So I bought a pleco about a week ago because of an overwhelming algae problem. The little guy cleaned house in less than 24 hours. So I had to go and buy algae wafers.

Here's the problem...my goldfish have discovered that the algae wafers are pretty tasty and the moment I put it in my tank the three of them swarm around it. Now I don't know if they eat the whole thing or not but the two biggest goldfish will keep working at it for atleast two hours. By the time I go to bed they're usually still working on it and in the morning the wafer is gone. So I'm a little woried about my pleco not eating. He tried once to get between the goldfish and the wafer but it was three on one.

I tried feeding the goldfish first then dropping the wafer in but that didn't work. The goldfish gobbled up all the flake food they could and once that was gone they had dessert...the wafer.

At the top of the forum it says not to mix common pleco's with goldfish. My pleco is of the Wal*Mart variety so I'm guessing he's a common one. One website says they "harmlessly" suck on goldfish while petlibrary.com said it can be damaging because they suck on the slime coat. So far I haven't seen any harm done. It's a little disappointing since I've grown attached to the little guy.

Okay, a couple of points. Try dropping the wafer in after the tank light is off and the room is dark. Plecos will be able to find the wafer.

Yes, some plecos develops a taste for the goldies' slime coat. Not good at all. It will stress them out and can lead to infections. Keep an eye on it for now. Any sign of it trying to latch onto a goldie, it is time to relocate.

Try dropping the wafer somewhere that the goldies can't get to. I'm assuming since he's new he's still fairly small. I drop all the stuff I just want my loaches to get too in this area completely overflowing with plants. Its too much work for the goldies and it slows them down quite a bit. If you have a cave or ornament you can work it into that'll work too. Or even under a rock.

I feed my bottom feeders (bristlenoses) blanched zucchini. I cut a chunk a couple of inches long off of the zucchini, then cut that into wedges. I blanch the wedges in the microwave in a bit of water for a minute or two (if it isn't cooked long enough, it will float). Cool, then drop a chunk into the tank. Keep the cooked zucchini in the fridge covered in plastic wrap. The goldfish will eat the soft centre but tire of it when they get to the harder outside flesh and the skin. The bottom feeders actually prefer the skin and will turn it over to eat the skin first, so this works out really well.

I put a chunk in daily for my bottom feeders. About once a week I drop in an algae wafer, but I wait until the tank is in total darkness to give the bottom feeders a chance.