Gold Nugget Pleco

[fishg33k]

Hi All!

This is my first post.

I am currently in the process of setting up a 29 gallon tank, and so, needless to say, have been perusing the various fish stores around town just to see what everyone has available.

At one place, Petsmart, I saw that they had gold-nugget plecos. They looked awesome, but before I decide to get it, I wanted to see if anyone has had experience with these guys.

For my tank, I would stock it mainly with cardinal tetras, I love these little guys.

It'll be planted.

So, has anyone had experience with these guys?

Thanks.

 

[kraemerwa2003]

Here is a good website for that pleco:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1923&articleid=2224
Hope that gives you the info that you need.

 

[wataugachicken]

i would wait until your tank is established before you get one. they need a little more experience on your part because they are very sensitive to traveling, acclimating, and getting them to eat. they need fresh veggies, not just algae.

planetcatfish.com is another good source for info.

 

[fishcatch22]

I think they need driftwood, not positive on that, but have some in your tank just in case.

 

[Dan the Moose]

they dont NEED drift wood, but they are usually comfortable hiding in the day, and drift wood usually has a lot of pnooks and crannies. keep in mind also, that drift would will change your pH balance. but i would wait a little bit to put it in the tank, let the tank stabilize/establish. gold nugets are nice because they usually dont grow very large. (im so sick of people returning plecos cus they are to big for there tank, and only to get a smaller one the same day. in a year or so, youre gonna return it any ways) if your woried about it with the tetras, they usually get a long. and you dont nesicarily have to feed it fresh veggies, you can get away with feeding it veggie wafers (sold at lfs') also note, that they can become a very messy fish. we have a few larger plecs in our store with some of the more agressive tanks to help keep matinence down on the tanks. the less you have to put your hand in the tanks with jardini arowanas, BIG cats, and clown knife's the better for US. they do a great job in keeping the glass clean, all we really do is gravel wash. just do your research on the fish, and you should be fine.

 

[Pheintz]

I know at our local Petsmart those sell for $40 when you can even find them. I had one years ago and really enjoyed it's color and personality. Turned into one of my husband's favorites. But if your going to spend that kind of money on a single fish, and they are not as hardy as other kinds, then.. yeah, I'd wait til the tank had been up a while and stable before adding one.

 

[CaptnDan]

I was looking at these plecs too. They have them pretty regularly at PetSmart here. In fact, they had about 5 of them Thursday night when they got stock... Today they only had one left.

I find it hard to believe that they sell that many $40 fish, but they might... Or maybe they really are fragile? Either way, they do have a 14 day guarantee...

 

[L046]

They're be fine with those tankmates. They're omni so food is not too much of a problem for them. They like fast flowing current which should be fine if you have a decent filter in the tank for that.

 

[fishg33k]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I think I will get one for my tank, since they are very pretty.

I will wait for the tank to stabilize before getting one.

 

[drgold]

I bought mine from a local place, but petsmart can be an OK place to get one because of the 14 day guarantee. That's the only reason, though. If you can get him eating in the 14 days, you should be alright. If he's not going to eat, he'll die in 14 days and you can get a new one. I think you can return live fish for credit in 14 days, too, so bring him back if he's dying but not dead within the 14 days. Gold nuggets are notorious for coming to stores starved and then not starting to eat again. Give him a new weighted zuccini slice or cocktail shrimp each day to make sure he gets fattened up while getting used to your tank.

I quarantine new fancy plecos in their own 20l until I know they're eating reliably. You'd be surprised how easy it is to starve a fancy pleco. My gold nugget got a new zuccini slice every day for two weeks and is doing well in my community tank now. Also, and this is very important, keep the temperature above 80F during the first few weeks. It spikes their metabolism and immune system and keeps them hungry. They're very sensitive to water quality, too, so make sure the tank is FULLY cycled. no ammonia or nitrites. good luck!