Help Me Choose - Royal Pleco or Candy Stripe Pleco!

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Royal Pleco or Candy Stripe Pleco...


  • Total voters
    22

Madding

A frog among toads.
Apr 12, 2009
310
0
0
New York
I'm interested in one of the above Plecos. I've read online that Royal's can be pretty sensitive, but I don't know squat about Candy Stripe. They seem similiar except for the flashier pattern.

Reference: Royal Pleco...

Reference: Candy Stripe Pleco...


Tell me all about your experience with these fish and what you recommend!

I have the housing for a full-grown adult, so don't worry about maximum sizes. The fish will be going into a 56 gallon wide tank with dark soil substrate, tons of driftwood and lots of java fern and anubias. Either fish would be about four inches to start.

Help me choose!
 

toddnbecka

AC Members
Dec 17, 2004
2,808
3
38
Cumberland, MD 21502
Personally, I'd go with 4-5 of the candy stripers and see if they spawn. My personal choice of aquatic termite (aka Panaque species) is L-204, commonly called the flash pleco. Check out this link for more info on any pleco species: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/numbers.php?mode=l&thumbs=16
Incidentally, the candy stripe is the last one on the first page, L-015
 

steffish

AC Members
Apr 18, 2006
270
0
16
I once lost a clown pleco in a tank for about 8 months. Small & hide really well. I love royal plecs! My experience with them has been mixed in that they seem to be sensitive when first acclimating to a tank. I think it has alot to do with how they have been handled before you get them. If they make it through the first week or two they are usually fine.
 

bazil323

AC Members
May 1, 2008
1,920
0
36
Wisconsin
Considering that there is about a 10" difference between those two, there is definitely more than just a slight color difference. Unless you have a larger tank to move the royal into in the future, I would definitely go with the candy stripe. Also, the feeding of royals is more veggies while the candies tend toward more meaty foods.

Candy stripe pleco link
Royal pleco link
 

Stuby

Registered Member
May 20, 2009
2
0
0
52
I'd go with the L15's....royals eat a lot of wood and make a lot more mess to go along with it!
 

dbosman

AC Members
Dec 5, 2010
1,481
0
0
East Lansing, MI USA
I'm a bit confused about your question.
The strips on a royal run front to back and side to side on a candy stripe.
The colors are completely different, and a four inch candy stripe pleco is full size where a four inch Royal pleco is a baby.

If you are interested in Plecos, you will want to check out Plecoplanet, Plecoworld, and PlanetCatfish.
 

MisaHasTheEyes

AC Members
Nov 21, 2008
113
0
16
42
Royals will outgrow a 56 gallon. I vote for six L204s, or L15s, or L104s.
 
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