Can I get a pleco?

[SushiRoll]

I have 55g aquarium I'm going to be setting up and I was wondering could I put a pleco in it? If I can what type and what would good tank mates be? Thanks in advance!


Sent from my iPod touch using Aquarium Advice

 

[Penguin]

I have 55g aquarium I'm going to be setting up and I was wondering could I put a pleco in it? If I can what type and what would good tank mates be? Thanks in advance!


Sent from my iPod touch using Aquarium Advice

Maybe a Clown Pleco or a Bristlenose Pleco

 

[Penguin]

I have 55g aquarium I'm going to be setting up and I was wondering could I put a pleco in it? If I can what type and what would good tank mates be? Thanks in advance!


Sent from my iPod touch using Aquarium Advice

Maybe a Clown Pleco or a Bristlenose Pleco they stay smaller than the other species of Pleco and don't produce as much waste

 

[SushiRoll]

I was kinda thinking about a bigger pleco. Is there any bigger ones that would fit in my tank? If not I'm going to get a bristle nose.


Sent from my iPod touch using Aquarium Advice

 

[Penguin]

I was kinda thinking about a bigger pleco. Is there any bigger ones that would fit in my tank? If not I'm going to get a bristle nose.


Sent from my iPod touch using Aquarium Advice

The bigger plecos get over 12" and create a huge bioload in it's tank considering how much it eats and would need at least 100 gallons so the bioload wouldn't be as large and I've seen stories where people plecos will eat their smaller tank mates by accident by sucking them up while they swim if their tank mates aren't fast enough.

 

[SushiRoll]

Ok I guess I'll be getting a bristle nose! Or maybe a clown. Hmmm which one. Is one more likely to be in a pet store than the other?


Sent from my iPod touch using Aquarium Advice

 

[Penguin]

Ok I guess I'll be getting a bristle nose! Or maybe a clown. Hmmm which one. Is one more likely to be in a pet store than the other?


Sent from my iPod touch using Aquarium Advice

Maybe the clown but if they have both i would definitely go with the bristlenose because they look better in my opinion and are more active too I've had both at different times and the bristlenose is always swimming around with my clown loaches and blends in with my zebra rock too which makes it fun looking for him when i look at my tank!

 

[Proflooney]

before you choose there are over 18 i think its 32 species of plecos that go under 5 inches do some research. I posted a list somewhere last year I did of them all but you got the bristlenose, clown, leapard frog for more of the cvommon ones. theres also a whiptail catfish that looks and acts just like a pleco they only get abt 4" I will try to find my list for you

 

[Proflooney]

