can African ciclids be in the same fish tank with those sucker fish that eat the algae?

Question

Lots of that black algae in my fish tank.

they are about 5 inches long and there are only two.

Answer 1

Plecos are the best option, but make sure that the pleco is larger than the cichlids. If your cichlids are a mated pair, then they may be ten times more aggressive than normal.

Make sure that:

A. your tank is large enough to handle the bio-load.

B. you provide an overabundance of rocks and other hiding areas.

C. you add the pleco into the tank at night after you turn out the light, so he can get used to his surroundings before being chased and attacked.

Plecos are nocturnal, and the cichlids will get used to him after a few days if he has places to hide away during the day (at least for awhile). Plecos produce a lot of waste, so a bigger pleco will definitely increase the bio-load in the tank. And the larger a pleco is, the less algae and the more fish food he may eat too. Another possibility is a chinese algae eater... if you can find one around 6" or bigger. They grow to about 8" (I have owned 2 that size and had 3 donated to my shop almost as big before). Keep in mind that they are also aggressive and have been known to suck on the side of fish at night (leaving lessions and reducing slime coating).

Another person mentioned butterflyfish in another answer. They can be kept with african cichlids, but not usually. I have done it in 2 different tanks, 1 was a 55G, and the other was a custom (about 6' long, but about 4' tall!). Both cases I stacked a lot of rocks to provide plenty of holes and caves to about 6-8" below the surface and provided floating plant cover (plastic). The cichlids rarely ventured higher than the rocky area (except for feeding), and the butterflyfish never went lower than the plant cover (except a couple of times when chased by the cichlids early on). They wouldn't eat the cichlid pellets at first, but after a week or so, they slowly started eating it well.

Answer 2

sure.plecos arent a threat to them and vice/versa. plecos do better in an established tank with algae. If you dont have enough algae in the tank they wont thrive. be sure to add algae tabs. also look up butterfly fish. They swim on top of the water and eat crickets. make sure you have a good cover because they will fly out.

Answer 3

Ciclids are fairly territorial fish, and will probably drive the algae eaters nuts, or kill them. I would suggest a less agressive species, like guppies, or tetras in a community tank.

Answer 4

The first plecostomus we put in our African cichlid tank was about the same size as the cichlids. He was killed within two days. The second is 2-3 times the size of the cichlids and although they picked at him at first, they eventually left him alone.

Answer 5

I think as long as they are bigger than the ciclids. But you never know they are mean little fishies!

So far my Oscar hasent touched the pleco, but he might, he ate all the other fish in the tank. My pleco is bigger than the oscar, but he grows overnight.

Answer 6

yeah you can, but to me the pelco sucker fish are lazy, i suggest trying to find a flounder, they are flat and blend in with anything almost. the smallest i have seen them is about the size of an adults thumbprint, they can get bigger. they also are great if you have sand in your tank for the cichlids.

Answer 7

I have ciclids, and they're fine with the plecostomus (It's much better than those algae eaters).

Answer 8

I've seen them in a same aquarium. The pleco was similar in size with the cichlids, so if you can, find one close to the size of yours.

Answer 9

it shouldnt be a problem as long as the ciclid isnt larger by a lot than the peco.

Answer 10

Sure they should leave the pleco to do his job cleaning the tank.