco" and they can get about 3 foot long.   You have a really solid algae eater on your hand, but I would see if you can find someone local with a pond or try to swap it back to the store for something more appropriate long term.

This also applies to your nitrite issue.  I didn't look in the thread, but just a note.  Big fish = lots of gill oxygenation, which would put more ammonia in the tank, more nitrite.

[NOLANANO]

Let me start by saying that you do not have to listen to my advice, your aquarium journey can be whatever you want it to be. BUT:

Based on your recent post history, it seems to me like you may be trying to do too much too fast.  I could be off base but it seems like you are fairly new to the hobby (maybe 6 months in?) and are already trying to start up multiple tank almost simultaneously.  If memory serves me, you have about 3 tanks already with one or two more in the works?  In the long run there is nothing wrong with having multiple tanks but as a beginner, it's very hard to manage all of that.

When tanks are new (first 6 months to a year) they tend to be a little volatile. One day everything is fine, and the next your PH crashes or you have an Ammonia spike, or your heater gets water in it and sends an electrical current into the water (all things that happened to me), etc.  When you have one tank, you can take on those issues one at a time and figure them out as they come. Once the tank "seasons" they tend to be much more stable and more or less run themselves (especially planted tanks).  When you have multiple tanks all going through the "New Tank" issues all at once, it can become a whirlwind where you can't figure out what's going wrong and how to fix it. This is how a lot of well intentioned people get burned out and leave the hobby within their first year.

My suggestion would be to slow down and try to consolidate what you have to one tank, maybe 2 if you have like a 29 or 55 gallon and then like 5 or ten gallon but even then I'd highly suggest one tank.  Figure out which fish you have that 1) are most important to you, 2) fit in the tank that you have, and 3) can cohabitate with the other fish in the tank. Then trade in or re-home the rest. This large Pleco fits into the re-home or trade in category, its just too big and has a large bio load.  Once you have everything down to 1 (or 2) tank(s), let that tank season for a year or so while you work through the trials and errors.

I understand that setting up new tanks is exciting but that same energy could be channeled into making the sole tank much better. You could get new decor, maybe some rocks or drift wood, you could maybe try live plants (Me and many others on here can make suggestions for easy plants to start with), you could upgrade your light or filter or heater or any equipment, and you could maybe upgrade the substrate. None of these upgrades are necessary but they all take some research and are fun to figure out. After a year or so, then you can add another tank or two. By this point, you will know how to trouble shoot a lot of the issues you are running into and be able to better recognize when there is a problem, what the problem is, and how to fix it.

The only other piece of advice I would give is to do more research before buying any fish. We have all gone to the LFS, saw something new and cool and bought it immediately only to figure out that it was a bad idea.  After making those kinds of mistakes, you learn to slow down a bit and research the fish before buying them to make sure they are compatible with your parameters, your tank size, and your other fish that will be its tank mates. To me, mixing and matching and figuring out what would work best with what I have is tons of fun. Sure its frustrating when you can't get that awesome fish that you want but its super rewarding when not being able to get Fish A leads you to do more research and you find Fish B that is similar and works with your current stock. 

To summarize, when I read the tea leaves of your posts it seems like you are moving too quickly and trying to do too much too fast. This hobby takes patience and its the hardest part imo to learn but you (and your fish) will be much better for it in the long run if you slow down and enjoy the journey instead of being laser focused on the destination.

[BIRD0887]

@NOLANANO Thank u for the advice...I have my 55 goldfish tank and a 10 gal that only has a frog in it rn. Im not completely new to fish, ive had tanks my whole life. The coolest tank i had was an oscar and cichlid tank that we fed feeder goldfish. Yes maybe im moving to fast, but i jst fell in love w the hobby. I honestly have plans to setup atleast 1 more tank, bigger than my 55, atleast a 75 or 125... I knw i shldnt have the pleco, i jst saw him and was like Yes hes perfect!! wo rly thinking about where hed be living. I want to take him back but at the same time i dont, hes so cool!! And i think my goldfish tank is cycled but i know i cld still run into problems. I jst need to fig out what im feeding the frog now... And this is why i post on here, i love getting feedback and advice!!

[lefty o]

you definately need to supplement its food, even if you had algae. some veggies, or pleco wafers etc. those common pleco's especially as they get larger in an aquarium tend to occupy one spot most of the time.

[NOLANANO]

On 1/19/2024 at 11:17 AM, BIRD0887 said:

@NOLANANO Thank u for the advice...I have my 55 goldfish tank and a 10 gal that only has a frog in it rn. Im not completely new to fish, ive had tanks my whole life. The coolest tank i had was an oscar and cichlid tank that we fed feeder goldfish. Yes maybe im moving to fast, but i jst fell in love w the hobby. I honestly have plans to setup atleast 1 more tank, bigger than my 55, atleast a 75 or 125... I knw i shldnt have the pleco, i jst saw him and was like Yes hes perfect!! wo rly thinking about where hed be living. I want to take him back but at the same time i dont, hes so cool!! And i think my goldfish tank is cycled but i know i cld still run into problems. I jst need to fig out what im feeding the frog now... And this is why i post on here, i love getting feedback and advice!!

Awesome, I am glad I misread the situation a bit. I just hate when people try this hobby and end up bailing on it fairly quickly because they bit off more than they can chew. We all go too fast from time to time and its hard to slow down.   Right now I want both Amazon Puffers and to maybe start a saltwater tank for some clowns in my empty 29G, not to mention wanting an 80G Waterbox rimless tank.  Prioritizing and going slow if my plan.  I am going to do the puffers first. I plan to order some around March but before then I need to figure out how to farm meal worms and I need to get the med trio so I can deworm them. Then depending on how that goes, I want to do the saltwater 29G with clowns maybe in October of 2024 or March of the following year.  I need to slowly acquire some more equipment. And then I hope to be able to do the 80G Waterbox in the next 3-5 years. I hope to figure out how to do saltwater with my 29G and then have the Waterbox be a larger saltwater tank.  Then I would have a 75G freshwater tank and a 80 gallon Saltwater tank.

[BIRD0887]

@NOLANANO Ya i love fish, im super enthusiastic rn... I plan on a 75g for my goldfish, maybe yellow labs in the 55g and im gonna have 2 10g going, but one has jst a frog rn and it might have to stay that way. Eventually, i wanna have many tanks, and i plan on trying to breed something, maybe goldfish, i love my goldfish!! This is my wakin i got from petco for $10!! I see similiar sized ones going for $50+!! Crazy, are they that rare??