Suckerfish

I've been told to put sucker fish in my tank to cut down on algea, but is a ten gallon tank big enough to keep them with 6 other small tetras? I have a place for it if it gets too big but how fast will it grow and how long will I be able to keep it?

Are suckerfish teratorial, will I have to move things around too keep the other fish from bothering him?

Is it even a good idea to keep suckerfish with tetras?

 

Depends on what kind of suckerfish your looking at really. You couldn't keep a pleco, but you could definitely get a small group of otocinclus. They can be delicate though so I only suggest them if your tank has been established (i.e. cycled) for at least a few months. Otos only get around 1 1/2" long and are great to keep with tetras.

You could also look into Chinese Algae eaters. They get bigger, only to about 5" though. These are very hardy and excellent cleaners. But some people say they can become territorial; I've never seen this behavior in mine.

Rate of growth will depend on water quality, tank mates, stress level and diet mostly. It varies too much for me to give you an answer really.

And don't forget you must feed your sucker fish! They can't just live off the algae. It might sound silly but I actually didn't know this for a long time. Any type of algae wafer will do to supplement the algae in the tank.

What kind of sucker fish were you looking in to, how long have you had your tank, and what type are the tetras?

 

Don't forget about the bristle nose pleco. They don't get as large as the others and will not bother your other fish :lol:

 

Don't bristle nose plecos get about 6"? I think that would be too large for a 10 gallon tank. In fact with 6 tetras in there already, depending on the species, the tank already sounds pretty close to being fully stocked. I think you would be better off with an apple snail (only get one unless you want millions of little snails).

Or even better, make sure you don't overfeed and cut back on the amount of time the light is on. That should help with green algae.

-Chelle

 

chinese ones seem to work just fine. they advise one for each 10 gallons. i have two sail fin placos and they get up to 2 feet!!! huge. chinese wont get that big.

 

OTOS OTOS are the best, i am going to add another one to my tank, make them 4 Hard working fellows

 

Not sure mine never got over 4 to 4.5

 

Chinese algae eaters get about 10" so they really aren't suited for a 10 gallon.

And for the bristle nose pleco I found sites saying sizes ranging from 3" - 8" so I think a 10 gallon would really be pushing it.

-Chelle

 

remember!!! the fish size differs with the tank size. a fish will only get to its full size in a huge tank!!! 10 gallons a chinese sucker will stay small yet do its job. i prefer sailfin plecos such as the ones i have but they grow to a big size in a small tank

 

I dont think stunting its groth is gonna be extremely pleasent for the fish/snail/algeeater but I could be wrong, good luck

 

That's a myth. Yes, a fish's size will be somewhat limited to the tank size, HOWEVER, it is far from being a good thing. They will either get stunted and/or deformed causing internal problems and probably death or they will die long before they reach maturity because of poor water conditions.

-Chelle

 

good thing i hve the right size tank!