royal pleco

[guppylove]

i am thinking about geting a royla pleco but i here that they are very hard to keep is there any one out there that has or had one that could help me out?i.e pitfalls/ and are they realy that hard?

 

[Scottw68TN]

There are a few different "royal" plecos. Do you know the scientific name?
Heres a good place to start:
http://www.planetcatfish.com/core/index.htm

 

[guppylove]

it looks gray with black strips if that helps i will have a look at the site thanx for puting it up for me....

 

[Madame_X]

Dang, I saw one of those last night. I hope they're not as expensive for you in the UK--this one was $89.99!! 8O

 

[Terry]

Great choice the Royal Plec, They are Panaque Nigrolineatus and you can get several Varieties as Scottw68TN said. There is L-027, L-027a, L-027b, L-027c,
L-190, L-191.

They are from Brazil/Columbia area (not quite sure) and they grow to 30-40cm, they do like aquariums with a good flow of water as they come from fast flowing regions.
As for caring for the fish, it sounds to me as though someone has told you they are hard to keep, what is hard for one person is not nessasary hard for someone else. All i will say is that when they are small that is the time to worry, because pleco's are wild caught and it takes them a bit of time to settle down. They don't need any special needs as long as there is algae in the tank they will be happy. You can supplement there diet the same as you would for any algae eater.

Also as Madame_X said they are not the cheapest and the price can vary from £28-35 for a L-191 to £36-40 for a L-027 and that is just a quess, they could be more than that. It is good to have a look around to get the best price.

HTH

 

[e-cat]

mine was not hard too care for at all as long as you have DRIFTWOOD in the tank, they need it in there diet and if you have an acrilic tank they will scratch it up with there teeth, they also like softer water and look nice in a tank with peat added too the water, they like the tank dim, and love zucine,romain lettuce, and cucumber and as said before they like a lot of water movement they are expensive mine was $69 but worth it for a show pleco, and with all plecos make sure your tank is big enuff and that you have a good filtration system.
HTH

 

[guppylove]

cool thanx to all you peeps that have helped me out i do know they cost a bit but i can get one for £15 from my fish shop as they allways do me good deal as i spend most of my time in there....what a life.. so you think i shoud put peat in the tank as they like that it will be going in a 4ft or 5ft tank so that should be ok for it when it is full size...thanx again for all your help...good luck with your fishkeeping

 

[Terry]

Good price guppylove, snap it up. I can't even get them for that. e-cat was right about the wood, it's a must.

 

[guppylove]

one thing i will ask is about tank mate for him are most fish ok to put with them? i have got a pleco he is 5 1/2 inches and he is fine with all my fish he dont take no messing off my angles that like to rule the tank is it the same for royal plecos?

 

[e-cat]

the royal might not like the other pleco in there but it should be fine with your angels.

 

[lighter]

Wood is a must as part of the royal's diet. Their diet are mainly green and larger ones are more aggressive especially towards their own species.