pleco in sump?

[acolotto]

I have a 150 gallon aquarium and it has a overflow that leads to a sump under the tank. Its probably like 30 gallons or something close to that size. I was wondering if it would be fine to put a pleco down there for a little while then when he becomes larger just move him into the tank. I figured this would help in keeping the tank cleaner. Just wondering thanks for any advice.

 

[noob2saltH20]

I think it may get too streesed imo. Is your sump in a closed space? Also plecos tend to double their waste output vs a chinese algae eater imo

 

[BigJim]

Chinese algae eaters get big and aggressive. I'm not a fan.

Do you have a refugium in your sump? Leaving a section of your sump tank free of equipment for plants and animals is common in SW setups, but I haven't seen it much in FW sumps. If you do have a refugium, the pleco would be fine in there while it grows out.

The sump and aquarium are really the same water system, so in this case you'll have 180g to consider for bioload reasons, but only 30g for physical space.