Is There A Pleco For The Brackish Tank?

[zukimoo]

I've just set-up a brackish tank and I'm trying to find out if there is a brackish fish that is similar to the pleco.

I've got a 20g set up with a mono and a silver scat, before everyone starts with the tank is too small, I've got a 40g that is going on the stand in about a week and then I'll start to look for a 100g for the basement.

I know these fish need room, they were bought for me by a friend at walmart and like normal, they don't tell you what you buy or ask any questions.

 

[nmonks]

In a word, no.

While there are some Hypostomus species that either live in (weakly) brackish waters in the wild, as with Hypostomus watawata, or else seem to tolerate such conditions in exotic locations, as with Hypostomus plecostomus in Florida, there's no plec that will do well (or even survive) at the mid to high salinity conditions your monos and scats will need.

In fact, there are *relatively* few mid to high salinity brackish water catfish in the trade. The Colombian shark is really the only common one. Hoplosternum littorale is another, but it's a low to mid salinity species. Mystus guilio is tolerant across a broad salinity range, but it's hardly traded at all, and the same goes for Aspredo and Platystacus species.

In terms of algae control, your best bet is a mix of Nerite snails and blue-leg hermit crabs. Otherwise, forget about the algae: it's natural, and the fish like it. Simply scrape off the front glass periodically. Spotlessly clean rocks and sand looks horrible, and once the algae takes over, your aquarium will be far more natural-looking.

Cheers, Neale

 

[zukimoo]

I've got rocks in the bottom right now, should I be changing this to sand? It won't be long to change them into the 40g so I'll put sand in that one.

 

[nmonks]

Up to you. The main thing is that the tank is pretty to look at and easy to clean. A bit of sand mixed with gravel and a few broken sea shells to help buffer the water works well for me. But monos and scats don't really care either way.

Cheers, Neale

I've got rocks in the bottom right now, should I be changing this to sand? It won't be long to change them into the 40g so I'll put sand in that one.

 

[zukimoo]

well I've lost my scat in the last couple of days and now the mono is all alone. Should I get another mono or something else?