algea eaters and pacu

Question
My fishtank gets algea really quickly and i have to keep cleaning frequently.I have a redbellied pacu and i buy feeder fish.At the same time, I bought an algea eater.It took about three days and all the fish were eaten,in cluding the algea eater.The algea eater was about the same size as the other feeder fish.Should i have gotten a bigger algea eater to prevent this from happening?My pacu is about 4 1\2 inches.And i would love to have an algea fish but im afraid it will be eaten.

Answer
Hi Adam,
The best way to battle algae problems is to target the source/cause. Which is typically an imbalance in light or nutrients. High nitrates are very likely to blame, especially with a messy pacu and the feeders. While its Ok to get an algae eater its really best to make sure its not water quality thats triggering the overabundance of algae, cause as you know poor water conditions affect fish like pacus badly and can make them sick with difficult to cure illnesses. I would try 30-50% water changes plus gravel vacuuming every to every other day for a while to remove the nutrients that are fueling the algae growth.

Controlling light is also important. Just try to keep the tank on a lighting schedule of about 10-12 hours. with perhaps some shut off time during the day too.

As for the algae eater/pleco. I think you'll have to go for a medium size pleco to prevent the pacu from thinking of the fish as a snack. Perhaps look for a pleco the same size as your pacu or bigger.

Also for a side note try to make sure your pacu gets some variety in his diet besides just feeders. They truthfully are not that healthy and big fish like pacus do a lot better on pelleted foods and meaty frozen foods. Pacus also lean more towards vegetarian so include some lettuce, zucchini and other vegetables in their diet. Perhaps even the occasional cheap edible aquarium plant like a bunch of Anacharis.

I hope this helps and have a good weekend!
Karen~