Cichlids with pleco.. good or bad?

[mariah]

I have never had a gold algae eater so I wouldn't know about him

This is my 55g tank right now. That is what it is right now but usually there is more slate in there. He won't fit in any or the slate holes

 

[xwing]

I do not want the gold algea eater. I believe my sister us going to keep him and then try to sell him before i give her guppies. I am going to put the pleco in my 55 gallon. There is quite a bit of slate in there.... he was in a 39g and then was downgraded to the 10g like a year ago.. i don't know if he is stunted or what

Could have been a 55g is still a little small for him but better be a little small than way too small in a 10g

 

[xwing]

This is my 55g tank right now. That is what it is right now but usually there is more slate in there. He won't fit in any or the slate holes

View attachment 221939

Nice tank he will stick to the walls and around anywhere he can

 

[mariah]

Nice tank he will stick to the walls and around anywhere he can

Thanks! yes, way better to be a 55g then a 10g. If i do find he is to big i will re home him. I like to do things right. The fish don't get a say in what size tank you throw them into... i did start with like 16 cichlids or something and that was terribly hard for me. Felt like i was way over stocking them even though that's what your suppose to do. I am now at 10 in there but the aggression is quite high now.. :/

 

[NinjaTetra]

Yeah its a golden algae eater. I think ur pleco will do fine, especially just watch his fins and his early morning-late night activity. Never hurts to be safe, and maybe not others but I do daily or every-other-daily head counts. The golden- ive never had one like most others, but my friend had one and they are nasty little buggers. Big buggers. Lol

 

[mariah]

Yeah its a golden algae eater. I think ur pleco will do fine, especially just watch his fins and his early morning-late night activity. Never hurts to be safe, and maybe not others but I do daily or every-other-daily head counts. The golden- ive never had one like most others, but my friend had one and they are nasty little buggers. Big buggers. Lol

Okay i am going to attempt purring the pleco in tomorrow. Yes, the gold algea eater is a bugger already. Always swims fast and smashes around.. she had to change the heater to one with suction cups because he would hit the heater against the glass

 

[chriryan85]

i have a clown pleco hes fine with my south americans and hes 4 inches

 

[chriryan85]

remember plecos are armed with a spine at the end of there tale that can do serious damage two the most vicious cichlid.

 

[mariah]

Okay i am going to attempt purring the pleco in tomorrow. Yes, the gold algea eater is a bugger already. Always swims fast and smashes around.. she had to change the heater to one with suction cups because he would hit the heater against the glass

Here he is!!! the cichlids are extremely scared of him. There is a blue cobalt on the left of one of the pictures for a size comparison.

 

[xwing]

Yeah he is a good size looks like he will be fine

 

[mariah]

Yeah he is a good size looks like he will be fine

Yes he id quite big... i have never had one before... other then putting an algea wafer in every night for him... what else would i feed him zucchini?

 

[IShallNtEatFish]

In the first photo you can see someone hiding.... They are clearly not fans of their new house mate..

 

[mariah]

In the first photo you can see someone hiding.... They are clearly not fans of their new house mate..

Yes they did not like him at all in the beginning. All 10 went and hid instantly. They are all out now and swim right beside him

 

[NinjaTetra]

Zucchini is great, just make sure to blanch it. Cucumbers, romaine lettuce, and even peas work too. In case you dont know, blanching is kind of temperature shocking the veggies... Like you would microwave it, and then put it in cold water. Its been awhile since ive had to do it, and someone else can probably do a much better job o explaining.

 

[erikmoseley]

Cool! What sort of pleco is that? If its the common kind that get huge I'd also add a smaller species soon like bristle nose or rubber lip and end up removing the common soon once your fish get comfy with them in the tank.

 

[mariah]

Zucchini is great, just make sure to blanch it. Cucumbers, romaine lettuce, and even peas work too. In case you dont know, blanching is kind of temperature shocking the veggies... Like you would microwave it, and then put it in cold water. Its been awhile since ive had to do it, and someone else can probably do a much better job o explaining.

I thought branching was bringing a pot to boil and then dropping it in for 30 seconds? And yes i think id do a zucchini 1 cm thick and then boil the while thing and freeze it. Would lettuce need to be blanched? Id tie it to like a piece of slate and put it in at night. Do i feed either lettuce, zucchini, and algea wafers everynight? Like i said, i have never had a pleco before. Also sand for the substrate won't hurt him right?

 

[mariah]

Cool! What sort of pleco is that? If its the common kind that get huge I'd also add a smaller species soon like bristle nose or rubber lip and end up removing the common soon once your fish get comfy with them in the tank.

Yes its the common pleco that get huge. I can't add small ones because they get eaten. I don't quite know what i am going to do when he gets to big.. all i know is i saved him by upgrading him from a 10g to a 55g

 

[Aquaenthused]

Yes its the common pleco that get huge. I can't add small ones because they get eaten. I don't quite know what i am going to do when he gets to big.. all i know is i saved him by upgrading him from a 10g to a 55g

I have 2 tiny bristle nose pleco with my ever growing and evil flowerhorn and giant and mean red tailed shark (7 inches). One is about an inch and the other about 3 inches... My flowerhorn is now about 6 inches and has demolished large schools of fish 2X his size, but he leaves these tiny guys alone- they chase him away from their driftwood by slamming their side spines against him when he even tries to look at them....

Bristle noses and clown pleco have the awesome ability to survive and flourish with the biggest of cichlids, remain relatively small, are, in my opinion, some of the most effective of the pleco in the house keeping department and can hide for days (more the clowns than the bnp)... That being said I would consider trying a sub adult of one of the smaller bodied armored pleco in place of the common pleco, which gets enormous, is as messy if not messier than cichlids and is not truly an herbivore, preferring meaty foods like krill, dead or dying fish and, of course, cichlid poop, lol... Just figured I'd share my thoughts. Good luck!!

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[mariah]

I have 2 tiny bristle nose pleco with my ever growing and evil flowerhorn and giant and mean red tailed shark (7 inches). One is about an inch and the other about 3 inches... My flowerhorn is now about 6 inches and has demolished large schools of fish 2X his size, but he leaves these tiny guys alone- they chase him away from their driftwood by slamming their side spines against him when he even tries to look at them....

Bristle noses and clown pleco have the awesome ability to survive and flourish with the biggest of cichlids, remain relatively small, are, in my opinion, some of the most effective of the pleco in the house keeping department and can hide for days (more the clowns than the bnp)... That being said I would consider trying a sub adult of one of the smaller bodied armored pleco in place of the common pleco, which gets enormous, is as messy if not messier than cichlids and is not truly an herbivore, preferring meaty foods like krill, dead or dying fish and, of course, cichlid poop, lol... Just figured I'd share my thoughts. Good luck!!

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I did have two bristle nose and they were both killed by the cichlids. I am trying to just give this guy a better home for the time being. I have just made some food for him... not sure of i did oh quite right but i cut up half a cucumber... so the pieces are round and 1cm thick. I did leave the skin on them. I put them in boiling water for about 40 seconds and then took them out and put them in cold water. I also did the same with a bag of spinach but only a few seconds in the water then into cold

 

[Aquaenthused]

I see- good luck!! It makes sense, though, with Africans- I forgot about the strength in numbers and stress factors, my bad

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