View Full Version : Plecos
NDferro
03-07-2006, 9:42 PM
What do you think of pleco's Personaly i think they are really ugly fish but to each there own
Teelie
03-07-2006, 9:47 PM
I like some of them and I'm going to be getting a pair of Golden Bristlenoses soon. There are so many variations of them though that it's almost impossible to state they're all one thing or another.
pophead
03-07-2006, 9:50 PM
well I picked "can't have a tank without them" because I would rather not have a tank without them. but in my planted tank they can damage leaves and uproot plants, so I keep them in my other tank.
Gumby131
03-07-2006, 9:52 PM
nah ugly
NDferro
03-07-2006, 10:28 PM
Yeah I just cant like the things I've looked at a lot of kinds yet I own an Oscar and you have to admit those are some "Fugly" Fish
I mean you walk in to the room and look at your carefully designed tank and there's this big ugly ill-tempered fish latched on to your glass
Teelie
03-07-2006, 10:30 PM
You're thinking of Commons and Sailfins. While some people like the look of them, as a whole, they're a poor representative of the 100's of Plec species out there.
NDferro
03-07-2006, 10:48 PM
Common Plecos (Ugly)
Bristle Nose Plecos (Little Less Ugly But Still Ugly)
SaleFin Plecos (Ugly)
Zebra Plecos (Not To bad if i found one i might buy one)
Clown Plecos (Ugly)
Asian Plecos (Really Ugly)
Bushy Nosed Plecos (Ugly)
Snowball Plecos (Ugly)
tai95
03-07-2006, 10:51 PM
They are a must have in every tank. I believe the people who think they are ugly have never really looked at what is available. Granted a giant common hanging on the front glass may be an ugly sight, But how could you not fall in love with this little gal?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/tai95/Fish/100_0261.jpg
NDferro
03-07-2006, 10:56 PM
Nope i just not fond of them maybe some day but no i just dont like the look of them
But hey there is truth to what you say about
I believe the people who think they are ugly have never really looked at what is available.
They dont carry a good section of plecos in my area
tai95
03-07-2006, 10:57 PM
Bristle Nose Plecos (Little Less Ugly But Still Ugly)
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love my Bristlenose and think it looks great.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/tai95/Fish/100_0276.jpg
NDferro
03-07-2006, 10:59 PM
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder
True.
stigmato2
03-07-2006, 11:41 PM
Well I think plecos are sweet. Maybe you should take a look at the Green and Blue Phantoms. They have amazing colors, you wouldn't expect that in a pleco if you weren't looking for it, and not all of them are primarily algae eaters.
RockabillyChick
03-07-2006, 11:45 PM
i like plecos, but i don't have one in my tanks. i have 3 otos though, which are related. eventually i plan to have a 180g tank with an oscar, 2 fire eels, and a trinidad pleco that gets about 12" long.
but i don't think you NEED one in a tank. there are other ways to control algae.
Teelie
03-07-2006, 11:49 PM
IMO, a pleco is no substitute for proper tank maintenence anyways. They can still have a place in the aquarium though.
NDferro
03-08-2006, 12:15 AM
I like my SAE for algae control in my 40 and my Geo Sur in my 55
i might buy a smaller breed of pleco but never a large growing one
HolyBull
03-08-2006, 12:30 AM
My Royal looks nice, but it's a poop machine
Spykce
03-08-2006, 5:51 AM
I love Plecs. I FINALLY found a royal plec. I have wanted one for so long. To each their own but I have a few more plecs I still want to get.
TetraFreak
03-08-2006, 7:46 AM
Depending on the species, they can be very beautiful!
last night I just bought 5 for my 55 Gallon Amazon tank.
They are the small species so there won't be any issues with overcrowding.
What I bought:
5 x L104 Panaque Maccus
They're adorable and only grow to ~4" MAX.
Got 2 Males & 3 Females. Hoping that some day there will be a little surprise for me in the tank!
-TF
Star_Rider
03-08-2006, 9:11 AM
This poll seemed a bit open ..but there are so many varieties of Pleco's..
Some are actually beautiful fish..while others can be pretty ugly.
some of them are algae eating machines..while others don't eat much algae at all.
but if you are into south american fish..and want to have a naturla communith tank..you almost have to have one of the species in there...LOL
mduros
03-08-2006, 9:45 AM
When I saw what my bristlenose plecos were going to look like when they mature I was slightly horrified. But actually watching my babies who were a half inch when I brought them home, growing and changing, and developing their whiskers it's one of the most fascinating things I have ever seen. Every day I can see noticeable differences in the larger of the two. Now I'm hooked! I would get more if I had the tank space but I don't.
jtruswell
03-08-2006, 12:04 PM
Plecos are one of my FAVOURITE fish. They look so prehistoric. And it always amazes me how adaptable they are: eaten all the algae? Well I'll just suck up some of the flake food from the surface. My pleco is the godfather of the tank. No body messes with Al. ;)
But I would have to agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Jade
JungleMason
03-08-2006, 12:27 PM
Well it all depends you have the ugly:
http://www.canadadiscus.com/images/photos/pleco/1.jpg
and then you have the gorgeous:
http://www.plecofanatics.com/gallery/data/515/2254sunshine_pleco.JPG
mduros
03-08-2006, 12:51 PM
Plecos are one of my FAVOURITE fish. They look so prehistoric. And it always amazes me how adaptable they are: eaten all the algae? Well I'll just suck up some of the flake food from the surface. My pleco is the godfather of the tank. No body messes with Al. ;)
But I would have to agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Jade
My two are collectively named none other than the Prehistoric Fishies! You're absolutely right about that. And they are beautiful in this fish Mom's eyes!
mandimoron
03-08-2006, 1:56 PM
I adore plecos. I wish I had a tank big enough for one, but I don't have the room. Maybe some day...
fishlore101
03-08-2006, 2:26 PM
I love my pleco. I think he is so ugly he is cute. He has a great personality too, and a cave hog!
Star_Rider
03-08-2006, 4:54 PM
actually I don't see the bristlenose as ugly..interesting but not ugly..
but more so..they do a great job on the algae and are peaceful.
I have them and i like them..I want to find a queen Arabesque but they might be best in a discus tank judging from the water parameters :dive:
purple permelia
03-08-2006, 4:56 PM
I agree with fishlore. Mine is so ugly that he's cute. Plus, Hoover is the clown of the tank. He's always hanging out somewhere odd, doing something odd or dragging around the world's longest poop.
kveeti
03-08-2006, 5:52 PM
Hoover is the clown of the tank.
What a great name!
After MANY years of resisting, I recently got a pleco for my 29, an albino bristlenose, and I'm hooked. When it crawls around sucking up algae, its little "nose" wiggles like a bunny. S/he's just a baby and I don't know if it's a he or a she yet. Its name is Andy/i depending on sex. Short for Andorian (the albino ones who lived under the surface).
I adore plecos. I wish I had a tank big enough for one, but I don't have the room. Maybe some day...
I don't know what size tank you have, But you should be able to find a species that will work in your tank. Clown pleco's stay small around 4 inches.
actually I don't see the bristlenose as ugly..interesting but not ugly..
but more so..they do a great job on the algae and are peaceful.
I have them and i like them..I want to find a queen Arabesque but they might be best in a discus tank judging from the water parameters
I keep my Queen in the same tank with my Bristlenose and haven't seen any negative side effects. The water parameters for the two are about the same. The queen needs it a little wamer, but they should do fine together. Or at least mine have.