Turtle and Algae Eater

cortezknight

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So I have had a problem with brown algae in my tank lately so I bought a Pleco today to take care of it, and I just wanted to know if my mud turtle would attempt to eat it if it happened to be laying still against a rock or the glass inside my of tank while it is feeding?
 

Moozillion

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I’d like to know about this too.
I know that my mud turtle is solitary, and doesn’t need turtle companions, but I can’t help but think that the stimulation of fish in the tank with her would be closer to her normal environment in the wild.
 

Tom

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I've seen this go both ways. Sometimes the pleco is ignored, and other times it is eaten. Generally helps if the pleco is larger. The aggression level of the turtle species is certainly relevant too. A smaller pleco in with RESs is turtle food.
 

cdmay

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I have a pleco in a tank currently growing out 5 map turtles.
I often drop in some kale.
The turtles and the pleco seem to love it.
So far, it's harmonious.
I think plecos like zucchini too.
In my experience with mud turtles, if the fish make it through the first few hours the turtles just seem to ignore them after that.
 

Baoh

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Agreed with Carl. Fish that are not targeted early by muds and similar species tend to become little more than animated furniture to the turtles.

For others or for more ambitiously predatory individuals, snacks for now or snacks for later. Pretty much everyone takes a risk to the fish when adding the fish.

If you could add 4+ Siamese algae eaters, they would do a much better job of rasping away algae. Siamese algae eaters are harder to find than Chinese ones and the SAE, the CAE, and the flying fox are often mislabeled and sometimes substituted for each other without clarity in fish stores, so get the images cemented in your mind (or phone) if you decide to seek some out.

As for algae itself, that is often a byproduct of excessive nutrient availability. Since you had an event recently that saw you removing Pothos, try using another plant to siphon off excessive nutrients (waste products). One option among many is mangrove seedlings. I also found Java fern very effective back when I was running a lot of aquatic setups. As long as they are in the water system, they will help. Letting the turtle have access to them is up to you.

Another way to thwart algae is to use disruptive light cycles. Look into that (via Google). It does not take care of the waste aspect, but it can help you cut the algal growth and maintenance down while you are getting the plants in order as nutrient sinks somewhere in the system.
 

Alex Z

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I find map turtles the most peaceful. Res and ybs beware of them. Not sure about muds or musks. In the end, a turtle will take a bite at some point.
 

Coco517

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My musk turtle is full grown. He eats fish like tetras and barbs as soon as they slow or get sick. However, he has attempted (I’ve watched it) to eat plecos and Cory catfish and he just can’t cause any damage. They sit there and wait for him to leave, unharmed.
 

KrissyLeigh

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My painted turtles are apparently much more ferocious! Any pleco I put in there i know has a limited lifespan - until they get caught and eaten (eventually I gave up on it). And other fish don't stand a chance. Even my crawdad got eaten. :(
 
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