{"id":601,"date":"2021-12-19T14:31:02","date_gmt":"2021-12-19T14:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/?p=601"},"modified":"2023-09-12T12:58:33","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T12:58:33","slug":"pleco-eating-algae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/","title":{"rendered":"Do plecos eat algae?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"601\" class=\"elementor elementor-601\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5a5c774 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5a5c774\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;36ed590&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_tablet&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_mobile&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_speed&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:50,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_type&quot;:&quot;scroll&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_fx_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_z_index&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_animation_prop&quot;:&quot;transform&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_on&quot;:[&quot;desktop&quot;,&quot;tablet&quot;]}]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-64f7f21\" data-id=\"64f7f21\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca3f39b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ca3f39b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 01-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>So, you&#8217;ve just picked up a cute, small pleco from the local pet store, ready to see the algae disappear in your aquarium. The fish store sold it to you as the ideal, cheap solution for all your algae problems. In an almost magical way, all the algae will be gone in a matter of days&#8230;\u00a0<\/p><p>Unfortunately, a lot of misinformation is out there about <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/what-do-plecos-eat\/\">the diet<\/a> and behavior of pleco catfish. Bad pet stores want to make money and sell it to their customers, without giving information on how to care for them, or what they really need.<\/p><p>Caring for your pleco is much more than putting it in a tank full of algae and hoping it survives. Caring for plecos is fun, but they&#8217;re not the friendly cute algae-eating creatures you might think.<\/p><p>You might be thinking of getting a pleco to put in your tank and how it will affect the &#8216;nasty&#8217; algae growing in it. No worries: after reading this post, you&#8217;ll have learned everything about plecos and their algae-eating behavior.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b186b3c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b186b3c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 01-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Do plecos eat algae?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e539e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9e539e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>When you think about plecos, the word algae almost immediately comes to mind. Algae-eater is a synonym of the common pleco and is often labeled as the solution to all algae.<\/p><p><strong>There are many species of plecos that regularly eat algae. In the wild, these species will eat biofilm and algae. These plecos will thus eat algae and other biofilms as part of their diet. Young plecos will eat more algae and as the fish gets older, it might lose interest.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e0d8cfb elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-blockquote--button-color-official elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"e0d8cfb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor-pro - v3.14.0 - 26-06-2023 *\/\n@charset \"UTF-8\";.entry-content blockquote.elementor-blockquote:not(.alignright):not(.alignleft),.entry-summary blockquote.elementor-blockquote{margin-right:0;margin-left:0}.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote{margin:0;padding:0;outline:0;font-size:100%;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;quotes:none;border:0;font-style:normal;color:#3f444b}.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote .e-q-footer:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote .e-q-footer:before,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote:before,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote cite:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote cite:before{content:none}.elementor-blockquote{transition:.3s}.elementor-blockquote__author,.elementor-blockquote__content{margin-bottom:0;font-style:normal}.elementor-blockquote__author{font-weight:700}.elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer{margin-top:12px;display:flex;justify-content:space-between}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{display:flex;transition:.3s;color:#1da1f2;align-self:flex-end;line-height:1;position:relative;width:-moz-max-content;width:max-content}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover{color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button span{font-weight:600}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i,.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button span{vertical-align:middle}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i+span,.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg+span{margin-left:.5em}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg{fill:#1da1f2;height:1em;width:1em}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-label{white-space:pre-wrap}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{padding:.7em 1.2em;border-radius:100em;background-color:#1da1f2;color:#fff;font-size:15px}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover{background-color:#0967a0;color:#fff}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before{border-right-color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg{fill:#fff;height:1em;width:1em}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{padding:0;width:2em;height:2em}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i{position:absolute;left:50%;top:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%)}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:before{content:\"\";border:.5em solid transparent;border-right-color:#1da1f2;position:absolute;left:-.8em;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%) scaleY(.65);transition:.3s}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:before{right:auto;left:-.8em;border-right-color:#1da1f2;border-left-color:transparent}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before{border-right-color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:before{left:auto;right:-.8em;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:#1da1f2}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before{border-left-color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote--skin-boxed .elementor-blockquote{background-color:#f9fafa;padding:30px}.elementor-blockquote--skin-border .elementor-blockquote{border-color:#f9fafa;border-left:7px #f9fafa;border-style:solid;padding-left:20px}.elementor-blockquote--skin-quotation .elementor-blockquote:before{content:\"\u201c\";font-size:100px;color:#f9fafa;font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-weight:900;line-height:1;display:block;height:.6em}.elementor-blockquote--skin-quotation .elementor-blockquote__content{margin-top:15px}.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote__content{text-align:left}.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer{flex-direction:row}.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__content{text-align:right}.