Top 5 Best Algae Wafers for Plecos

You wouldn’t want your Plecos to have an unhealthy diet, would you? They deserve a well-balanced diet just as much as you do. 

So what are the odds of Algae wafers ending up in a balanced diet for Plecos? I say the odds are pretty decent. But there’s just one problem. With so many choices, which wafer do you get?

You’re reading this because you don’t want to go through hundreds of choices. We took it upon ourselves to sieve through 50 wafers to pick the 5 best algae wafers for Plecos. 

We even included a neat little buying guide at the end, so you don’t have to suffer from questionable purchase decisions. Let’s get right into the reviews without any further ado. 

Comparison Table

To start things off, we have this packet from Hikari. Plecos love algae wafers. There’s no doubt about that. So we had to ensure that your Plecos get the best wafers they can.

With that in mind, we had to go through the trouble of trying all these algae wafers out. And to us, these wafers from Hikari stood out.

We all love algae eaters. But the algae that they get from the fish tank isn’t enough at all. So Hikari aims to solve this problem.

Most of you would argue and say that the algae produced in the aquariums’ water is enough. And we can’t vouch for these products in that way. 

But there’s an obvious benefit in using products like these algae wafers for Plecos. This packet, in particular, comes with algae goodness.

They claim that there are high levels of “vegetable matter” incorporated into these wafers. We don’t know much about that, but our Plecos liked it. But just because they like it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for them.

If you’re concerned about the ingredients, they say it’s rich in pure spirulina. Again, we can’t taste it, but you get the gist. Spirulina is effective for Plecos.

Among other things, they claim that the wafers are enriched with Vitamin C. We know why Vitamin C suits your Plecos and other algae eaters. 

Vitamin C helps reduce stress. It also accelerates immunity to different diseases. Since our Plecos were all healthy, we couldn’t test this out to its full potential.

But I’m sure they won’t be piling this up with all the marketing gimmicks, right?

A big problem that you guys face with cheaper algae wafers is cloudiness. Most of the wafers almost immediately cloud up the water in the tank. But to our surprise, this one managed to keep the water just as it was.

We have to give credit to Hikari here since the wafers didn’t dissolve right into the water. Our Plecos couldn’t speak, but they gobbled these up quickly.

Among other things, this one happened to have the right mixture of vegetables and proteins too. But we don’t have a scientist to confirm this claim. 

Pros

• Enhances fish color
• Provides immunity boost to fishes
• Organic ingredients perfect for fishes
• Sinks to the bottom quick
• It doesn’t cloud the water much

Cons

• It might contain copper sulfate
• Not the best packaging

Next up, we have fancy packaging from Tetra. Their PlecoWafers were made just for Plecos. Isn’t that nice? We’ll see about that in just a bit.

Let’s get the positives out of the way first. They allow you to customize your order in different sizes. You get to choose between three different quantities.

So if you have a ton of aquariums with Plecos, you might be willing to spend the extra and pick out the bigger pack. But if you have just one Plecos aquarium, the small 3.03oz. The pack should do the trick.

But we still recommend that you choose the medium-sized 5.29oz.

Option. If you pick this, you won’t run the risk of running out of wafers for your Plecos. 

They claim that it’s a specially formulated diet that is also vegetarian. That’s pretty nice, wouldn’t you say? Well, we tested it out with our tank of Plecos, and they happened to like it. 

That’s also pretty normal since Plecos are avid algae eaters. Anything that gives them an algae-like taste will attract them eventually. So this is a crucial win for Tetra.

Tetra claims that the product will not cloud your water. Well, here’s the not-so-fun part.

These guys lied. When we put these into our tank, we saw what you don’t want to see. There was a definite cloudy layer.  

So we’ll have to cut points from Tetra for pulling this one on us. Let’s hope they fix this in the next iteration. We have our eyes on you, Tetra.

But it’s not all bad. Because the cloudiness eventually goes away. The problem is you need to wait a couple of days for that to happen.

We should add that the water in our aquarium was crystal clear before we put this in.