01. Pitbull Pleco LDA25 2.0" 50mm Pitbull Pleco

02. Hypancistrus sp. L129 2.8" 70mm Hypancistrus sp. L129 Pleco

03. Imperial Pleco, zebra pleco, L046, L098, L173 3.2" 80mm Zebra Pleco

04. Leopard Peckoltia, L008 3.2" 80mm Leopard Pleco

05. Blue 'Panaque' L239, (Baryancistrus beggini) 3.2" 80mm Blue 'Panaque' Pleco

06. Hypancistrus sp. L136, L136a, L136b, L136c, LDA05, LDA06 3.5" 90mm Hypancistrus sp. Pleco

07. Queen Arabesque Pleco L260 (Hypancistrus sp.) 3.5" 90mm Queen Arabesque Pleco

08. Peckoltia sp. L288 4.0" 100mm Peckoltia sp. L288 Pleco

09. Peckoltia sp. L243, LDA086 4.0" 100mm Peckoltia sp. L243, LDA086 Pleco

10. clown pleco, Ringlet Pleco, L104, L162, LDA22 4.0" 100mm clown Pleco

11. Tiger ''Peckoltia'', L002, L074 4.0" 100mm Tiger ''Peckoltia''

12. Candy Striped Pleco, L015 4.0" 100mm Candy Striped Pleco

13. Chocolate Zebra Pleco, L270, L307, LDA76 4.0" 100mm Chocolate Zebra Pleco

14. Brown Dot Peckoltia, L006 4.0" 100mm Brown Dot Peckoltia Pleco

15. Angelicus Pleco, Portel Angelicus Pleco, L004, L005, L028, L073 4.0" 100mm Angelicus Pleco

16. Striped Bulldog Pleco, L444, L187b (Chaetostoma formosae) 4.2" 105mm Striped Bulldog Pleco

17. Leopard Frog Pleco, L134 4.4" 110mm Leopard Frog Pleco

18. Spectracanthicus sp. L254 4.4" 110mm Spectracanthicus sp. (L254)

19. Dekeyseria sp., Butterfly Pleco L052 4.8" 120mm Butterfly Pleco

20. King Tiger Pleco, Network Pleco, Scribbled Pleco, L066 4.8" 120mm King Tiger Pleco

21. Panaque sp. L306, LDA64 4.8" 120mm Panaque sp. Pleco

22. Bristlenose Catfish, Common Bristlenose Catfish, 5.0" 125mm Common Bristlenose Catfish Pleco

23. Medusa Pleco, L034 5.2" 130mm Medusa Pleco Pleco

24. Spotted Medusa Pleco, L255 5.2" 130mm Spotted Medusa Pleco

25. Flash Pleco, L204 5.2" 130mm Flash Pleco

26. Peckoltia sp. L076, L099 5.6" 140mm Peckoltia sp. Pleco

27. Flounder Pleco, L168 5.6" 140mm Flounder Pleco

28. Hypancistrus sp.L333 6.0" 150mm Hypancistrus sp.L333 Pleco

29. Peckoltia sp. L147 6.0" 150mm Peckoltia sp. L147 Pleco

30. Ancistrini sp. L016 6.0" 150mm Ancistrini sp. Pleco

25. Para Pleco, L075, L124, L301, LDA02 6.0" 150mm Para Pleco

26. Hypancistrus sp. ,L333 6.0" 150mm Hypancistrus sp. Pleco

28. Green Phantom Pleco, Lemon spotted Green Pleco, L200 6.0" 150mm Green Phantom Pleco

27. Snowball Pleco (Hypancistrus sp.) L102 6.4" 160mm Snowball Pleco

29. Hemiancistrus sp. L128 7.2" 180mm Hemiancistrus sp. Pleco

29. Gold Nugget Pleco, L081 (Baryancistrus sp. cf. xanthellus) 7.2" 180mm Gold Nugget Pleco

30. Glyptoperichthys joselimaianus, L001, L022 8.0" 200mm Glyptoperichthys joselimaianus Pleco

31. Starlight Bristlenose Catfish, L183 8.0" 200mm Starlight Bristlenose Catfish Pleco

 

[michellev512]

I have a queen arabesque pleco who stays 5 inches...


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Proflooney]

as for tankmates just about any tetra and most cichlids do good with them very few fish will mess with a pleco. besides their armour they have "cowcatcher" spikes on the sides by their gills they open in defense plus their dorsal fin has a poisoned barb

 

[Penguin]

I have a queen arabesque pleco who stays 5 inches...


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Bristlenoses look nice imo and as the person above said most fish would make great tank mates and won't bother the pleco

 

[SushiRoll]

I love the butterfly pleco. Would one fit in my 55g? Do I need more than one for them to be happy? Also how common are these in fish stores?


Sent from my iPod touch using Aquarium Advice

 

[Proflooney]

pic of my whiptail. can't see it but at the end f the tp part of tailfin is a 1 1/2" long hair just like on end of bullwhip

 

[SushiRoll]

Ooh I just saw the blue panaque pleco. I have the same questions about this one as the butterfly pleco.


Sent from my iPod touch using Aquarium Advice

 

[SushiRoll]

pic of my whiptail. can't see it but at the end f the tp part of tailfin is a 1 1/2" long hair just like on end of bullwhip

Whoa that is really cool!


Sent from my iPod touch using Aquarium Advice

 

[Proflooney]

butterfly pleco is the same as i thing its called a butterfly loach and you can find them in pet stores it all depends what yours carries. you can also find a lot of fish in the forums too that ppl raise and may live right next door and not know it. plecos only need 1 and they happy they arent schooling fish. in a 55 I would say no more than 4 plecos from the list i provided. you could get away with 1 or 2 more but until you are familiar with bioloads and depends a lot on your filtration whether tank is planted or not etc.

 

[Proflooney]

one last IMPORTANT NOTE:

you need a piece of driftwood in your tank most plecos need wood in their diet to help them digest their food.

and NOT ALL PL:ECOS EAT SAME some are carnivores, some veggievores and some are Omnivores so after you find one you like research its needs so your not giving tons of veggie wafers to a carnivore. they all need some veggie in their diet but carnivores need their meats. Best to find a veggievore or omnivore over a carnyvore

 

[Proflooney]

yes the whiptail is an adult female fully grown

 

[michellev512]

Some can get territorial...I'd stick with 2 ?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice