Recommendations For Two Plecs

[jkilby]

I have never gone for plecs before, but I have decided after a browse in my LFS that I would like one in each of my tanks, the big issue for me is shear size of them as adults. I am after a recommendation for a plec for my 200 litre tank which has a footprint of 100cm x 40cm so I can't have it getting too big in the future and the other will be for my 700 litre project tank with a footprint of 6ft x 2ft, so that can (all being well) be a bit of a monster. Suggestions would be appreciated, I guess mainly for the small tank, as I'd hope I wouldn't be that limited on the big tank.

 

[minnnt]

Bristlenoses

Pitbull Plecs are also very nice and stay quite small by other plecs standards...

 

[fluttermoth]

If you have a look in the 'Plecos Otos and other Loricariids' section, there's a sticky of 'Plecs that grow to less than 8 inches'

 

[MBOU]

Might be better off putting a post in the plec section of the forum... but:

There is a few more things we need to know...

*Tank settup
*Tank temperature (not just coldwater/tropical)
*Tank Mates (or idea of...)
*Substrate (gravel or sand?)
*Job (do you need it to eat algae?)

Do you have something in mind?

Not all (in fact not many!!) of the L (loricarridae) plecs eat algae, so when choosing, you are best researching species first, like you are, dont buy on a whim!

There arew the Bristlenose Ancistrus (there are actually many species under this name) but they are the best algae eaters! Can hit about 15cm (i have a 17 year old male who hit 19cm but he is a monster and outliving everyone!), LDA 25 Pitbull Plecs, great algae eaters but get to about 7cm so maybe havea few?...

Or are you looking at more fancy plecs like Golden Nuggets or Chocolate Zebra Plecs? They would be happier eating a mix of algae and prawn/cockle/muscle etc... not great algae eaters...

Or the giants like the common plecs sailfins.. (gibbiceps) etc... TBH i dont even condone housing these guys to 8ft+ tanks.. they just need so much more space than that!!!! I will help people who already have got them but NEVER advise buying them... these fish get so big.... if your tank is 4-5ft front to back and 3 times that in length and height then maybe....

There are far easier plecs out there to get hold of...

Or there are the other more fancy 'monsters' like the Panaque (believe me... when you have a 25cm+ panague decimating your tank and mincing very expensive ornaments and wood...) and Glaxy Plecs (another big monster).

Most 'fancy' L-Number Plecs get from between 15cm to 30cm... but most need a good dealof protein in diet...

Candy Stripe Plecs are the only one i find to be fancy and good algae eaters.....

Any more ideas?

 

[amy1994]

I have 3 candy striped plecos, they look lovely and i never have to clean the glass

best part is they can only grow to 10cm max...heres some pictures of them......





Sorry for the picture quality, these are old pics they are now in a new bigger tank, which will become a planted tank

whatever you get, don't put them in a tank alone, have 2 ..

 

[Squidward]

There are loads of Plecs that max out at around 12-15cm. And some are carnivorous, so wont damage plants or eat all the wood.
They are the "fancy" ones so will be a bit more expensive, but they are very nice.

Have a look on Planet Catfish. It lists all the L numbers and you can ask it to show you species of a certain size.