They also claim that the product contains enough minerals and vitamins. We hope that’s true. Otherwise, we don’t want to be our fish right now. 

These little wafers also seem to have enough biotin supplements. While it’s necessary for Plecos, we can’t examine whether this is true. If it is, you can hope that the metabolism of your Plecos should improve. 

We couldn’t observe our fish for the longer term, but they weren’t getting sick from it.

And if there is the presence of Omega 3 fatty acids like they say, we hope you can witness improved growth for your fish.

Pros

• It helps improve the immune system
• Enhances the color of the fishes
• Improves metabolism 
• Available in multiple sizes
• Promotes healthy growth 

Cons

• Clouds the water up
• Some wafers are hard to sink

Coming in at a third place, we have a bunch of chip-like wafers from Aquatic Foods Inc., And we have to give it to them.

They’re the only ones on the list who provide you the choice of 8 different quantities. That’s what I’m talking about!

If you have a lot of fish to feed, you can even choose the 45lbs. option. That’s a lot of wafers!

Big Plecos love spirulina algae wafers. And when we fed our Plecos these, we assumed they liked it.

This one isn’t too big on the packaging. You might find it hard to locate the branding, just the way I like it.

What we didn’t like is that many wafers struggled to sink. And, since Plecos are all bottom-feeding fish, they wouldn’t like the idea of wafers not sinking.

We even saw that one or two ended up floating on the surface. But a huge percentage of these wafers land on the bottom of the tank where your Plecos can locate them. 

Since our Plecos enjoyed these and gobbled them up, we’re hopeful yours would too. 

In terms of ingredients, they claim that it’s all-natural. They also claim that the proportion of vegetable matter is high in these wafers.

So it would help if you hoped to see your fish get a ton of Vitamins and minerals. 

We’re not going to nitpick when it comes to this claim, though. Since it’s popular among people, you should know they’re not fooling around. 

Oh! One more thing. Our fish pooped just fine after living on these wafers for a while. So we didn’t notice any digestive troubles either. 

The company does promise to lower stress levels. We’re not too sure about that, and we don’t want to provide you with false info.

But if these wafers can boost the immune systems of our Plecos, this product is a decent choice, at best.

When it comes to clouding, this is where it gets interesting. We saw a bit of clouding in the water after pouring it down.

Even the surface showed a bit of cloudiness. Some of the wafers liked to hang around on the surface. 

So, if you’re expecting crystal clear water, this isn’t it, chief!

Pros

• Improves immunity
• Provides minerals and vitamin C
• Significant vegetable content
• Available in a lot of quantities
• Clean wafers without dust content

Cons

• Clouds the water up a bit
• Some of the wafers float

Before moving to the final choice, here’s the fourth product on the list from Omega One. You might even be surprised to see this in fourth place. But we might be able to convince you how it ended up here. 

This one does not offer as many size options as the previous one. But you can still pick from five different sizes.

If you have a ton of fish to feed, you can opt for the 15lbs option.

But you can do just fine with the 2oz pack too. It’s way cheaper and feeds the Plecos just fine. If you’re skeptical, you can opt for the medium sizes too. Whatever floats your boat. 

We had to test many products, so we opted for the smaller size. It was enough for our fish tank. But it doesn’t mean it’ll be perfect for you. Stick to your buying habit when it comes to quantities.

The veggie rounds are precisely what they are called. They are round pieces of vegetable matter for Plecos. And algae eaters seem to like the, well, our Plecos did, at least.

Our tanks seemed to stay clean after using this product. They do claim that the veggie rounds are pretty much insoluble. But we did see a bit of fogginess.

But if we compare it to the previous one, it isn’t very important. 

They recommend that you feed two wafers per day. And we decided to follow the instructions for our beloved Plecos. If they could talk, they would have probably wanted more. 

Pros

• It doesn’t cloud up the water as much
• Insoluble in water
• It contains high spirulina for metabolism
• Improves immune system
• High veggie content

Cons

• Might seem expensive
• It might not sink easily

And, for the grand finale, we have a jar of algae wafers from API. Like other fish equipment that they make, this also has a certain popularity.

