medium size plecs

[valerie]

I'm cycling my 90gal right now and I'm lookinf ofr ideas on what plec i can get. I'm looking for somethign that eats algae and gets around 8". There was a A.ranunculus at the LFS but they costs 25$ so i'm still not too sure about getting such an expensive fish.

I know people are going to suggest bristlenose and clown plecs but i already have both of those and they only grew around 4".

Anyone have any suggestions? Its going to be a african cichlid tank with no plants.Thanks I jsut need a starting off point so i can get soem ideas.

[Lynsey]

check out: www.scotcat.com and www.planetcatfish.com

[valerie]

I have looked at planetcatfish and have found it helpful. But without searching through each profile I don't know which plecos eat algae and which don't.

I'm looking for a family or names of which plecos are considered algae eaters, or help with algae(mostly concerned about keepig the rocks kind of clean). I know that Ancistrus sp.(bushynose), cheastotomas sp.(rubber nose), otocinclus sp., and Peckoltia sp.(clown) are mostly the algae eating plecos but they don't get to the size i really want.

Is the pleco that like algae and get about 8"

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I was looking for the same thing for my Oscar tank. I couldn't find one, and I think I searched the internet for about a month. I found that the larger plecos are not so great at eating algae. I agree the bristlenose are great. I had a pair in my tank, but they were a little small to be in an Oscar tank. I decided to go with a pleco that eats anything given to them, especially with a messy Oscar spitting out food everywhere. I also realized that there were not many plecos that stayed in the 8 inch range. I did research, and found a few on the internet, unfortunatley none of my LFS could get any. I ended up getting an 8-9" Goldie pleco (L-14) I love him. However, I think they like lower ph. I would check out the L-160 pleco. They stay in the 8" range, and are very tough (even a little aggressive), so they could probably handle the africans.

You could also go with a sail-fin pleco, and trade it in when it gets larger. You could keep a pretty large pleco in a 90 gallon though. Also, plecos don't always get to the size stated on the internet or in books in the home aquarium.

Also, be careful with some of the fancy plecos, because most are from South America and can not handle the high pH of an African tank.

If I were you, I would go ahead and get the A.ranunculus. But I would not add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait another month after your tank is really going. $25.00 is an Ok price for that fish. The hard thing is these kind of plecos are in high demand and are usually pretty rare in the LFS (at least in my area).

also check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have pretty good info on some of the plecos. Also the plecos they talk about are not super rare, so your LFS might be able to order you one.

[Lynsey]

I think the one your LFS has is probably a good bet. However, I wouldn't add it to a newly cycled tank. I would wait awhile. I have found that most of the larger plecos are not that great of algae eaters. I would also check out the L160 pleco. They are tough (even a little aggressive) and super spiney so they could handle the Africans. They get to about 8-9". However, I don't think they are especially great at the algae eating. Check out www.aquazoo.co.uk they have quiet a bit of info on plecos, and most of the plecos they highlight are not super rare so they are a possibility.

[clayt101]

Wow, thats one way to increase your post count lynsey;)
Looks like we need a mod to fix it.

[Lynsey]

Whoops, sorry. Last night it said that it didn't post to "refresh" and try again. I guess it did post. Sorry again.

[valerie]

thanks for the help. I Guess I will have to go with A. ranunculus. Its more money then i have ever ppaid for one fish but it still isn't too bad. I hope they still have some at the LFS when i need one.

I'm also not to concerned about the fish dying as the LFS i get my fish from is really good and i have never had a death from them. They have also been in the store for a few months so i know they are in good health.

Now all i have to do is wait for the cycling to be done:( Its going well so far but i'm only 7 days into it. Hopefully it won't take much longer. I already have some fish waiting in a Qtank that i bought for xmas(boxing day sales)

Well thanks again,we don't see many plecs around here so I guess i can't be too choosy.