Pleco Question

[NinjaTetra]

I want to get a pleco in my 40 gallon im setting up. Not a common or bristlenose, those need at least 55 gallons. I want a clown pleco. They only get around 4" at most, and are suitable for a 30 gallon according to multiple sites. My aunt has a common plecostomus in a 55 gallon for eight years now and it survived ich twice, a carp that they found stranded in their field that ate all the fish they had(farmers) and afterwards a mean cichlid that killed all her new cichlids. It sounds like. Hardy fish, esp because the most aggressive thing in that tank will be a pearl gourami, which are peaceful mostly. Just want opinions about a clown plecostomus in a 40. Thx!

 

[Mebbid]

Clown plecos would be fine in a 40. Bristlenose plecos would also do perfectly fine in a 40. BNs are recommended to be in a 30g tank.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Here are options of plecos you can do

Golden nugget pleco
Bn pleco
Clown pleco
Rio negro pleco
Rubber lip pleco
Green phantom pleco
Zebra pleco (if you have 500 bucks laying around)
Or you can do a pleco with a group of ottos

 

[Oohitsae]

Sounds like you've done plenty of research on the clown!
I've been wanting some myself for a while now, they are definitely hardy fish, though I would say that BN's are hardier. I also think that clowns usually max out at around 2.5-3" though they can sometimes get to 4" so you'll have to be a little careful if you decide you ever want something a bit more aggressive than the gourami because they wouldn't be able to fend for themselves as easily as larger plexus would.

 

[NinjaTetra]

A queston on corydoras now- i was planning on getting 7 sterbas or pepper corys, but then i read that i could get 15 pufmy corys in their place because their smaller. I was thinking that would be nice, but ibe heard that they r middle fish unlike other corydoras. Anyone with experience know for sure? If i got 9 pygmys i would add o my other fij a couple male guppies to add some bright colors. So really question is are pugmy corydoras bottom or middle dwelling? I will probably stok likr this: 5 black neon tetras, 6 hatchetfish, one pearl gourami, whichever school of corys, a clown pleco, and tyree male guppies. Sound good?

 

[NinjaTetra]

What is everyones favorite corydoras? I am deciding between pepper, sterbas (ie mosaic cory) and pygmy corys, i would get 7 corys or 9 pygmy corys.

 

[Oohitsae]

A queston on corydoras now- i was planning on getting 7 sterbas or pepper corys, but then i read that i could get 15 pufmy corys in their place because their smaller. I was thinking that would be nice, but ibe heard that they r middle fish unlike other corydoras. Anyone with experience know for sure? If i got 9 pygmys i would add o my other fij a couple male guppies to add some bright colors. So really question is are pugmy corydoras bottom or middle dwelling? I will probably stok likr this: 5 black neon tetras, 6 hatchetfish, one pearl gourami, whichever school of corys, a clown pleco, and tyree male guppies. Sound good?

Pygmys are know for being more low-mid level swimmers, but they usually stay near the bottom so you don't have to worry much. They just have random bursts of energy where they move to mid level. I've got 6 in a 28 and rarely see them though, so I'm assuming 15 in a 40 would be similar. I'd personally go with the larger guys.
In a 40 gallon with 27 fish isn't horrible, especially since they are all relatively low bioload fish besides the pleco and guppies if you wanted to do it you could pull it off, but like I said, If you want to see them more I'd go with the peppers or sterbai

 

[Cactuspixie]

Personality-wise I haven't noticed any difference between my cories. I have a mix of sterbai, pepper, albino, emerald, metae, Agassizi, julii and a panda. Just go with what takes your fancy

 

[angelmisty]

Personality-wise I haven't noticed any difference between my cories. I have a mix of sterbai, pepper, albino, emerald, metae, Agassizi, julii and a panda. Just go with what takes your fancy

Do they all school together or in lil packs??

 

[Fishdude3233]

Common plecos actually need like 240-300

 

[Oohitsae]

Do they all school together or in lil packs??

They prefer to be with their own kind, but if they look similar they'll school together if they don't have enough of their own kind.
I had peppered and albino's at one point, they didn't go near each other while swimming but they would stay together when resting. Not I only have a group of metae's (bandit Cory's) and they do much better together.

 

[Surfer]

Common plecos actually need like 240-300

Try 120-150 gallons, they aren't terribly active fish when mature.

My 40 gallon is a pleco tank, in which I have several different species of plecs living in harmony. The pearl gourami shouldn't cause any problems for the clown pleco. Rio negros are the same exact fish, different name.

