How Many Cat Fish

[mrnitz9]

How many cat fish should one have for a 55 gallon tank with 15-18 community fish. I have one Pleco that is about 2 inches. Is that enough? The tank is a few months old and, except for a bacteria bloom which we are in the middle of because of any extensive power outage, seems to be fully cycled.

 

[jsoong]

What kind of pleco - dwarf or common?
Enough for what? Total algae control? - I'd say not ... but then If you are looking at commons, that 2" will get to be 12" or more ... so adding more is not the solution.

 

[mrnitz9]

Its a dwarf. I was just wondering if I should get another catfish to keep the bottom clean.

 

[WhiteDevil]

I keep a rubberlip pleco in with 18 corydoras and 2 SAE's in a 55.
there are atleast double what other fish are in the tank
a dozen angels(yes got other tanks ready for them when they pair off)
36+ neons and cardinals
25+ pangio oblongas
4 black neons

catfish do more harm then good especially corydoras, they clean 3x as must as they poop. I have heavy filtration on my tank though, thats part of the success.

 

[BigJim]

Plecos, or any catfish for that matter, won't keep the bottom of the tank clean. You'll need to vacuum the tank regularly to keep it clean. I have sand substrate and my cats stir it around for me, but they're not janitors. It's a common misconception. I've actually heard of people who think a pleco is a substitute for a filter.