Will these plecos cohabitate

[ConnivingFerret]

I currently have 3 juvenile L134s recently I've had a diatom outbreak in my tank and 134s prefer meaty foods so they don't clean it. One of my coworkers breed super red bristlenoses and said he'll give me 3 juveniles to help clean up... Will these two plecos get along? It's. 55g moderately planted. (actually planning to pick up alot of plants tomorrow though) with drift wood, currently have 4 terrecota watering spikes as pleco caves so I will need to buy more.... any advice/opinions would be appreciated

 

[Metalhead88]

I don't see a problem with this.

I've seen only minor aggression with plecos.....maybe more like defending themselves when cichlids try to push them out of their territory.

They really can't bite a moving target. A dead or almost dead fish.... Yeah I've seem them devour one.

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[Byron]

Provided you have lots of "hiding" places like the clay pot caves and chunks of wood--lots of wood as they need to digest this as well--you might be OK. But male loricariids are very territorial, depending upon species and then individuals. It is not unknown for one to kill another, more likely out of sheer stress than any biting.

Male bristlenose (Ancistrus sp.) are territorial with conspecifics [males of the same species] and a group should be housed in suitably-sized tanks that have plenty of caves and similar hiding places.

But this brings me to the diatoms...are you certain you have diatoms, or is it brush/beard algae which other threads here have frequently though to be diatoms because of the colour? I ask because Ancistrus fish will not touch the beard/brush algae (no loricariid will for that matter).

L134 is the species Peckoltia compta, and though omnivorous it is as you say more of a meat eater. Sources say it is not effective with algae. But it also needs space, a 12-inch (30 cm) square for each fish, so adding the Ancistrus may not be that feasible, especially with males of both.

 

[ConnivingFerret]

The guy whose going to give me the plecos looked at it and told me it was diatom. Since he has a fish room with 40+ tanks I hope he knows what he's talking about... Hiding spots wise I can pick up more spikes and get some clay pots, I have drift wood... I would upload a photo of my tank but I can only crop it so much and it still says it's too large.