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer{flex-direction:row-reverse}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote{text-align:center}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer,.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote__author{display:block}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{margin-right:auto;margin-left:auto}<\/style>\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\tPlecos do eat algae, but you should always feed them extra food. Otherwise, they will starve. Depending on the species, feeding plecos vegetables or a varied diet is always a good choice.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-651b2e2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"651b2e2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What pleco species eat algae?<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a8765c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a8765c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>To give a complete answer to this, you need to know that &#8216;pleco&#8217; is a collection of hundreds of species. These species differ in appearance, behavior, and diet.\u00a0<\/p><p><strong>Most<\/strong><strong style=\"font-style: inherit; color: var(--ast-global-color-3);\"> omnivorous and vegetarian species of plecos will eat algae. This includes bristlenose plecos, common plecos, and clown plecos. Carnivorous species like zebra plecos and snowball plecos do not eat algae.<\/strong><\/p><p>In the wild, bristlenose plecos and young common plecos are mostly omnivores. This means that they will eat what comes around. In many cases, their diet consists out of algae and biofilm growing on wood and branches. As a result, you will need to replicate this diet by feeding plant-based foods.<\/p><p>On the other side, we see that there are carnivorous pleco species. The most common meat-eating species are Hypancistrus species, like zebra plecos (H. zebra) and snowball plecos (H. inspector). These will not eat algae and require a dedicated diet of high-protein meaty foods.<\/p><p>Keep in mind that not all species eat the same amount of algae. Some plecos have a natural diet consisting almost entirely out of algae, while others only occasionally eat algae.<\/p><p>To help you, I&#8217;ve created a table with the most common pleco species, and whether they eat algae or not.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3eb6f69 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"3eb6f69\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<table style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\n        <colgroup>\n       <col span=\"1\" style=\"width: 33.333%;\">\n       <col span=\"1\" style=\"width: 33.333%;\">\n       <col span=\"1\" style=\"width: 33.333%;\">\n    <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n  <tr>\n    <th>Species \/ genus<\/th>\n    <th>Natural diet<\/th>\n    <th>Algae-eater?<\/th>\n  <\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Bristlenose pleco(Ancistrus sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Vegetarian, grazing on biofilm<\/td>\n    <td>Yes, eats a lot of algae<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Common pleco (Hypostomus sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Omnivore, mostly algae and some meat<\/td>\n    <td>Yes, especially young specimens<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Clown pleco (Panaqolus sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Grazing on wood,  other plant-based foods<\/td>\n    <td>Limited amounts<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n      <td>Flash pleco (Panaqolus sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Grazing on wood,  other plant-based foods<\/td>\n    <td>Limited amounts<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Zebra pleco (Hypancsitrus sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Entirely carnivorous, shrimps, snails, ...<\/td>\n    <td>No<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <td>Queen Arabesque Pleco (Hypancistrus sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Entirely carnivorous, shrimps, snails, ... <\/td>\n    <td>No<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Snowball pleco (Hypancsitrus sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Omnivores, mostly meat<\/td>\n    <td>No<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Leopard frog pleco (Peckoltia sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Omnivores, mostly meat<\/td>\n    <td>No<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Candy Striped Pleco(Peckoltia sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Omnivores, more meaty foods<\/td>\n    <td>No<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Peppermint pleco (Paracistrus sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Mainly algae<\/td>\n    <td>Yes, good algae eater<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Golden Nugget Pleco(\nBaryancistrus sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Mostly high-protein plant-based foods<\/td>\n    <td>Yes<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Sailfin Pleco (Pterygoplichthys sp.<\/td>\n    <td>Brown algae, plant-based material<\/td>\n    <td>Yes, especially brown algae<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Royal Pleco (Panaque sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Mostly plant-based, ocasionally wood<\/td>\n    <td>Yes<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Blue phantom pleco (Hemiancistrus sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Omnivorous, a good  algae eater<\/td>\n    <td>Yes<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n  <tr>\n    <td>Sunshine Pleco (Scobinancistrus sp.)<\/td>\n    <td>Omnivorous, mostly meat<\/td>\n    <td>No<\/td>\n  <\/tr>\n\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ed85ad0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ed85ad0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The main difference between algae-eating and meat-eating plecos is their digestive system and basic anatomy:<\/p>\n<p>Herbivores have a long digestive system, made for digesting long fibers and things like wood. Carnivorous plecos have a rather short digestive system and their mouth isn&#8217;t made for scraping off algae and wood.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you want to know more about what plecos eat wood, I suggest reading the article I just wrote on <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/driftwood-for-plecos\/\">why plecos need wood<\/a>. There might be a lot more benefits than you think.<\/p>\n<p>As stated above, herbivore pleco catfish will have a different mount as opposed to meat-eating catfish. Meat-eating catfish will have a smaller mound, with less teeth. It&#8217;s made to suck up things, rather than to crape off.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7ae6c5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b7ae6c5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 01-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/3781072569_3a0cb12d5f_c.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-536\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/3781072569_3a0cb12d5f_c.jpg 800w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/3781072569_3a0cb12d5f_c-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/3781072569_3a0cb12d5f_c-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">The mouth of this Royal pleco is made for grasping on wood. Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/6L7Z9n\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jan<\/a><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-29efb95 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"29efb95\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What sort of algae do plecos eat?