Best Pleco For 20 Gallon Tank

[§tudz]

I have two 15gallon tanks which have a plec in each. One has a bulldog, and another has a bristlenose.
As long as you have good filtration you should be fine. I had overstocked my first 15gallon, before that one become 9 tanks To combat this I had two filters running, and also kept up water changes more often than would have been required.

Yes, this is not good practice, but when your starting out, you do get carried away, lol.

the two 15gallon tanks are also planted, and I rarely see the bulldog as he has a little cave under a peice of bogwood, and tend to come out at night. As for algae eating he doesnt do too much of that, well not where I can see he loves Sera Catfish Chips, which are suitable for Panaque and Plec as they contain willow, and alder wood. But I would still suggest bog wood with any plec.

Not all plecs eat the wood, but they do graze on the bacterial organisims that grow on the wood.

Well, on what ever plec or panaque you decide to get, I wish the best of luck as they are great fish, just becareful with your bristlenose if you get one, as when they get older they develop large spines in the cheeks, which can cause probs if you have the net them out, as they get stuck in the net, OR spike you, and trust me they can hurt

 

[Bloo]

Personally, I definnately think you have room for a bristlenose or two, I have a severely overstocked tank with 3 bristlenose in (1 is adult rest are babys). I keep ontop of water changes and maintenance, and the only disease my fish have had is whitespot due to moving a tank and kept in quite a small container, and still it was only the neons that got it. I'm not recommending anyone should do this, and I hope to sort my stocking out, but I think you can fit a bristlenose plec into your tank, IMHO anyway.

Neal

Neal, no offence but you probably have one of the most grossly overstocked tanks, and is therefore in the position to least advise A bristlenose or two ? No.

Mako, Is your tank a 20 gallon high or long ? If it's a long, I might be tempted to add a small clown plec or something that matures around the 4" mark.

 

[BBrain]

Hows that too many fish, they all stay small.

You're at about 20 inches of total fish length, which puts you at the "rule of thumb" maximum of one inch per gallon.

I would definitely not put a pleco in that tank. Besides putting you over the fish stocking rule of thumb maximum, they are poop machines! So their impact on tank waste is much more than other species their size.

I have a 27 U.S. gallon tank, that had one pleco that was a little under 4 inches long. I just got rid of it, because I was vacuuming the gravel 3 times a day, to keep up with his poop!

I suggest you get a nice looking Corydoras instead, such as a leopard, or a peppered.

 

[LosC519]

You could get a clown or bristlenose, rubbernose plecos get bigger than these. I would up the filtration though. Preferrably over double the rating of your tank. 40-60g rated filter or get a canister filter.

 

[MermaidMel]

Why not have a dwarf gold spot plec or a pitbull plec they are tiny

 

[Bloo]

Why not have a dwarf gold spot plec or a pitbull plec they are tiny

What is a "dwarf gold spot plec"??

Ps: but seeing that this thread is almost 2 years old, I'm sure it no longer matters......

 

[Egmel]

What is a "dwarf gold spot plec"??

It's a common name of the Parotocinclus Spilosoma often sold as a pitbull plec, most people I know who have them got them by accident when buying groups of pitbulls!

My one

Mine is about 2 years old now and is probably at his(?) full size being about 2[sup]1[/sup]/[sub]2[/sub]" including his tail

 

[MermaidMel]

What is a "dwarf gold spot plec"??

It's a common name of the Parotocinclus Spilosoma often sold as a pitbull plec, most people I know who have them got them by accident when buying groups of pitbulls!

My one

Mine is about 2 years old now and is probably at his(?) full size being about 2[sup]1[/sup]/[sub]2[/sub]" including his tail

I've got one too. he's cute.

 

[K-Holed]

You're at about 20 inches of total fish length, which puts you at the "rule of thumb" maximum of one inch per gallon.

I've never really liked this rule, it neglects to take into account so many things. In theory, if you can provide enough filteration and oxygen for the tank then the only limit on your stock is them having enough room to be comfortable and not overcrowded. In the OPs initial post he seems to have zero bottom dwellers. If his filteration and airation are sufficent to stock an additional fish, then the bottom of the tank is definately the place to aim.

That said, I'd proably go for a bristlenose cat. (although after 2 years, the point is probably somewhat mute)

 

[BecciMac1987]

Ok now Im confused......! Im new to all this! I have a 70 litre tank with 6 neon tetras, 15 guppies, chain loach, BN plec, and an angel fish. Is this overstocked? I took all my advice from my LFS who told me exactly what fish to buy for my tank! Its been up and running for 7 months and is crystal clear.

 

[Egmel]

Ok now Im confused......! Im new to all this! I have a 70 litre tank with 6 neon tetras, 15 guppies, chain loach, BN plec, and an angel fish. Is this overstocked? I took all my advice from my LFS who told me exactly what fish to buy for my tank! Its been up and running for 7 months and is crystal clear.

Ok, well it does sound a little overstocked but if you've got a good filter and aren't seeing any problems then you may be ok. However there may well be a small issue with the neons and the angel fish. In the wild the neon is food for the angel so unless you are very lucky this will be an issue when the angel gets bigger.

I would advise that you keep an eye on the situation, if you see any evidence that the neons are being harassed by the angel fish then you'll need to take one or the other back to your LFS.

That's quite a few guppies you have there. Do you have a mixed group that are multiplying? If so then you can't guarantee that the group will stay at this size and you may need to think about re-homing any fry that survive being born in a community tank.

Each tank is different and will support a different bio-load, so while your tank does sound overstocked you may just be on the cusp of it. Keep an eye on you water parameters and make sure you perform your water changes regularly.

I definitely wouldn't add any more fish though!

 

[ALW]

Ok now Im confused......! Im new to all this! I have a 70 litre tank with 6 neon tetras, 15 guppies, chain loach, BN plec, and an angel fish. Is this overstocked? I took all my advice from my LFS who told me exactly what fish to buy for my tank! Its been up and running for 7 months and is crystal clear.

Ok, well it does sound a little overstocked but if you've got a good filter and aren't seeing any problems then you may be ok. However there may well be a small issue with the neons and the angel fish. In the wild the neon is food for the angel so unless you are very lucky this will be an issue when the angel gets bigger.

I would advise that you keep an eye on the situation, if you see any evidence that the neons are being harassed by the angel fish then you'll need to take one or the other back to your LFS.

That's quite a few guppies you have there. Do you have a mixed group that are multiplying? If so then you can't guarantee that the group will stay at this size and you may need to think about re-homing any fry that survive being born in a community tank.

Each tank is different and will support a different bio-load, so while your tank does sound overstocked you may just be on the cusp of it. Keep an eye on you water parameters and make sure you perform your water changes regularly.

I definitely wouldn't add any more fish though!

I Agree