How Much Are Plecs

[platyfanatic]

hello everyone, i was just wondering plecs or plecos are algae eaters so they clean the tank right?
well i am thinking of getting one for this reason and i just wanted to know how much did it cost you.
please specify in pounds.

 

[TylerFerretLord]

Mine were 3.00 US dollars, sorry, don't know how to convert.

You know they get HUGE, right? I mean BIG. There's a topic in the picture section, go have a look.

 

[timmystood]

Well, need a big tank. There are much better options for smaller tanks.

Anyway, the shop where I work they are £3.50 for babys. £15 for mature and £20 for fully grown ones. Please do loads of research first though.

 

[platyfanatic]

do they get really big, i have seen massive ones cant you get ones that stay small?
If not are there any other fish that clean the fish tank?

 

[afishdude]

try bristle nose or rubber liped. they dont get big..

around £2.50 ea

 

[cheesy feet]

Basic reasearch for a plec.Will grow at a steady rate and will eventually most likely need a tank of around 75 gals.Feed algae wafers zuccini (sp) and cucumber etc.I just feed mine wafers and they clean the algae of the glass.Seem healthy enough!Very hardy fish will tolerate a pH of basically 6.5-8.5 no probs.

 

[Christine1014]

Otos are good little algae eaters. They only get to about 2 inches, I think, and they prefer to be kept in groups of at least three.

 

[Teelie]

Depends on the species. They range from small (3" max) and large (24"+) and go from as little as a few pounds to hundreds.

 

[cheesy feet]

Good thing is you can tell if it's a common by the cheap price tag Anything 10 pounds of over is probably a diff species.

 

[Chubbywubs]

If you have a cold water tank, get Butterfly Pleco, they grow to about 2-3 inch when fully grown.

 

[sunpirate2u]

I got mine for $3.00 at petco. I'm not an expert but I heard that they only grow in large tanks(more than 5in.). In a smaller tank it may be only smaller. Thats just what I heard(not knowing if ture). I never really had much luck with plecos.

 

[Chubbywubs]

I never really had much luck with plecos.

Same lol, the first two butterfly plecos i ever bought died a week later, then the second two i bought, (which was the other day) one was eaten and the other is luckly still there so i can only hope that he/she will survive this time.

 

[lilfishie]

A bristlenose would be ok in your tank IMO but i warn you they do nothing but poo

 

[Neo8223]

A bristlenose would be ok in your tank IMO but i warn you they do nothing but poo

As long as your bio filter can handle it, then let em poo I found that after adding plecs and waiting a few weeks, the bio filter is ruck solidly stable. Stronger than any other set-up i had and even when adding more fish. They are good eaters too. Due to their size, i wouldnt consider them as the best eaters, but they certainly get around the whole of yor tank anyhow!

 

[Egmel]

I'm not an expert but I heard that they only grow in large tanks(more than 5in.). In a smaller tank it may be only smaller. Thats just what I heard(not knowing if ture). I never really had much luck with plecos.

This isn't the case, fish can be stunted by being kept in a tank that's too small for them but current theories are that they just end up dying prematurely and never reaching their full potential.
Basically what most people recommend is not buying something you don't have the tank space for since you can't guarantee that you're going to be in a position to upgrade your tank when your pets need you to, and as many members here have found out, there's nothing worse than trying to find a *good* home for your beloved fish because you haven't got space for it any more/can't afford to upgrade your tank. Common plecs can live well into their 20s (someone correct me if I'm wrong on this as it's from memory) so it's not fair to buy one if you don't intend to look after it for that long.

Hope this helps

As to which plec to get to keep the tank clean, I'd say none, get them because they're cute and if they clean the tank as well then it's an added bonus! Sometimes you can get plecs which everyone says are fantastic algae eaters and they never touch yours! It all depends on the fish's personality

If you're looking for small plecs then there's a pinned topic on this board about plecs under 8" have a look in there.

Prices as someone else said vary, the more commonly available ones are usually under a £5 though if bought young.