Help Deciding On A Plec

[JArnold]

hi i'm relatively new to this but have a 20 gallon tank, i'm looking for pleco that will fit in the tank so thinking along the lines of a bristlenose pleco or a bulldog pleco, dus anybody have any opinions on this? what is the difference between these two fish any pros/cons? and is there any over forms of pleco that may suit my tank?

thanks in advance for any help

 

[Turguin]

I've been looking for a replacement pleco for my 20 gallon too! I have a sailfin pleco in my 20gallon high that I bought a few years ago before I knew how big it gets. It's around 8 inches now and growing. I need to find it a new home.

Anyways the two plecos I've been looking at are the clown plecos (panaque maccus) and the flash plecos (panaque sp.). For the size, they seem to be suitable for a 20 gallon. Although I've read that the flash pleco requires wood to munch on. Not sure if that's absolutely needed for it to survive or just a plus to have.

Clown Pleco (L104):
Size - 3.9inches
Water Temp - 23C to 28C
pH - 6.8 to 7.6

Flash Pleco (L204):
Size - 5.1inches
Water Temp - 24C to 30C
pH - 6.6 to 8.6

Those are just basic stats they require that I gathered from planetcatfish.com. Here are the two links:
Clown pleco - [URL="http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=734"]http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=734[/URL]
Flash pleco - [URL="http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=126"]http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=126[/URL]

You will be able to find info on bristlenose and pitbull plecos on the site too. They have everything catfish on that site.

If anyone has more info (ie personal experience) on the care of these two please share! I'd like to know more about them too.

 

[mancin]

What else is in the tank?

 

[JArnold]

I've been looking for a replacement pleco for my 20 gallon too! I have a sailfin pleco in my 20gallon high that I bought a few years ago before I knew how big it gets. It's around 8 inches now and growing. I need to find it a new home.

Anyways the two plecos I've been looking at are the clown plecos (panaque maccus) and the flash plecos (panaque sp.). For the size, they seem to be suitable for a 20 gallon. Although I've read that the flash pleco requires wood to munch on. Not sure if that's absolutely needed for it to survive or just a plus to have.

Clown Pleco (L104):
Size - 3.9inches
Water Temp - 23C to 28C
pH - 6.8 to 7.6

Flash Pleco (L204):
Size - 5.1inches
Water Temp - 24C to 30C
pH - 6.6 to 8.6

Those are just basic stats they require that I gathered from planetcatfish.com. Here are the two links:
Clown pleco - <a href="http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=734" target="_blank">http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=734</a>
Flash pleco - <a href="http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=126" target="_blank">http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=126</a>

You will be able to find info on bristlenose and pitbull plecos on the site too. They have everything catfish on that site.

If anyone has more info (ie personal experience) on the care of these two please share! I'd like to know more about them too.

lol yeah i was about to buy a common pleco before i read the size they grow to and forced myself to reconsider

those pleco do sound good and suitable for my tank not seen them around anywhere tho i will have to keep an eye out in my LFS

thanks very much for the info was reli helpful

What else is in the tank?

there are a group of three cories, a platy and a currently small angelfish

 

[toddnbecka]

I wouldn't recommend an L204 for a 20 galln tank, they do grow a bit large and make quite a mess with the driftwood they eat. The clown pleco is a better choice for size, but they're seldom visible. A bristlenose would be useful for cleaning up algae, but would need some veggies to supplement its diet.

 

[indigoj]

L204 get to 6"+tail and are not suitable for a 20g. Both the L204 (Flash) and L104 (clown) NEED wood in their diet.

Really for a 20g a bristlenose is perfect.

 

[JArnold]

L204 get to 6"+tail and are not suitable for a 20g. Both the L204 (Flash) and L104 (clown) NEED wood in their diet.

Really for a 20g a bristlenose is perfect.

thanks very much for your help guys its very much appreciated, i have wood in my tank but i think that i'm gonna go for the bristlenose after a trip to my LFC they seem like really good fish, i will b sure to make sure it gets a good balanced diet with vegetables, thanks again

 

[razer121]

just to add to this, i had to rehome my pleco because of the size he was going to grow to..... does anyone know a pleco that would be alright in a 60l tank??

 

[JenCliBee]

just to add to this, i had to rehome my pleco because of the size he was going to grow to..... does anyone know a pleco that would be alright in a 60l tank??

Bristlenose, clown, pitbull, bulldog just to mention a few

 

[razer121]

wow i guess i have a wide choice lol thanks man i just didn't want to get another one which i would soon have to give away, i still get to see my pleco, he luvs his new tank, i will have to measure it the tank is either 3 or 4 foot long lol

 

[indigoj]

Personally I wouldn't keep a BN in 60l for long.

 

[JenCliBee]

Personally I wouldn't keep a BN in 60l for long.

And why is that?, i kept 2 and they breed every 4 weeks, plenty of places to hide and happy as larry.


Usually a breeding fish is a happy fish...... cant really argue with that.

 

[razer121]

Personally I wouldn't keep a BN in 60l for long.

sorry what do you mean by BN? one of the reasons i want a pleco is to help clean out the tank

 

[JArnold]

Personally I wouldn't keep a BN in 60l for long.

sorry what do you mean by BN? one of the reasons i want a pleco is to help clean out the tank

bristlenose, apparently they are gud at cleaning the tank i'm going to get one

 

[pippoodle]

my own personal experience has found that a group of pitbull plecs clean a tank better than BN's do my bn's started off well but now are really lazy but my pitbulls really keep there tank clean

depends what you want the plec for

good luck Sarah x