# Starlight/Gold Nugget/Snow Ball Pleco - cleaner or diva?



## UnicornStampedes (Jul 10, 2015)

Hi

I went to a pet store and was discouraged by the person working there from buying the more expensive plecos that I was eyeballing (starlight, gold nugget, snowball plecos) as he said if I was looking for a cleaner/janitor type pleco, I would be better off with the bristlenose, yellow rubber pleco etc.

I was wondering if this is true? Will they really not eat algae and clean the tank? He said all they do is sleep and hide instead of cleaning. It just doesn't make sense to me -- if these fish eat the same thing, why would they not "clean"? Or did he simply mean that these would require their own staple food primarily like if they were other fish, as opposed to just living off of algae on the glass/gravel/ornaments?


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## Cichlidrookie (Apr 6, 2014)

I had a gold nugget once and yes they are "DIVAS". 

Don't get me wrong they eat algae but not as much as bristle nose pleco. 

They are more picky with food than common and bristle nose. 

But if you really like them get them, they are awesome to look at.

Or get both types. 

Good luck.


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

Starlight plecos are a type of bristle nose pleco, they algae but once the grow larger they tend not to eat as much. Most ancistrus when small eat algae very well but as they grow they eat less. I think they just find left over food much easier to come by. The other two have a tendency to find other vegetable matter much easier obtain so not such a great algae eater. I have all three and they like to feed on eggs layer on substrate or plants.


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## Dee2010 (Mar 26, 2013)

Don't be discourage but they do prefer their own algae food, not much of a cleaner. Overall not hard to keep and worth it if you like the way they look and they stay small 6" max. Currently housing 5 gold nuggets, a green and a blue phantom, a orange seam, a gold tiger and bristle noise all in the same tank and they get along.


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