how many is too many..

[Acer]

like i had posted a while ago, i have set up my 55gal with a seeded AC-300, never had a cycle, i just went out and bought 5 bristlenose plecs for a dollar a piece, (good deal!) i am starting to look into planting it really soon, how many plecos can i safley keep in the 55 gal? as it is, they have plenty of spaces to hide in and i havent seen them get into any fights or anything, food is abundant, and they range in size from 3/4" to 2.5"

 

[talloulou]

Once full grown I'd only keep one male and 2-3 females. Spawning males may fight with each other.

 

[Acer]

yah i think their still too small to sex, most of them dont even have any "bristles" yet..

 

[Menagerie]

I agree with talloulou, if they spawn, there could be trouble.

 

[Devilishturtles]

You are going to need to make sure that you supplement their diets quite heartily as well. Plecos need lots of food. Without it, they can easily succumb to starvation. In a tank with that many plecos, algae will be hard to come by.

 

[Acer]

it is hard to come by, so far i throw in about 8 algae wafers, at night, (all gone in the am) 2-3xs a week i throw some zucchini, and also roman lettuce.. and of course the left over frozen, shrimp,worms from the other fish.. im hoping when i start planting and put in my drift wood there will be places for all ot them to go to try to cut down on any conflicts there might be.. i should get some shoplights for a DIY planted tank canopy this weekend. im hoping to start out with some low lights and maybe a couple of med light plants. i have to try to hold off on the co2 for a bit, probably after xmas..

anything else i can try feeding them>?

 

[Guest]

a cheaper way to feed is to put a piece of zuchini in there every night... its actually better for them than the wafers. You can still feed the wafers weekly.