what a post., one of the best yet!!! wow, thanks. i have a 28gal tank. been set up for 6 months now. in my 38l quarantine tank, i have a kind of slimy bio film on the glass. the clown plecs did not touch that. but maybe the bulldog might in the couple of days its in there.
will they fight the clowns? im guessing if i have enough caves etc they should be ok. i need an algae eater but not a BN as they are soooo common! yes i want the 5' one, not the 14'!!! i already feed veggies for my ottos and amano shrimp so it should be ok. if i was to get one, would one be ok? thanks
I don't think any algae eater will eat a biofilm, and if it's what I'm thinking, as in just slimy (clear?) glass, it's just something that's there...
Have you tried just wiping with some (sturdy) paper towel, if it bothers you?
Don't know how literally to take 'the couple of days' in the q tank mentioned, but a couple of weeks might be long enough to be useful.
Something like ich might show in a few days, some nasties might not show for months, have to go by circumstance and what seems best for your fish, but you may very well have meant longer - just thought I'd mention in case...
The problem with getting the 5-incher rather than the 14-incher apparently is that the wrong fish may be sold under that name, as there are several types which look similar until one keeps growing, and growing, and growing, like the Energizer bunny on steroids...
You may ask for the L187b and explain what you want, but unless you can somehow learn how to identify the different but very similar-looking types (and don't know how possible that is, as the problem is caused because they're apparently so similar when young/same size as to be frequently confused) you may be sold the wrong type in perfectly good faith, and ultimately have a problem with the fish wearing the tank out the door as it embarks on a search for a much larger aquarium.
Check with somebody on the forum who knows, (definitely not anybody selling them, like an LFS - and, personally, 'I know nothink, only what friends have told me' so I'm no help here) several somebody's ideally, about adding a Bulldog to a tank with the Clowns, because the bulldogs are territorial and it sounds as though the Clown Plecs might be something more than a problem with smaller algae eaters - the Bulldog would be about the same (adult) size - and you don't want 'battle of the dwarves' either...
Could wind up with anything from stressed to injured/dead fish.
Hopefully, some good people will show up soon, just seems a little slow right now.
Slower cause you're waiting, too, I bet.
But, if you noticed in the quote from a previous article:
[URL="http
/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Chaetostoma_thomsoni.php"]http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Chaetostoma_thomsoni.php[/URL]
'... This small suckermouth species can be territorial with its own kind and other small pleco-type catfish, thus the name “bulldog.” ...'
[URL="http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile80.html"]http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile80.html[/URL]
from the comments:
From: Stephanie
Date:09/18/2008
I have found the clown pleco to be the greatest little pleco for smaller tanks! I have one in with Cardinal tetra's, a lady betta, and a royal farowella. My clown refuses to eat algae, and will only eat my driftwood, flake food, and shrimp pellets!!! I added the royal farowella for algae control. The clown is also very territorial and has killed off any cory or smaller algae eater (i.e. oto's) I have placed in the tank, but he leaves the farowella and the rest of the fish completely alone!
& in another comment further down:
The Clown Pleco is a magnificent type of fish. This pleco in my tank spends his time under caves and shadows. I never see him out of his home until I have to clean the tank and move his hiding place. This type of pleco are for people who have caves and driftwood for such creatures. They will mark there territory and may not be friendly to other fish. Watch out for the spines for they are really sharp.
That's the kind of essential info you can get from people who actually keep the fish in question, and know them on a personal basis, and that isn't typically found on more general sites supplying basic stats.
And that can save you from absolute disaster.
One cool thing about the Clowns is that you can have more than one in the same, commonly-found size of tank, something that can't be done with every type of plec.
And they're beautiful and you don't want to risk them, or any other fish...
And, boy, I'm trying to imagine the filtration needed with 3 5-inch plecs in a 28 gal and it's making me dizzy.
I've got a beautiful but very shy 4-inch dwarf plec in a 35 gallon, and I'd love to put my baby bristlenose (or another!) in that tank, if only to actually SEE a plec in there once in a while, but don't dare because of potential territorial issues.
Too much damage can happen too fast, or in concealed areas, to take that chance that, given enough space and places, they'd get on OK forever rather than maiming or killing each other.
And I expect there's at least a little more territory to divide in that 35 than your 28...
Have you only got the one good-sized tank?
I'd sort of figured somehow the Bulldog was going into another...
Because you don't want to put in lots of caves and hope it's OK, only to discover mangled and dying fish because you've guessed wrong.
I'm hoping somebody better informed will show up soon to advise, because I, personally, wouldn't want to risk my fish doing that, and it would be horrible if you lost possibly all of yours by trying it.
Don't want to rain on your parade, and as stated - I know nothink, nothink I tell you - but hang in there and talk to a few real pros on this forum, as they show up.
They may - or may not - have some approach which could save the day and make things safely work.
Or they might explain these concerns aren't a problem because...
Or you might have to ask for another decent-sized tank for Xmass...
Just thought I'd add a link to something I came across, where the rubberlip was discussed on this forum a few years back;
http/www.fishforums.net/content/Catfish/...ubbernose-Pleco
