Can Plecos Live In Brackish Water?

[jenny6165]

as the title says.
can plecos live in brackish water? reason i ask is im planning on moving my 2 figure 8 puffers to a brackish tank as soon as i can, would i be able to put a pleco in there with them?

 

[helterskelter]

As far as i know they dont like salt.

So i would not risk it if it's something special.

 

[LisaLQ]

Nope, definitely no salt.

 

[nmonks]

LisaLQ is absolutely correct as far as the commonly traded species go, but it is actually a bit more complicated. Hypostomus plecostomus, for example, is established in brackish waters in Florida, and there are even a few species that naturally inhabit brackish waters in the Amazon, such as Hypostomus ventromaculatus and H. watwata.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?s=&amp...t&p=1103634

Unfortunately, your chances of seeing these species is between almost zero and absolute zero. Moreover, some of these species likely migrate in and out of the estuary following the freshwater water and avoiding the saltier water, so may only be exposed to brackish water for short periods (though Hypostomus plecostomus at least does appear to be a permanent resident of brackish water ditches in Florida, where it's actually quite common).

I have no idea what the salt tolerance is of the commonly traded species is, but it's likely to be low. I've seen a royal plec kept in a brackish tank at my local Maidenhead Aquatics, and it's in a tank with a Celebes halfbeak as well as scats and monos, and I'd have to assume that the SG is about 1.002-1.003. The mere presence of salt doesn't kill catfish (that's a myth -- catfish are very common in brackish water, and there are dozens of marine species). But for all practical purposes, aquarists, unless they know exactly what they are doing and precisely which species they're keeping, are safest leaving plecs out of brackish water tanks.

For algae control, mollies and Florida flags will do perfectly well, as will Amano shrimp. Combine these with fast growing, salt-tolerant plants like Vallisneria, and you should be algae-free.

Cheers,

Neale

Nope, definitely no salt.

 

[jenny6165]

thanks everyone for your advice
i was asking more cos i love plecs rather than algae build up, but its good to know what i can put in there for algae

 

[horselover1991]

From experience, do not put a pleco in a brackish water tank. They cannot tolerate the salt. Plecos are fresh water only (and I would rather not go into detail about how I know this).

And I have Green Spotted Puffers, so I know what you mean when it comes to that ugly algae. I get lots of the hair algae and it drives me crazy. However, I don't have the money to buy some very expensive fish, so I have to clean the algae off of the sides and plants in the tank. It's slimy and gross and I hate to do it, but it has to be done.