So you might be curious about why we put this in last place. You’ll get to know soon enough.

First of all, we couldn’t justify the price in any way. You have to pay a lot to get the only size option. And, if you compare it to the first one on the list, you’re looking at a loser already.

They claim that it’s for clear and clean water. We’ll see about that. They also claim that the wafers sink fast. Well, we decided to put their claims to the test.

And to our surprise, they fared quite well in the sinking test. Other than a couple of the wafers, most of them ended up at the bottom of the tank. 

But we had a massive problem with the stench of these wafers. The smell is far from pleasant. We recommend you try this if you can deal with the hard stench.

When it comes to nutrients, you can expect a mixture of vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids.

We didn’t have a fish doctor in the house. But we decided to trust them on this one.

Although the packaging claims that you won’t see any clouds in the water, we beg to differ. The water does get cloudy eventually.

Most of the clouds come from uneaten bits, though. So yes, there will be uneaten bits lying around. 

But if these wafers can keep the stress levels of our Plecos low, we have no problem trying them out. 

Pros

• Produces lower ammonia
• Packed with nutrients
• Sinks fast
• Improves metabolism
• Promotes healthy growth

Cons

• Clouds the water a bit
• Smells really bad

 

Buying Guide

Now that we’re done with the reviews, it’s time for you to buy the algae wafers, right? Wrong! You still have a bit of learning.

Now we’re going to discuss the different factors you should consider before picking up a pack of algae wafers for your Plecos. 

Price to Quantity Ratio

It’s always important to find out what you’re getting for what you’re paying.

If you’re only getting a couple of ounces of wafers for a ton of money, we don’t recommend you choose that option.

Always compare prices and see if they make sense according to the quantities. 

Make Sure They Sink

Plecos are bottom-feeding fish. But you should already know that.

You wouldn’t want your fish to look up at the surface and see the wafers floating, would you? Jokes aside, you have to go for wafers that sink.

It’s okay if one or two wafers don’t sink deep into the bottom of the tank. But most of them should sink. So pick an algae wafer that sinks into the water.

Avoid Clouds If You Can

No matter how much the companies boast about how clear the water stays, it isn’t easy.

Most brands fail to deliver on this. This means most wafers you’ll get will cloud the fish environment. 

So if you can’t pick the one that doesn’t cloud the water up, pick the one that clears away the clouds sooner. If you ensure this, your water environment will stay healthy. 

Although it’s not harmful to your beloved Plecos, a clouded aquarium looks pretty messy if you think about it. 

FAQs

Question: Should I feed a lot of wafers to my single Plecostomus?

Answer: If your fish is already healthy, one wafer should be more than enough. Just sink it into the tank when you’re about to sleep.

In most cases, you might see that the Plecostomus gobbled it up within the night. You can then proceed to give another wafer in the morning.

Question: How do I stop other fish from eating the wafers?

Answer: It doesn’t usually happen outside a few cases. But if it does, you can feed the Plecos cucumber instead.

You can also hide a wafer near the place where the Plecostomus hides. It can consume it later when it comes out.

Question: Which brand should I go for?

Answer: We’re not going to endorse any brands here. But the ones on the list are proven to be good enough, if not the best.

You can hopefully get good results out of all five wafers on this list.

Question: Do I have to worry about other fish?

Answer: In most cases, fishes like algae eaters, Otocinclus, and Ancistrus are the ones you have to worry about. They have similar eating patterns to the Plecos.

So you should rest assured that your Plecos food will be safe if you don’t have any of these fish along with your Plecos. 

Conclusion

Time to part ways, unfortunately. We hope we’ve cleared out all your confusion about feeding your Plecos.

If you’ve gone through the article, you should now have a clear idea about the best algae wafers for Plecos. We’ve gone through a bit of trouble trying to pick the top 5, so you don’t have to. 

Compare the features and check out which one might be good for your Plecos. Don’t exceed your budget if you have to.