plecostumus in my african tank
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Lupin
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- Sep 21, 2006
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If you ask me, I would say no. Never going to try plecos with African cichlids. Synos are much preferred.
There are a few popular types that you should be able to find at a LFS... Syno. Angelica, Decora, multipuntata, petricola, and if you are really lucky Brishardi To name a few of them. You could get an awesome school of peticolas going they would love to be in a tank like that. If you like the look of the plecos the Brishardi is the only catfish that i am aware of that has the sucker mouth like a pleco. They also have a really cool tubular body. PlanetCatfish has a bunch of pic/discriptions on these fish. Some of them (the ones that I mentioned for sure) are native to the rift lakes so they will handle the H2O parameters like champs. They would also give you some movement on the bottom of the tank, which I enjoy. Much perfered over Plecos in an african tank IMO.
I have to correct you honey,
Syno. brichardi isn't a rift lake syno but rather a african river syno, that can handel a wide range of pH paramaters. Other then that all is well.
Lupin
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As long as the algae isn't rampant, you don't have to remove the algae. I actually think algae makes the tank look more natural especially if growth is under control. You could try the Clithon corona. They have spines that may deter the cichlids from attacking them. Do supplement them calcium though just to keep the shells thick and clean. Shell erosion tends to be damaging but is minimal in hardwater environment although I prefer to be safe than sorry. Clithon corona prefer algae so think twice before you buy them. You want to culture algae and supply algae wafers as well as most of us haven't had luck coaxing them to eat other foods such as veggies.
Lot of variables at play - how old are the mbuna, how long have they been in there, what kind are they. I think in a tank that big you should be able to provide hiding places & cover for the plecos and it is most likely that, given enough mbuna, their primary focus will be each other.
In my personal experience, properly stocked mbuna ignore bottom feeders that are able to put up some kind of resistance to the initial 'welcome to the tank party'. I keep a rusty pleco with mine - no issues. Equally, I have kept synodontis multipunctatus - again no issues. The only one I ever brought back that was getting too whacked on was a crayfish.
I have indeed seen a BN pleco that lost an eye in an african tank. But that is the only personal experience of this that I've had - far more frequently there are no real issues. I would say if you want try one for a couple of weeks and see how you do. Add a couple more presuming all goes well.
Equally, synos are a great choice, and have less risk of compatability issues.
Happy Christmas !
the syno. birchardi actually does eat algae off the rocks. He's the only one of the genus that does
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=46
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