Will they be happy?

[foxgirl158]

I recently set up my very first planted tank. It is a 10g long tank, with sand substrate, Anubis, and jungle val. It also has a good size chunk of driftwood. I would like to know if any species of pleco would be ok in this setup, I've always loved pleco's and now I think I might have the right setup for one. Do I? Thank you!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

What's the footprint measurement of a 10g long? Can check the footprint needed for the different pleco species on seriously fish.

I usually wouldn't recommend less than a 15-20g for a pleco, even a small one like a bristlenose. But if the tank is longer than average, and the keeper is experienced and willing to maintain the water quality and be very careful (as I know you are), then it might just be do-able.

If the footprint is big enough, you need to bear in mind that even the smaller plecos - Bristlenose, rubberlip etc, are poop machines, so have a heavy bioload. And once you've added substrate/hardscape/decor etc, that you'll have a bit less than ten gallons of water total. So you'd want to stock the rest of the tank very lightly, and be very on top of water tests and water changes, and likely be willing to upgrade the tank if it becomes too hard to maintain, or if the pleco seems to be too big for it visually.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Have you considered a small school of dwarf corydoras? Like pygmies/hasbrosus/hastatus? Sounds like a good set up for 10 or so of those.

 

[foxgirl158]

What's the footprint measurement of a 10g long? Can check the footprint needed for the different pleco species on seriously fish.

I usually wouldn't recommend less than a 15-20g for a pleco, even a small one like a bristlenose. But if the tank is longer than average, and the keeper is experienced and willing to maintain the water quality and be very careful (as I know you are), then it might just be do-able.

If the footprint is big enough, you need to bear in mind that even the smaller plecos - Bristlenose, rubberlip etc, are poop machines, so have a heavy bioload. And once you've added substrate/hardscape/decor etc, that you'll have a bit less than ten gallons of water total. So you'd want to stock the rest of the tank very lightly, and be very on top of water tests and water changes, and likely be willing to upgrade the tank if it becomes too hard to maintain, or if the pleco seems to be too big for it visually.

How do I find the footprint of a tank?
Also, I know it isn’t usually advised to keep a betta with other fish, but I wasn’t sure how this applied to plecos since they stay on the bottom and sides of a tank. I would love a betta now that I’ve got a proper setup for them, and not the half gallon tank I had as a kid, but I can definitely look into some cories!

 

[connorlindeman]

How do I find the footprint of a tank?

length x width