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The people at the pet store said I needed to buy pleco food. Is that really neccesary with all the algae in the tank?

It would depend on the amount algae that's available in the tank. If there's not much, then I would add some algae flakes for it.

The common misconception with plecos is that they are entirely algae eaters. They are not, only about 30% of their diet is algae, the rest is waste from fish or left over food. Essentially plecos are omnivores and as such need their diet supplemented. With turtles this changes some - but I still give a wafer here and there (about 3 a week).

Ya in the long run - it could be redundant yet mine swim around and are constantly active and are a visual part of my community

This is a pretty good article:

http://www.oscarfish.com/article-home/f ... needs.html