Stock My Pleco Tank

[Scott MacAdam]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to set up a pleco tank when I move but the problem is, I don't know much about them and I've only kept commons in the past, not the other breeds I've been eying lately.

So I'm thinking 75 Gallon, and I've been really interested in zebra, golden nugget, blue phantom, vampire, albino bristle nose and saffin plecos (or any other oddballs). this being said I really have no idea if their requirements are similar or if they would be ok together and what I should have in there other than just the plecos.

make me a stocking list, go crazy, be creative... cost isn't an issue. I'll post some pictures in a couple months when I get it all up and running with the most appealing stock list to me. This will be fun.

 

[roadmaster]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to set up a pleco tank when I move but the problem is, I don't know much about them and I've only kept commons in the past, not the other breeds I've been eying lately.

So I'm thinking 75 Gallon, and I've been really interested in zebra, golden nugget, blue phantom, vampire, albino bristle nose and saffin plecos (or any other oddballs). this being said I really have no idea if their requirements are similar or if they would be ok together and what I should have in there other than just the plecos.

make me a stocking list, go crazy, be creative... cost isn't an issue. I'll post some pictures in a couple months when I get it all up and running with the most appealing stock list to me. This will be fun.

I might visit www.planetcatfish.com for info on nearly every pleco you can think of.

 

[Scott MacAdam]

Yeah, I've logged quite a bit of time on that site over the last few years. I know a little bit about Plecos but I'm looking for some stocking ideas and set-ups. I'd assume there are quite a few members on here with some experience that could go a long way when choosing a potential stock.

 

[Wills]

Hi yeah pleco tanks are interesting, you see some really fascinating results on the net. Have a look on the planet catfish forums for ideas on what you could mix. The plec list you picked have some pretty varied needs, when your picking plecs I would stick to a few species that have similar requirements like diet, temperature and also learn the L number library Will be very useful for you.
Just to give you an idea on some of the fish you listed

Zebra - Very expenisve around £100 for 1 8cm specimen - also quite specialist requirements I believe never looked into the because of the cost
Golden nugget - This is actually the common name for a few similar species that vary in size also usually pretty territorial
Blue phantom - Quite small fish compared to the GNs and not sure if they will compete with territory issues
Vampire - Medium sized spotty one but yeah pretty nice dont know much about them...
Albino bristle nose - Good begginer plec pretty easy to get going with
Sailfin pleco - Very similar to the common and I believe they get even bigger so I would avoid these

Just for you to have a look through the whole L number library http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/numbers.php?mode=l&thumbs=16&start=240&genus_id=0 is here

Wills

 

[Scott MacAdam]

Cool. I looked through this list already today. Hahahaha. Those fish I listed are really just to give an idea of what types I like simply from the look of them. I had no real intention of stocking them together, just curious.

I'm up for any suggestions. Basically, what I'm getting at here is, what would you guys and gals stock a tank with if you were making a sort of odd ball pleco/community tank of about 75Gallons.

 

[hamfist]

As Wills suggested, getting plecos with similar dietary requirements for a community is the key.

There are loads to choose from, but for smaller plecs, I would personally look at ....

herbivore - L204, L239, L104, L169.

carni/omnivore - L102, L134, L004, L049, L065, L066, L333, L076, L080.

Loads of other choices too !

 

[simonas]

I always planned the same kind of tank

one of the issues is their dietry requirements as the hervivores can be damaged by eating too much protein which the meat eaters would need to be fed

That being said I used to keep a L200,L128,L25,L264 and L75 PLUS 3 big ancistrus in a tank and never had any problems with territory, they all had their designated spaces and got on pretty well

Good luck I think your biggest problem is now sourcing the plecs you will want as the supply is getting less