what kind of pleco

pjacobs

pjacobs

AC Members
Aug 7, 2007
29
0
0
philadelphia, PA
i have a 38gl tank. my ph is 7. the lfs gave me a common pleco for a 10gl tank when i first started with my fish hobby, and told me it was a chinese algae eater :duh: . needless to say i haven't been there since, and i took it back to another lfs after i researched and found out that it was a common pleco. i want to know what kind of pleco would be good for this 38gl tank. i would like to find one that doesn't get bigger than 5 or 6 inches. thx!

im sorry this post doesn't have fun pictures to look at or a question where you can post how many fish you have and how great you are at keeping them and how your the best, but its simply a question. an answer would be nice. just a little frustrated becuase the other post at the exact same time with a picture of his new fish got about 25 posts of "wow cool fish" and "oh my gosh i love the colors" , while my question got no answer what so ever
 
Last edited:
For a 38 gallon tank I would recomend a few otos for eating algae and not a pleco. Plecos first and foremost are not primary algae eaters. Yes they eat algae but not like a oto or similiar type fish. Also the smaller varieties of pleco that you are looking for are a tad more delicate and finky in acclimation processes. To acclimate my L183 Starlight Bristlenose pleco took over two hours and then I still lost the first one within 6 hours
 
i don't want him for "eating algae" , i just like the species. i can't keep a common because i don't have a proper home. i just want to know some options.
 
Hi PJacobs! My entire family is from Philly!!

If you have driftwood, you might like an L104 clown pleco (Panaque Maccus). I've kept them and they are easy and cute. Take a look here: http://tropicalresources.net/phpBB2/fish_profiles_L104.php

Or maybe a variety of bristlenose pleco. I have a new species of bristlenose that only gets 3.5"....have a tank of fry I'm going to grow out. They are easy and stay small too. If you lived closer I'd say come over and get a couple babies!

Debbi :)
 
Pffft, Ancistrus are most DEFINITELY primary algae eaters, just like otocinclus. There are dozens of species that are regularly tank raised and have been for dozens of generations that would work great in a tank that size. If you're near Philly, you could contact Julie @ frybabies.com and pick up some of my albino bn fry that I sold her. They were raised in water with a pH of 7.8 and they're going to be totally happy in most tap water around the country. My first spawn of albino ancistrus happened in KC, where my kH was 17 degrees, my gH was above 25 (I stopped adding drops!) and the pH was well over 8.6 in the tanks. The fish spawned unbeknownst to me. They are VERY well suited to life in aquariums.

With that said, L183 starry night plecos are blackwater fish. They come from VERY soft and acidic water and will require along acclimation period. They are also prone to problems with acclimation because the water they're shipped in is low in pH so when you start adding tap water, the ammonia immediately becomes very toxic, even if they looked fine in the bag.

There are also a good number of interesting plecos that stay under 4". Here, I'll add some fancy pictures to your thread to get you more posts ;).

This is a longfin albino bristlenose. Great algae eater, 7" or so TL, but the body is still only 4". They have color morphs in standard brown and also calico.

normal_longfinmale2.jpg


This fish was purchased as Ancistrus tamboensis, but is actually L159, a still undescribed species. Notice the neat wormlines on his head.

normal_maleandfry3.jpg


Ancistrus claro is a very attractive small bristlenose that won't get larger than 2.5 inches, with a neat gold marbled pattern.

normal_LDA08male.jpg


There are others, but those should at least be somewhat available. One of my personal favorites is a new L184 type that I've recently started spawning. The fry are velvet black with big white spots. These fish get at least 5" though, so a bit large for your aquarium.

normal_L184%7E0.jpg


Barbie
 
Whoo! Barbie the pleco-queen made an appearance!

awesome.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom