Pleco help!

[Erica27]

Just wondering what would be the best Pleco for a 70 gallon community tank. I already have a bristol nose Pleco in there but i want a bigger one! Any help?

 

[Colin_T]

How long has the tank been set up for?

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

What is the general hardness (GH) and pH of the water?

What other fish are in the tank?

 

[Erica27]

It’s about 4 feet to 12 inches and is 18 inches high. It will be going in my comunity tank and I have a bristle nose Pleco in there already. My ph is normally 7.4 and I do normally have harder water just because where I live. And the tank has been set for over 4 to 5 months

 

[Colin_T]

Those dimensions don't seem to be a 70gallon tank.

To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

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We need actual numbers for hardness otherwise we could recommend fish that won't do well in the water.

 

[Cichlid4life]

what other fish live in the tank other than the BN pleco?

 

[Dylan]

A common Pleco will grow much larger provided you have the space for it to live

 

[Cichlid4life]

A common pleco will grow much larger provided you have the space for it to live

a 75 gallon is not fit for a common, so not in a 70 gallon, at least not long term.

 

[Dylan]

a 75 gallon is not fit for a common, so not in a 70 gallon, at least not long term.

My bad, I wasn’t sure of the size.

 

[Cichlid4life]

Those dimensions don't seem to be a 70gallon tank.

To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

----------------------
We need actual numbers for hardness otherwise we could recommend fish that won't do well in the water.

it is in fact a 45 gallon tank, not a 70 gallon tank.

 

[Cichlid4life]

My bad, I wasn’t sure of the size.

common plecos can get up to 25 inches in length.

 

[Byron]

Aside from the actual volume/dimensions being confirmed...remember Erica that plecos are major waste producers and this can have a considerable effect on water quality very quickly. Your single Bristlenose is fine (assuming this is a 45 gallon as post #9 noted) and you could have another one or two though this has to be carefully thought through. Being primarily vegetarian, they need a good supply of veggie foods (the Veggie Rounds made by Omega One are ideal as a basic food, plus certain vegetables), rteal wood chunks to graze, and males like all pleco species are territorial so there needs to be sufficient available "homes" the plecos can individually select and defend.

There are some nice plecos that attain 4-5 inches, some are primarily carnivorous or omnivorous. The genus Hypancistrus has several species you could look at. Ensure water parameters are suitable to your water though, as most of these are wild caught fish.

 

[Cichlid4life]

Aside from the actual volume/dimensions being confirmed...remember Erica that plecos are major waste producers and this can have a considerable effect on water quality very quickly. Your single Bristlenose is fine (assuming this is a 45 gallon as post #9 noted) and you could have another one or two though this has to be carefully thought through. Being primarily vegetarian, they need a good supply of veggie foods (the Veggie Rounds made by Omega One are ideal as a basic food, plus certain vegetables), rteal wood chunks to graze, and males like all pleco species are territorial so there needs to be sufficient available "homes" the plecos can individually select and defend.

There are some nice plecos that attain 4-5 inches, some are primarily carnivorous or omnivorous. The genus Hypancistrus has several species you could look at. Ensure water parameters are suitable to your water though, as most of these are wild caught fish.

they have a Bristlenose pleco, i recommend she gets another one, depneding on the one she already has, will depend on the one i would recommend. Can you post a picture of your BN pleco? A picture would help us no if it is a make or a female, and we don't want you to get two males as they will not do as well together as a male and a female could. Bn plecos are Ancistrus plecos, and as you might notice, the Ancistrus name is in the HypAncistrus name. Plecos do best when kept with others of the same species, not always with others from other species.

 

[Erica27]

My tank measurements are 48in length 12in width and 30in tall

 

[Colin_T]

My tank measurements are 48in length 12in width and 30in tall

That tank holds about 60 gallons of water, unfortunately it has lots of height, which is great for viewing fish but not that useful for fish. More length and width is better for fish. However, the tank is certainly big enough for a group of smaller suckermouth catfishes like bristlenose, Peckoltia sp, whiptails (Loricaria sp.) and twig (Farlowella sp) catfish. These are all small enough to live in that tank and have room to move about and do their thing. Normally people that keep Peckoltias try to keep a single species in the tank in an attempt to breed them and having them in a shared tank with bristlenose catfish could interrupt their breeding. Peckoltias are also more expensive than bristelnose but a pr of each should be fine in that tank.

All suckermouth catfish need driftwood and algae to graze on. They should also be fed a sinking pellet/ wafer and bits of plant matter, including things like pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, etc. Make sure these are clean and free of chemicals. Some people partly boil them first to soften them up and others feed them raw.

You might need to increase the lighting times on the tank or add more light to encourage algae to grow on the glass. Alternatively set up a container of water outside in the sun and put a couple of rocks, wood or sheets of glass/ Perspex in the water. Let them get covered in algae then put them in the tank. Have a number of items in the container outside and you should have a regular supply of algae for them to graze on.

If you can't have containers outside (due to snow or cyclonic weather) you can set up large shallow containers inside and use artificial lights. Have a light above the container and leave it on for 16-20 hours a day and it should encourage algae. Adding an aquarium plant fertiliser or even a normal garden fertiliser, will help the algae grow faster.

 

[Cichlid4life]

My tank measurements are 48in length 12in width and 30in tall

that is different than what you said before:

It’s about 4 feet to 12 inches and is 18 inches high. It will be going in my comunity tank and I have a bristle nose Pleco in there already. My ph is normally 7.4 and I do normally have harder water just because where I live. And the tank has been set for over 4 to 5 months

Now that aquarium is a 75 gallon aquarium according to the new measurement you gave us above, Measurements: 48 x 12 x 30 = 75 gallon tank, and 48 x 12 x 18 = 45 gallon tank.