plecs - advise please...!!!

[tailbarlionfish]

hey there,
I was wondering about plecs. I think they're really cool but most of them are at least £20. The only cheap ones are the common plec which grows rather large...

Any ideas for smaller ones?

 

[azn_fishy55]

Bushnose plecs I think grow too a small size. Bulldog plecs too but they need cooler water that most tropical fish. If you are looking for algae control, get some otocinculus catfish. They stay small and constantly eat algae but need to be put in groups of 6 or more to be happy.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Otos are hard to find healthy because they usually go through a strenuous shipping time (to the US anyways, might not be such an issue in the UK) to get to the lfs. Keeping them well fed is sometimes an issue as well. They need a lot of food.

Go for a bristlenose pleco. They are unique, and max out at around 4 inches in size.

 

[Fluff]

Bristlenoses and rubberlipped plecos both stay small 4-5" and are normally under 10 USD. Another reasonably priced small pleco is the pitbull pleco. It only maxes out at around 2".

 

[tailbarlionfish]

yeah i want a bristlenose but my lfs never has any. I've had a bulldog plec and an oto. They died the night i got them(unhealthy) but i got my money back.

I guess ill keep looking in pet stores a bristlenose. Thres a new shop opening very near me

 

[greenmaji]

Ive never heard about the bulldog pleco. being a sensitive fish? the oto yes..

 

[mr86mister]

off topic but, who is in your avatar tailbarlionfish?

 

[tailbarlionfish]

lol, the darkness a rock band

thanks for the replies evry1!!!
mr86mister - what colour are your bettas? i have a male and 2 females. The male is a deep red with a few pink strands and the females are navy blue with metallicy lighter blues on their fins.

 

[SerLunchbox]

it really depends on what prupose you want the plecos to have. There are LOTS of smaller plecos ... the downside is that they cose you an arm and a leg to get. For example, Queen Arabesque or Flash plecos. They stay smaller but cost a fortune to get because of their rarity.

 

[jibboo]

speaking of them ... I found a Queen Arabesque for under $20 at www.thatfishplace.com (of course, I did have a 20% off coupon)

So far, I've had no issues at all with it.

It really depends on your purpose. If you want a nice looking one, most of them don't really help a bunch in keeping your tank clean.

I didn't buy my queen to clean as I already have a rubberlipped pleco, otos, rosy barbs, and hillstreams loaches to do some of that.

 

[FMJnaX]

I got a clown pleco for $10 from a LFS (actually, $8.99 I believe). He's not an algae eater like a bristlenose, but I catch him on the glass all the time and he's left streaks (looks like a slime trail of a snail, only made from eaten algae) in the algae on my back glass so I know he's eating some of it. I've had him for almost 2 months and he's only 3" long from the 2" that I bought him at. I believe they max at 4-6"