i have 2 pleco's;
x1 royal pleco and x1 common pleco
they do crap alot but that depends really on what you feed your plec's and how often there fed.
i feed mine on a mixed diet of vegetables, pellets, algea and live foods.
and neither of mine crap an over amount...
my common pleco is about 7 mayb 8 inches now and ive had him a while.
pleco's are generally slow growing fish and can reach very large sizes if housed correctly and looked after in the correct way.
both my pleco's are calm and freindly with there tank mates and each other
and they have amazing colourful markings!
especially my royal pleco...expensive but worth the money
id have to disagree completely about lfs not selling them in there stores.
most fishkeepers have and will keep at least one pleco in their time of fish keeping.
their mostly cheap, a few species cost a few bob but thats just the same as any fish thet you could buy.
ther all mostly calm and peacful tempered, and can go with any other fish.
they dont require alot of attension really, they look after themselves...and they can provide hours and hours of ammusment watching them.
lfs should keep selling them as they are.
if they was too go to specialists then no one would buy them because they would cost to much from a specialist dealer!
especially the less common species!
i paid £38.00 for my royal pleco from my lfs which is about the average price for this fish, but from a specialist dealer it would cost double that!
MOST PLECO'S WILL NEED A LARGE TANK WITHIN GIVEN TIME BARE IN MIND!!!
but not right away.
and if you dont want a pleco that grows large then ask your lfs about dwarf pleco's