Plecos and acrylic tank

[meviva]

I've been researching the kind of fish I want to put in my new acrylic tank. I want a pleco. While reading about common plecos it stated not to put it in an acrylic tank because it can scratch the tank. I don't want a common.....I want something smaller, about 4-7 inches. Do all plecos have the ability to scratch acrylic tanks or are some safe? If anyone has had experience with this I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

 

[FeldmansFish]

Plecos won't be able to damage the acrylic. Bristlenose or bushy nose plecos will work or if you are open to more expensive fish check out gold nugget plecos.

 

[meviva]

Thanks. I really hope the plecos can't scratch the acrylic, but that's what the book said. The gold nugget pleco is the one I really want. They seem to come in a variety of sizes. I want to get the smallest one.

 

[Aqualove]

Yes bristle nose, rubber lip, and others stay small

 

[HUKIT]

Plecos won't be able to damage the acrylic.

Yes plecs can and will scratch acrylic, this depends on the species but to say they won't be able to is completely inaccurate. I've personally seen my royal put bite mark patterns all over a tank.

 

[meviva]

Yes plecs can and will scratch acrylic, this depends on the species but to say they won't be able to is completely inaccurate. I've personally seen my royal put bite mark patterns all over a tank.

Thanks. That's what I was afraid of. I guess I need to research if plecos have different types of mouths, and if any are acrylic friendly.

 

[DavidAl]

Many of the popular acrylic tanks are on the smaller end of the spectrum, as the larger ones are very expensive. Plecos are big-time waste producers and thus require plenty of water volume. I don't know what size tank you have, but you may want to look into that as well.

David

 

[meviva]

Many of the popular acrylic tanks are on the smaller end of the spectrum, as the larger ones are very expensive. Plecos are big-time waste producers and thus require plenty of water volume. I don't know what size tank you have, but you may want to look into that as well.

David

The tank is a 125 half round that is being made now. I should have it within 2 weeks (keeping fingers crossed). It is very expensive so I don't want it damaged by a pleco but I do want some help with algae control.

Thanks.