Researching -- fish compatibility, existing Pleco

[mampadoo]

Hi all,

My sister is giving me her 20gal tank with one pleco. The pleco is at least 5-7 years old and was formerly housed with goldfish with no problem, however, they grew larger together. I know I will end up doing most of the work with the fish, so I'm trying to do as much research as possible before starting out.

I have been researching fish and basically, I feel overwhelmed and I don't know which fish to get that will make the tank a success.
I am interested in these fish:

Dwarf Gouramis -- I read that they can be aggressive.
Balloon Mollies -- I'm wondering if they are too small to house with the pleco.
dwarf cichlids -- I read that they can be agressive, also.
Discus-- I read that plecos will suck their slimecoat because they are flat.
Platy(s)-- Too small for the pleco??

**Can any of these thrive in freshwater tanks??**

I also read that some of the fish I was looking at needed live plants, but then other fish that I liked tear up live plants. And read that plecos need driftwood to rub against, but this pleco has never had driftwood in its tank.

Obviously, I can't have a lot of fish since I only have a 20gal tank, but are there any suggestions for fish??
I want something hardy, colorful and one that is not going to destroy the other fish in the tank. (and not goldfish/guppies)

**And that is appealing to my young son, since he "earned" the fish. **

 

[zach_1_6]

discus-- more hard to keep then most fish.
mollies/platy's-- should be fine with the pleco
dwarf cichlids-- can be agresive yes, most fish leave plecos alone though
Dwarf gouramis-- also can be aggresive but ( again ) most fish leave plecos alone.


you could try tetra they are active and have a range of colours and would be fine with the pleco. im sure some others will have some more to say but this is JMO.

 

[mampadoo]

Thanks, Zach.

I've read that plecos are generally docile and nonaggresive, but can suck the slimecoat off of fish and that if a smaller fish presents itself to the it, the pleco could inujure/kill it.

And what about compatibility between the fish that I have listed? I've read that I should not house aggressive fish of the same size together.

 

[mudraker]

Is the pleco a common pleco or a more exotic one? If it is a common pleco, it probably won't harm other fish if it is properly fed. They need more than algae. Fresh vegatables are an important part of their diets. Cucumbers are probably the most common and easiest to feed them. Organic is best, but if that is too expensive or hard to get, make sure you rinse and peel the cuke thoroughly before feeding.

To answer one of your fist questions, mollies are actually a brackish fish and won't thrive well in freshwater, though LFS often sell them as freshwater fish.

Discus are an extremely warm water fish and can be quite aggressive. They are in the cichlid family.

Platys are probably the best choice from your list. Just beware they are livebearers and will reproduce like crazy. They will also eat their own young if the fry are left in the tank with adults.

Zach had good advice about starting with tetras. Get hardy varieties that are good community fish. Neons are pretty, hardy and non-aggressive, as are black neons, Xrays, hatchets, rummy nose and bleeding hearts are just a few that are great fish for beginners.

Rasboras and certain types of Danios are also good community fish that are easy to care for.

Hope this helps and wasn't too long winded!

 

[zach_1_6]

you could also try some corry's, they are very active and i think will be fine in a community tank, ive never kept them so someone corect me if im wrong.

 

[mudraker]

I love corries, but have had bad luck with them in new tanks. I think they need a mature substrate and lots of detrious.

 

[zach_1_6]

oh right i forgot about that, if you are going to have corries wait for the tank to mature before adding them as mudraker said.

 

[jsoong]

Also, how big is the Pleco? A common will get huge (12+") and will outgrow a 20.

If it is a dwarf variety, the answer will be different regarding compatible fish.

 

[herp_mommy]

I've never had aggression problems with dwarf gouramis. Discus are too large to fit into a 20gal and are difficult fish to keep

 

[reefdiver]

I have Cory's with my first tank but I always do two W/C a week. Always try to keep as much clean water as possible. Tetras are very colorful and easy to keep. Dwarf gouramis tend to be a little bit on the fragile side health wise.

 

[mampadoo]

Thanks for all of the advice!

The tank is actually about 10 years old and the pleco is a common one and my sister told me today he is 8, almost 9 years old. He is probably about 6.5 in. I would actually like to get rid of him, because I know he will outgrow the tank, but for now he will stay in the tank.

Although she had the tank for a long time and it was a success, I want to make sure I have the same success with it.

 

[zach_1_6]

goodluck

 

[DragonFish71]

If the pleco is 8-9 years old, chances are good he's done growing now. However, he is at 6.5 too big for that tank. See if your LFS can re-home him for you or put him on CL. If you're area has freecycle, a yahoo group, try that too.