BN Pleco and Goldfish

[lucius]

Has anyone ever tried putting BN pleco and goldfish together?  Reading some other sites and some say that it can be done if the temperature is right.  Need something to control the algae in my goldfish tank.

TIA.

[blueknight0303]

cold water - not too good for BN pleco = warm water fish...
warm water - not too good for gold fish = cold water fish...

it can be done. but either way one of your fish will be much more susceptible to disease and parasites. if you are willing to do this, be prepared for the risks and make sure to keep your tank very clean.

[Shawn84]

Depend on the type of goldfish. My girlfriend parent tank I put a few BN pleco in it and they are living fine for the past 6 month now. But keep in mind they keep fancy goldfish.

[Fishnut]

I keep all my BN Plecos at room temperature and they're doing extremely well.  Robust, active and always eating.  I have all females though so I have no idea if they can breed at room temp. 

In my house room temp is 71 degrees in the winter and 77 in the summer...more if we have a heat wave.

I would give it a try.  Remember though that goldfish are REALLY dirty fish and that it might be an excess level of nutrients that is causing the algae.  If there is an abundance of nutrients and/or light, that's all algae needs to have a growth spurt.  If it's really out of control, do your best to find the source of the issue.  BN plecos will just add more waste to the tank (aka algae food).

[lucius]

Thanks Fishnut!

I have my tanks in the basement and during the summer, my goldfish tank sits at 23.2 degrees and now it's at about 20.3 degrees.  If I do add one, my plan is to put in a heater and increase the temp to 23 which according to Planet Catfish is within range for the BN pleco.

Right now, I think the extra algae is from the light because of the canopy I put on.  For the past few years, I have just been using a ceiling fluorescent light and it wasn't directly over top.  And now, the canopy is providing direct light.  I have already reduced the number of hours on the timer and it has helped.

Anyways, thinking about it but not sure yet.