Rubber lip pleco

[ashleynicole]

What can anyone tell me about their experience with rubber lipped plecos? I got one from pet smart and he is in my 55 gallon. Its tiny now, and absolutely adorable. I have such a soft spot for plecos, I just love them! Of course I looked them up and read about their size, diet, etc but I am looking for any personal input from anyone who has or has had a rubber lip pleco.

 

[Buckfins]

Great pleco. I have one in my 55 as well. Not real shy which is a quality I like. They do stay pretty small 4-5 in. max. Great cleaner too. Eats anything and everything fed to him. Keeps to himself and doesn't harass any other fish. Do you have any driftwood for him/her?

 

[ashleynicole]

Oh yeah I have a piece of mopani and a piece of Malaysian. I also have two bristlenoses in there. I love plecos.

 

[Plecolover18]

i love them there my favorite pleco i got one for my african cichlids to help with algae control, these plecos eat algae but i found him dead today and will get a new one next week

 

[FallenRedeemer]

I have a rubberlip in my 20 gallon tank. He is kinda shy but he is usually in the back if the tank. I have a peppermint Pleco in the tank too that never leaves the cave

 

[ashleynicole]

I've seen mine eat algae wafers, shrimp pellets, and zucchini, I usually put the zuch in 2-3 different locations because the bristlenoses love the stuff

 

[bettaowner]

Of all the plecos I've kept and worked with, the rubber lip is my absolute favorite. He never behaved aggressively and I never had any problems with him.

 

[ashleynicole]

Can anyone compare what experiences they've had with rubber lip vs. Bristlenose? The rubberlip is pretty active but still pretty small, and it seems like they get a little bigger than a bristlenose. Which is a better "Alae eater?". I dont believe in fish for algae control and thats not my reason for having a pleco but In my opinion my bristlenoses get a little lazy as they grow or maybe I just spoil them with zucchini and wafers?

The best algae eating combo I ever had was a combo of true SAE , a common pleco, a bristlenose pleco, and otos. That was over 10 years ago but my tank was always spotless. Of course the common got big fast and the SAE get a decent size so take a big portion of available stock options but were also fun to watch.

Anyway Just wonder how the rubber lip measures up here. I don't have an algae problem but my slower growing plants get dark green algae and of course the occasional soft geeen on the glass that comes off easy with the magfloat.

 

[bettaowner]

I know most plecos are aggressive but my rubber lip pleco was very peaceful compared to every bn pleco I kept.

 

[ashleynicole]

I never had pleco aggression issues. I mean they will push anyone away to get to an algae wafer but mostly mind their own business. I had a clown once I didn't care for he seemed a bit more pushy.

 

[ashleynicole]

Update... the rubber lip had to go. As cute as he was I discovered he was rasping holes in plant leaves. I thought I had a nutrient deficiency but it was mechanical damage from the rubber lip. These guys have got some major rasping power! And yes I feed algae wafers and veggies like zucchini and cucumber on a regular basis. I usually do zucchini twice a week and algae wafers every night I don't do the veggies.

When I netted him out he fell on the floor and there was a puddle of tank water and I could barely get him up. It was actually like the sound of a suction cup when I finally picked him up! After his rehoming... all of my new leaf growth has no holes. (And there are still two bristlenose plecos in the tank).