Cheapish Plec

[moochy13]

im moving my small sailfin on to a fiend with a bigger tank soon, so i need another plec. i figure its a chance to get something a bit tasty, but i cant spend loads like some L numbers cost.

i dont know anything about the range of plecs. ive currently got a rusty plec in a community tank, and obviously the sailfin which is going. im looking for something that will be about equal size or a little smaller/bigger than the rusty, nothing too different though. i'd be looking to spend about 20 quid, obviously if i can get something young i can get something more interesting for my money i guess.

i know prices vary quite a lot, and i may end up having to order something in, but this is why i need your help, i have no idea what would be within my price range in general. im looking for something with some nice patternation on it. colour doesnt really bother me, i just want something that looks quite striking. i know the most striking cost the most money, but i figured if my rusty cost me a tenner, i could get something a bit more fancy for a bit more money.

 

[Carlovel1]

What tank size?
I could suggest you quite a few compatible & suitable cheap plecos

 

[moochy13]

130L, 4ft long, quite narrow and short though, sand substrate, real plants and bogwood.

 

[JenCliBee]

im moving my small sailfin on to a fiend with a bigger tank soon, so i need another plec. i figure its a chance to get something a bit tasty, but i cant spend loads like some L numbers cost.

i dont know anything about the range of plecs. ive currently got a rusty plec in a community tank, and obviously the sailfin which is going. im looking for something that will be about equal size or a little smaller/bigger than the rusty, nothing too different though. i'd be looking to spend about 20 quid, obviously if i can get something young i can get something more interesting for my money i guess.

i know prices vary quite a lot, and i may end up having to order something in, but this is why i need your help, i have no idea what would be within my price range in general. im looking for something with some nice patternation on it. colour doesnt really bother me, i just want something that looks quite striking. i know the most striking cost the most money, but i figured if my rusty cost me a tenner, i could get something a bit more fancy for a bit more money.

For £20 your going to be really restricted unless you want very very young like 1.5- 2 inch plec. You said you had a rusty plec?..... do you mean a hypostomus cochliodon (AKA what is often referred to as a rusty plec). You do know this already is a potential 12-13 inch plec and if your tank is very narrow it may not be suited long term to your tank.


There are hundreds of plecs that would suit your tank... 134, 102, 199, 129, 104 and so on.

Before you decide on a plec you need to know what each individual species requires for it to thrive.. IE... tank mates, tank temp, substrate, decor.

It isn't easy to chose any fish for anybody and even harder to chose a plec with not knowing what conditions your expecting it to live in.

 

[moochy13]

this is my rusty - here i done my research, knowing that they were very placid, liked sand and wood and not territorial, hes great in my tank. he nailed one of my plants as it suggests in the link, but for some reason has left all the others. he also has a wide temp range to live in, though i keep my tank towards the higher end of his tolerance, between 25-27. my pH is slightly higher thanis suggested in the link, but ive read a lot about fish being able to adjust over time, and ive been informed by an avid L number keeper hes in very nice condition. the footprint of my tank is not far off what is suggested in the link, and considering he is always laying on the floor or wood, the lack of height id imagine is of no concern to him.

says in the link max size is 10", and was told in captivity not to expect more than 8" or so. i dont mind buying a young fish, it wont be going anywhere anytime soon. id be happy with any of the plecs you suggested, other than the last one doesnt seem special enough for what im looking for. im going to try find a list of the L numbers and go through them all till i find something i like and is suitable. but id already be happy to go buy something right now that you've suggested.

thanks for you help

 

[JenCliBee]

this is my rusty - here i done my research, knowing that they were very placid, liked sand and wood and not territorial, hes great in my tank. he aniled one of my plants as it suggests int he link, but for some reason has left all the others. he also has a wide temp range to live in, though i keep my tank towards the higher end of his tolerance, between 25-27. my pH is slightly higher thanis suggested in the link, but ive read a lot about fish being able to adjust over time, and ive been informed by an avid L number keeper hes in very nice condition. the footprint of my tank is not far off what is suggested in the link, and considering he is always laying on the floor or wood, the lack of height id imagine is of no concern to him.

says in the link max size is 10", and was told in captivity not to expect more than 8" or so. i dont mind buying a young fish, it wont be going anywhere anytime soon. id be happy with any of the plecs you suggested, other than the last one doesnt seem special enough for what im looking for. im going to try find a list of the L numbers and go through them all till i find something i like and is suitable. but id already be happy to go buy something right now that you've suggested.

thanks for you help

Hi, sorry if it sounded like i thought you hadn't done research on your rusty. Unfortunately your research has been done in the wrong place... i would for future reference try planet catfish for completely correct conditions plecs need to live in.

The temp range is reasonably big for the rust but it's more like 72-max 78 and not 81 like the other site suggests.

The site also gives a standard length size (SL) this size doesn't include the tail you should be adding another 2-3 inch for the tail making this a potential 12-13 inch fish. They often get in excess of 8 inches.. i had 5 at one point all over 10 inches and still growing. Granted not all fish grow to there full potential but that's why i said a potential size and not an exact size.

