Clown Pleocs

[New Boy]

Does anyone ever see clown plecos for sale in the uk? I read that they need driftwood - does anyone keep them in tanks without driftwood? Is there any driftwood that you can get that doesn't stain your water or soften it? Are they best kept alone or in pairs or groups - i keep reading conflicting websites, some say alone others say groups .......

Thanks
Andy

 

[ryan]

Clown Plecos are pretty common in the UK and are therefore quite cheap, they prefer to have bogwood in their tank, to get rid of the tanins that stain the water soak the wood for 1-2 weeks before hand to speed up the process agitate with a air stone to quicken the process. They should be kept in small groups aswell.

 

[New Boy]

Thanks Ryan

I noticed that you have a clown pleco on it's own, are they ok on their own? I ask because I was advised to get a pair of bristlenoses as they prefer to be in pairs. Well my female killed the first male and harassed the second to death so she'll be on her own from now on!

Will the bogwood affect my ph? I have ph of 7.6 and wouldn't want to upset that too much.

Cheers
Andy

 

[ryan]

Well this is it, I suppose you would say it is one of those things. I have kept Clowns in groups before and they have lived happily and I would recommend you keep them in a group. But my current Clown has never enjoyed the company of any other Clown or any other Plec and has harrased them until I have had to remove them. One piece of bogwood won't change alot in that tank and if it does it will be a slow PH change and all your fish will be fine.

Good Luck

 

[MAM]

i had three clown plecs,with wood as it is part of their diet. they all got along fine, actually, i rarely saw them interact, but then i didn't sit in front of the tank everynight. but they are peaceful little guys and a real nice addition to a tank. they are sensitive to bad water (as i found out when i had a bad water change about a month ago), they are also very common and relatively inexpensive.

 

[New Boy]

Will my bristlenose get on ok with clown pleco's and vice versa??

Also I'm not sure how much room I've got in the tank as I think I'll be fully stocked when the fish are all full size - the parrots belong to my wife and I've chosen all of the other fish, but we've agreed that if the parrots grow larger than 6 inches (they are currently about 3 inches and haven't grown much in 6 months) then we'll have to exchange them. My filtration is 2000 litre per-hour (6.66 times the volume per hour) and I change 20% of the water per week. Have I got any more room??

Thanks
Andy

 

[ryan]

Yes the Bristlenose and Clowns should get along fine. As for room you are ok, Clowns will stay small and will fit in fine.

Good Luck

 

[New Boy]

Thanks
Would 2 be ok?

Thanks again
Andy

 

[fozzy_wozzy_woo]

Which one of these is the clown pleco
All Plecos

 

[ryan]

Thanks
Would 2 be ok?

Thanks again
Andy

I would say three is best.

Good Luck

 

[sundog]

hi newboy
the clown plec can be very terratorial with it's own kind unless there is enough room in the tank for them to their own space. Same goes for bristlenosed cats, mainly when they are older. They should be ok with different spieces. if there are enough hiding places for them.

 

[ryan]

hi newboy
the clown plec can be very terratorial with it's own kind unless there is enough room in the tank for them to their own space. Same goes for bristlenosed cats, mainly when they are older. They should be ok with different spieces. if there are enough hiding places for them.

They are actually a one of the few Plecos that can live happily with their own kind, you need to do some research before giving advice sundog.