Do pleco's even do anything healthy for your tank? I was allways told they eat algae? I have 3 rather large ones and im thinkin about trading them in on 1 maybe gold nugget or something unusual. I do want to stick with a pleco though... Any suggestions on a strange pleco or any websites or links or pictures or anything would be helpfull. Thanks...
plecos are pretty much bottom feeders. they help keep your tank clean by eating any leftover food or organic matter instead of letting it decompose and turning into toxic ammonia. not to mention they keep your glass clear of algae so you can see them. they are also fun to watch IMO.
You do know that the adonis plecos can get to over 3 feet long right? When they are small they look really nice with the white spots but as they mature the spots dissapear.
You do know that the adonis plecos can get to over 3 feet long right? When they are small they look really nice with the white spots but as they mature the spots dissapear.
NO... Thats no good... only have a 150g... I would like to stay around a foot or less... I do like the ones with bright spots... Which ones will keep there spots in adulthood? I just read those gold nuggets are hard to keep alive into adulthood? is this true? die young?
Do pleco's even do anything healthy for your tank? I was allways told they eat algae? I have 3 rather large ones and im thinkin about trading them in on 1 maybe gold nugget or something unusual. I do want to stick with a pleco though... Any suggestions on a strange pleco or any websites or links or pictures or anything would be helpfull. Thanks...
If you plan on getting some of the fancier species of plecos be sure you know what your getting yourself into. A lot of species need to have driftwood in their diet in order to survive. Also not all plecos are the algae eating machines people think they are. If you really want to keep a pleco that will eat some algae you could look for a bristlenose. They have been breed into a few different color strains and there are also long finned version. Here is a pic of my albino longfin bristlenose.
If your looking for a pleco that gets larger than 5-6" and is kinda interesting you could look at royals. There are a few different natural color variations and some can get to around 18". If you do get a royal be sure to keep plenty of driftwood in the tank as this species needs to have driftwood in their diet.
here is a picture of my L191 royal.
If you want a smaller species of pleco that still looks cool you could look for a L260. They stay small around 4" but they look cool and they have beeb captive breed, if that's something you would want to try.
A picture of my L260.
There are so many other species of plecos it's hard to say what to get. Just know that most pleco species will not show themselves until they are comfortable in the tank. Don't be surprised if the pleco you spent $50 on hides for a month or more. Also before you buy any pleco try and get a look at it underside on the glass. If it has a sunk in belly do not buy it. The chances of getting it to eat are not good.
I'm far from an expert but I have owned a few Pleco's over the years. I think that it's like catfish, some people really like them, some don't.
I'm the later, personally I don't think the good they do out weighs the sheer ammount of waste they put out as they get larger and I just don't find them interesting. So I don't keep them. Friends of mine love them, have several, and talk about them frequently.
I think you should keep the fish you like. It's tough here in my area, it seems for some reason everyone is aghast that you would try to have a tank without one!
