>  > when you say that you are getting "algae eaters",
what, exactly,
 >  > are you getting? plecostomas shouldn't have a problem cleaning 
 >  > algae but you might need a large tank in a year or so for them 
 >  > :)  my last pleco was 19 inches long, now to tail and about 2.5 
 >  > inches across the head at its eyes ;)
 >
 >  JV> What size tank was that?  :)
 >
 > 30 gallon... he was in there with my female albino oscar that got up to
 > about 12 inches long from nose to base of tail ;)

 JV> Wow, thats awesome..  I have a 29 Gallon (Is that what you meant?)
 JV> and have never had one grow quite that big.

no, i mean it is a 30gal tank... when it is completely full to where it is
supposed to be, it holds ~32gal... that's with 30lbs of gravel on the
bottom with an undergravel filter (with bubblers for flow) and a 250G/Hr
external filter pump... i've also got a 250G/Hr powerhead that i put on one
of the UGF's risers at times but it is definitely not needed with GF and
guppies in the tank ;)

my oscar died when it was about 10yo or so... the pleco was alone in the
tank for another several years after the oscar died...

FWIW: the oscar died due to bladder problems and i wasn't able to find a
solution in time... after a while, his bladder got detached and then came
out... it was another little while before he died... and all the time he
was swimming about as if there was nothing wrong... no listlessness or
hiding or anything like that... t'was a sad day when he passed and went on
to grow popcorn...

)\/(ark