<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-05166dc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"05166dc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Apart from the species, you will first need to determine the sort of algae you have in your tank. I will discuss the five most common sorts of algae, and whether you may expect your pleco to eat them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-730ad4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"730ad4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><li>Brown Algae (diatoms)<\/li><\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8233fcf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8233fcf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Brown algae often occurs in starting tanks. It will most likely fade away as the balance in your tank picks up.<\/p><p>Most species will eat brown algae, but especially the Sailfin pleco seems to prefer brown algae.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4b9e1c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c4b9e1c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><li>Blue-Green Algae (Cyano Bacteria)<\/li><\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-98d5dbd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"98d5dbd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Blue-green algae are actually wrongfully called algae. It&#8217;s actually a bacteria that can do photosynthesis. BGA are sometimes even dangerous for humans, and in some cases animals die from drinking infected water.\u00a0<\/p><p>Unfortunately, pleco fish will not eat blue-green algae, and there are no fish species known that doo eat it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-273e51c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"273e51c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><li>Blanket weed<\/li><\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8fab491 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8fab491\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Plecos will usually not eat this sort of algae. Mostly because it&#8217;s hard for them to eat algae not growing on flat surfaces.<\/p><p>If you want to battle this sort of algae, shrimp are a better choice.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45b7ca6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"45b7ca6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><li>Beard Algae \/ Black Bush Algae<\/li><\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e34a12d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e34a12d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Beard algae are often considered one of the hardest algae to get rid of. Partially because not a lot of fish eat this sort of algae.<\/p><p>Plecos will not eat beard algae. One of the only species that will eat this is the Siamese Algae eater.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2cc1fdb elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2cc1fdb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/446159364_9b420b77a6_w.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-785\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/446159364_9b420b77a6_w.jpg 400w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/446159364_9b420b77a6_w-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">A Clown Pleco resting on a bed of algae. Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/FqFCQ\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kai Schreiber<\/a><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99c6677 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"99c6677\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><li>Green Algae <\/li><\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1769dbf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1769dbf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This is one of the most recognizable and most common kinds of algae and a<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">ll of the algae-eating plecos will eat green algae.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-41c86c5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"41c86c5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Does a pleco clean your tank?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5fe36e2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5fe36e2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Another thing plecos are often sold as-is as the ideal cleaner for your tank. It will clean up leftover food and on top of that eat dead <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/7-best-plants-for-plecos\/\">plants<\/a> and algae.<\/p><p><strong>Plecos may actively eat algae, dead plants and make your tank appear cleaner. However, a pleco should never be bought to clean a tank, since they produce a lot of waste. Plecos can also be destructive, and it will be counterproductive keeping them for this reason.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ef181f3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ef181f3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Why to not buy a pleco to clean your tank<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-407bdd9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"407bdd9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li>Plecos are one of the biggest <strong>waste producers<\/strong> in the aquarium hobby. You will need to buy a strong filter and perform regular water changes if you want to keep it happy and healthy.\u00a0This means that when not prepared for it, the pleco will cause more algae than removing it because the waste creates extra nutrition for the algae.<\/li><li>Another reason for not wanting your pleco as a cleaner is that they can <strong>be destructive<\/strong> and harmful to your plants. Especially common plecos are known to dig and sometimes even eat other fish.<\/li><li>There is <strong>no guarantee that your pleco will keep eating algae.<\/strong> Sometimes adult fish get tired of eating algae and will prefer regular fish food over algae.<\/li><li>An algae problem should <strong>never be solved by adding a live animal<\/strong>. It&#8217;s perfectly normal for every tank to have some algae, but if it&#8217;s getting out of hand, you should try to find a solution other than adding a fish, since it&#8217;s most likely the result of underlying problems in your tank.<\/li><\/ul><p>If you want a fish to clean your tank, there a numerous better options than plecos. Think about Ottocinclus catfish, shrimp, or snails. These species will produce less waste and will not be destructive.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a7d83e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a7d83e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Pleco stopped eating algae?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-67bd6de elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"67bd6de\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>If your pleco stopped eating algae, it can be because of several reasons. Usually, young plecos will eat more algae than older specimens. It can also be because your pleco has become lazy because it has enough food. It is most likely not because <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-diseases\/\">it&#8217;s sick<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The most common reason is that your pleco has become lazy. Just as humans, they don&#8217;t really like putting in too much effort. If you feed your pleco every day, it might just not feel the need to actively search for algae.