is he a bad fish to own

[TiffanyFinatic1]

are common plecos bad to own in a cichlid tank? it does a terrible job on cleaning and only eats the sunken fish food!

 

[5x5]

I don't think so. Many knowledgeable people have recommended plecos for cichlid tanks. Some plecos are more effective than others for cleaning purposes. The only major issue with the common pleco is that it can grow up to 2 ft and requires a huge tank for an adult.

 

[TiffanyFinatic1]

how about a royal pleco will he do ok in a cichlid tank?

 

[jetajockey]

The issue with common plecos is their adult size. They end up breaking plants because of their sheer size and get so large (easily 1 1/2ft long or larger) that they really need a large tank.

 

[TiffanyFinatic1]

i have him in a 55 now hes 8 inches but im getting a 150 in december with that be enough room? i was also thinking about getting a royal pleco will it work out? i kno royals get big also

 

[mfdrookie516]

This is a prime example of why you should get a fish because you want it, not because you want to fix something.

 

[TiffanyFinatic1]

im not trying to fix something... and im just being curious if it would work out inna 150 with a royal pleco and common pleco with cichlids

 

[TiffanyFinatic1]

because i want it

 

[jetajockey]

I don't know anything about royal plecos. I would put a common plec in my 125 but I don't want him godzillafying all of my plants. So space wise, yes, but you need to do more research on the other species and what else you plan to put in the tank.

 

[TiffanyFinatic1]

thank u i would like to get 2more striped raphael cats and about 3-5more cichlids i have 7 fish in my 55 rght now and 4 are cichlids

 

[OsciTheOscar]

just from my experience, plecos dont do much clean up work, they more or less clean the glass... the one problem with plecos those is they poop a lot!

 

[Hondatek]

I had a leopard sailfin pleco once. He cleaned every spot in the tank. Downside is poops so much and he sucked a hole in my tiger long fin Oscar and killed it. He went to the lfs after that

 

[TiffanyFinatic1]

omg im so sry to hear that im gonna be more watchful now thank you

 

[dollabill420]

My pleco is currently trying to break his poop length record, I been trying to feed him more fiberous foods muhaha, they are diabolically wonderful pets

 

[TiffanyFinatic1]

My pleco is currently trying to break his poop length record, I been trying to feed him more fiberous foods muhaha, they are diabolically wonderful pets

thats nice yet nastey and yes they can be ok i guess

 

[Gillie]

Bristlenose plecos are used a lot in cichlid tanks, they are great at cleaning up, stay fairly small and don't normally get bothered by the cichlids. The biggest problems with common plecos are adult size and only eat algae until they reach about 3-4'' then they start to transition to a carnivorous scavenger diet.