Torrential wise is a grey area... you can have the most placid plec in the world but adding another to a tank could completely change his characteristics.. plecs will be torrential over there space and it makes no difference if he hasn't shown any upto now.. also with plecs have that air of caution just in case.

Anyways yeah have a good look around and see what you like, only you afterall can have the final say on what you personally like.

 

[moochy13]

no, i came here asking for advice and thats what you gave me . i was a bit unspecific because thats the position im in, one of little knowledge. so i appreciate it. i just found planet catfish searching through L numbers, and found quite a few i fancy, though no idea what the availability is like. i havnt seen any hassle between my rusty and sailfin, they generally stay away from eachother. from what i read the ones folowing will stay at a decent size and will live in ym tank nicely.

L002
L004
L046
L066
L081
L082
L134
L128
L177
L397

some of it is a bit confusing, some species seem to have different numbers for the same looking fish. for example the gold nugget, i looked at at least 3 different L numbers for it, which all seemed to be a different size . the largest plec on the list above is the L082 'opal spot' apparantly, at 8 inches.

 

[Carlovel1]

Of those plecos you listed, I would remove the following as they grow too big. L128, L177 and L082. In your tank, the biggest pleco you could have would be around 6 inches. My recommendation would be L015 and L168 Flounder Pleco both can be found at a decent size around £15-£20. Also you may be able to find L129/L270 for £20 at a smallish size. Or a really budget pleco is the Clown Pleco/Panaque (Panaque maccus) or the Bulldog Pleco or the Pitbull Pleco, all atound the £5 mark
Carl

 

[moochy13]

theres a queen arabesque down one of my lfs for 25 quid. is that a decent price, they dont seem to get very big though. if 8" is too much, id like to push the size i can have to the limit, im tight and i like to get my moneys worth haha.

 

[Carlovel1]

theres a queen arabesque down one of my lfs for 25 quid. is that a decent price, they dont seem to get very big though. if 8" is too much, id like to push the size i can have to the limit, im tight and i like to get my moneys worth haha.

Oh, I really want a L260. £25 is a fair price for a tiny L260 but sometimes you can find them (around 1") for £15-£20. Whats your LFS?

 

[Ben M]

I've noticed nobody has mentioned BN's. I think thy are really underrated. If you wanted something a bit different you could go for a long-finned variety or a lemon BN.

cheers

 

[moochy13]

the arabesque was probably nearly 3 inches, been a while since i saw it. its been there for weeks, except i went down today and it was gone

ive got a bn in another tank and its a bit too dull for what im after in this tank, i want something that looks exotic. i saw a 'B&W butterfly plec' in another shop, didnt have an L number on it so not sure what it was, but it was only 19 quid and 4" long. unfortunately it looked a bit unhealthy so i left it, if it looked nice and vibrant i'd have had it. i dont usually mind buying dull looking fish because its usually just the environment they're inis stressing them. but i consider this plec purchase im going to make expensive, so im not takign any risks.

 

[Carlovel1]

the arabesque was probably nearly 3 inches, been a while since i saw it. its been there for weeks, except i went down today and it was gone

ive got a bn in another tank and its a bit too dull for what im after in this tank, i want something that looks exotic. i saw a 'B&W butterfly plec' in another shop, didnt have an L number on it so not sure what it was, but it was only 19 quid and 4" long. unfortunately it looked a bit unhealthy so i left it, if it looked nice and vibrant i'd have had it. i dont usually mind buying dull looking fish because its usually just the environment they're inis stressing them. but i consider this plec purchase im going to make expensive, so im not takign any risks.

The pleco you are talking about is the L168 Flounder Pleco/Butterfly Pleco. It may have looked unhealthy (dull colours) but this pleco changes colour/pattern a lot. Its a nice pleco, if it didn't have torn fins or a sunken belly...its just in its stress colouring (normal in fish shops)

 

[moochy13]

hmmm, i might go back and investigate. the pictures on planet catfish show a very stark B&W colouring, the one in the shop was just a light and dark shade of grey. just looked a bit pasty.

just had another look on planet catfish, some of the photos they have are similar to how he looked. it seems very suitable for my tank so i might go get it later. need to get that sailfin to my mates first though.

 

[moochy13]

well i brought it. had as good a look as i could while it was in the tank and in the bag, he looked ok to me. i was a bit concerned that he was very flat but looking at pics online, they generally seem to have a very flat upper surface. i assume something to do with the 'flounder plec' name ? compared to my rusty, that is very chunky, he looks very odd. however hes settled, his colour is coming back and none of the fish have reacted at all to his introduction. other than my tiny humbug cat who was disturbed as the plec is laying very close to where he rests. at least i got to see him for a few seconds though

now i just have to catch that sailfin and headstander to move them on. nightmare.

i'll put some pics up in a bit.

hes looking a bit darker there, planet catfish says they are like chameleons, i have already seen a big change. he went from open water to hiding under that log in a shadow, and changed very quickly.

and a quick one of my elusive cat, yes, i know he will eventually be too large, but he might be worth something by then. and my fish dont seem tog row very quickly.