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We also see that most young fish and <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/raising-pleco-fry\/\">pleco babies<\/a> seem to care about eating algae. As they get older, many plecos will prefer easy higher protein food you give them. With common plecos, this is something that often occurs.&nbsp;<\/p><p>They are sold as the ideal, small and cute, solution for your algae. Unfortunately, they will grow to be 15 inches and stop eating algae as they get older.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9bf23fd elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9bf23fd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Conclusion<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d393d7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1d393d7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Many pleco species will eat algae since it&#8217;s a crucial part of their diet in the wild. They will mostly eat green and brown algae. The most common species that eat algae are bristlenose plecos, common plecos, and clown plecos. Zebra plecos and sunshine plecos will not eat algae.<\/p><p>Pleco catfish are not the best way to keep your tank clean, and should never be bought only to do that. Better solutions are shrimp or snails.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a0f205d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a0f205d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Recources<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70a0b26 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"70a0b26\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/planetcatfish.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Planet Catfish &#8211; Home of Aquarium Catfishes.<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So, you&#8217;ve just picked up a cute, small pleco from the local pet store, ready to see the algae disappear in your aquarium. The fish store sold it to you as the ideal, cheap solution for all your algae problems. In an almost magical way, all the algae will be gone in a matter of &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Do plecos eat algae?<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Do plecos eat algae? | Keeping Catfish<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do plecos eat algae? | Keeping Catfish\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"So, you&#8217;ve just picked up a cute, small pleco from the local pet store, ready to see the algae disappear in your aquarium. The fish store sold it to you as the ideal, cheap solution for all your algae problems. In an almost magical way, all the algae will be gone in a matter of &hellip; Do plecos eat algae? Read More &raquo;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Keeping Catfish\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-12-19T14:31:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-12T12:58:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/pleco-eating-algae.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1872\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Thijs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Thijs\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Thijs\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e\"},\"headline\":\"Do plecos eat algae?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-19T14:31:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-12T12:58:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/\"},\"wordCount\":1621,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Food\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/\",\"name\":\"Do plecos eat algae? | Keeping Catfish\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-19T14:31:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-12T12:58:33+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Plecos\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Care\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/care-plecos\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Food\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/care-plecos\/food-pleco\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Do plecos eat algae?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/\",\"name\":\"Keeping Catfish\",\"description\":\"Tips for Keeping Catfish In Your Aquarium\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Keeping Catfish\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png\",\"width\":396,\"height\":80,\"caption\":\"Keeping Catfish\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e\",\"name\":\"Thijs\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Thijs\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/author\/thijs\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Do plecos eat algae? | Keeping Catfish","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Do plecos eat algae? | Keeping Catfish","og_description":"So, you&#8217;ve just picked up a cute, small pleco from the local pet store, ready to see the algae disappear in your aquarium. The fish store sold it to you as the ideal, cheap solution for all your algae problems. In an almost magical way, all the algae will be gone in a matter of &hellip; Do plecos eat algae? Read More &raquo;","og_url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/","og_site_name":"Keeping Catfish","article_published_time":"2021-12-19T14:31:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-09-12T12:58:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1872,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/pleco-eating-algae.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Thijs","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Thijs","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/"},"author":{"name":"Thijs","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e"},"headline":"Do plecos eat algae?","datePublished":"2021-12-19T14:31:02+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-12T12:58:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/"},"wordCount":1621,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Food"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/","name":"Do plecos eat algae? | Keeping Catfish","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-12-19T14:31:02+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-12T12:58:33+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eating-algae\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Plecos","item":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Care","item":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/care-plecos\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Food","item":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/care-plecos\/food-pleco\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Do plecos eat algae?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/","name":"Keeping Catfish","description":"Tips for Keeping Catfish In Your Aquarium","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization","name":"Keeping Catfish","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png","width":396,"height":80,"caption":"Keeping Catfish"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e","name":"Thijs","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Thijs"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com"],"url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/author\/thijs\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601"}],"version-history":[{"count":166,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11548,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601\/revisions\/11548"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}