Sailfin Pleco with cichlids

[thesoul2008]

i am looking into getting a sailfin pleco (seeing they are on special at the moment) for my cichlid tank (in sig) the pleco's are about 5cm long maybe a little longer just wondering if it will be ok to put in my cichlid tank??

couple questions
will it be big enough 5cm?
if not can i put it in my community tank (#2 55G in sig) till it gets bigger?
will it outgrow the 55G to quick? (if it does i can easily sell it)
how long will it take to outgrow it?
is my tank set up right for him to live in?
will my cichlid's pick at his fins to much? they are about 8cm

i have never owned a pleco but hopefully i will soon any advice would be great.

this is a pic of the cichlid tank setup i would like to put him in

 

[inkyjenn]

need a little more info than "sailfin pleco." there are several types of "sailfins." i have a pterygoplichthys gibbiceps aka leopard sailfin pleco or butterfly pleco. these get to be 18" and are too big to house permanently in a 55. also, plecos tend to like soft acidic water. i dunno how well theyd do overall in a cichlid tank. check out planetcatfish.com for really good info on different types of plecos

 

[thesoul2008]

sorry they are Gibbiceps or i can get Siluriformes also

would they be ok in my 55G #2 as i said IF they get to big they are very easy to sell here as i am so isolated they are very hard to get making them very easy to sell and the bigger they are the more i will get for them WOOHOO make some money

 

[inkyjenn]

they should be ok for a while. once they hit the 7-8" range they start digging up plants and being a little territorial. but its not real aggression. they are just starting to feel cramped and sexual maturity means they want to establish a territory

 

[Rbishop]

I wouldn't put him with the cichlids, but that is just me.

 

[briggadane]

Look at my signature. It says it all. My biggest fish in the 75 is my sailfin.

 

[Slingervel]

I know this thread is kinda old, but I have one with Southern Mouthbrooders and he totally dominates them. But the mouthbrooders aren't very aggressive at all.