I've kept clown plecos with breeding convicts and didn't notice any bullying, so even if the clown plecos can't defend themselves, they're pretty inconspicuous to other fish. I'm pretty sure it's in the male clowns nature to be aggressive, so if you can sex them, make sure to get a male so if you decide to get a larger aggressive fish in the longrun, the clown will make sure to make his presence known and stand up for himself. They also have much more intricate markings.

I strongly encourage getting 2-3 and add some driftwood in there so you can see the natural behavior between their own kind, it's pretty neat I keep 5 in a group and they're usually displaying for eachother.

 

[Cactuspixie]

Do they all school together or in lil packs??

There are some that have paired off (3 pairs) and they mostly do everything together. The ones in the 3ft tank mostly stay in their own groups (albino and pepper) but the ones in the 6ft tank only come together to sleep or when worms are on the menu. I haven't observed them breaking into smaller species-based groups. Their groupings are very fluid- they have a huge amount of territory to explore, and no one to harass them, so they are pretty bold and in no way shy at all. My little panda is the odd one out as he is so much smaller than the others, but he gets amongst it no worries

 

[NinjaTetra]

Thanks for the Corydoras tips and more info on clown plecos! I think i will go wth my original plan of 8 pepper corys, with tetras hatchetfish and a pearl gourami. I wont be getting guppies, i think that might be overdoing it. However, the tank should he set up completely besides the pleco by halloween if my stand is done on time and i can get to the various stores soon enough, as i have to go to 4 different stores to get my stuff (petco, and petsmart carry difderent fish from my lfs, and only a petsmart thats really far away and the lfs have plants. ) If so, ill be getting the clown pleco december or novemberish. Lol, only twice ive bought fish when it wasnt november, and ive bought a good half a dozen batches. Well that will change soon. Thx again! Ps i wont be getting anything more aggressive than a gourami unless i get apistos in a few years. And i think once this tank is planted and full of fish, if any fish die, i will: replace hatchetfish, maybe shift the cory species eventually, and get glass cats or cardinal tetras instead of my black neons. But thats far into future. Im really excited about this, I think its going to look amazing with the schools in middle, at top, at bottom(a vague shoal) and one pearl gourami- pearls are so amazing! Then a clown pleco. I think it will be what ive dreamed of for upwards of half a year now( it took forever to save up for the new tank, and now i have enough for the gravel and plants and specialty foods (ie sinking pellets, algaewafers, freeze dried shrimp, etc. And one school of fish.Sorry about my rambling. I do have a last quetion- what order should i introduce my fish in? My tetras have to go first, i have them already. Then i was thinking corys, then hatchetfish, then gorami, then pleco, all in groups of three or less. Thx

 

[NinjaTetra]

I have another question. I decided to not get a clown pleco, at least not with this group of fish. I was thinking of a siamese algae eater, but found out they get six inches and prefer schools- so i dont want to crowd them. However, i think i could substitute 5 otos in the place of the pleco and one corydoras. They produce much less waste (ive seen plecos pumping it out) and stay smaller. A small school of them would look nicer, especially because they dont need driftwood. I cant provide driftwood for a clown pleco, and i think some otos would fill in the algae eater slot better for me

 

[Surfer]

I have another question. I decided to not get a clown pleco, at least not with this group of fish. I was thinking of a siamese algae eater, but found out they get six inches and prefer schools- so i dont want to crowd them. However, i think i could substitute 5 otos in the place of the pleco and one corydoras. They produce much less waste (ive seen plecos pumping it out) and stay smaller. A small school of them would look nicer, especially because they dont need driftwood. I cant provide driftwood for a clown pleco, and i think some otos would fill in the algae eater slot better for me

As long as your tank is mature, and you can manage to feed them processed foods when there's no algae, you should be fine.

 

[NinjaTetra]

Ok thanks. This has nothing to with previous qs, but someday (5 years or when all these fish are passed on) im going to make a semi aggressive tank with clown loaches and a clown pleco, green tiger barbs, silvertip tetras, and a pair of dwarf cichlids. In the future. Dont reply to that, just had to say it.

 

[Cactuspixie]

You'll need to wait till your tank is a few months old before you get the otos. I haven't heard of otos eating prepared foods, but I've heard of otos starving to death once they have run out of algae and biofilm on the tank surfaces.

 

[NinjaTetra]

Yes i will he getting otos last. At the store they eat algae wafers. And ill feed them blanched cucumbers.