Worried - 4 plecos in one tank

[MyanRan]

Well, after reading this thread I'm a little worried. I have a 55 gallon "corner tank", and it contains 4 common plecos. I have had them for over a year and have never had problems, or have fought at all. Each of them is about 5 inches long. I'm assuming I should remove three of them. Any advice?

 

[CharlieKlein]

Well, after reading this thread I'm a little worried. I have a 55 gallon "corner tank", and it contains 4 common plecos. I have had them for over a year and have never had problems, or have fought at all. Each of them is about 5 inches long. I'm assuming I should remove three of them. Any advice?

I'd remove all of them. Way to small

 

[MyanRan]

Nitrate

I bet this is why my Nitrate level is so high? All the waste in there... Can I get smaller species of plecos? I shouldn't even have one in there?

 

[CharlieKlein]

Yes 1 is too big for a corner tank. 1-2 bn, rubberlip, or bulldog plecos are great

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I have moved your posts to their own thread.

They could be the reason. I would up the water change schedule while they are there. A smaller species is the bristlenose. There are others but the bristlenose is the most common. They max out at 4-6 inches.

 

[MyanRan]

Thanks!

I'll be moving these guys in the future, but will increase the water changes in the meantime to keep the tank at safe levels.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Pit bull plecos and upside down cats would be good too

 

[MyanRan]

How many plecos should be in my 55 gallon tank? Say if I bought bristlenose plecos.

 

[Scottyhorse]

1-2. But you need to make sure they aren't both male, so one would be the safest way to go

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Plecos aren't a necessity in a tank but if you wanted bristlenoses you could have multiple or none. It depends on what your other stock is. Multiple male BNP in a tank is fine IME. I currently have two in a 70g and two in a 26g with a female and fry. If you have a male and female they will most likely produce offspring and once they start they won't stop.