Need Help Deciding On What Pleco

[shadowhywind]

I decided to trade in my pleco at a LFS since I had a 8-10inch common pleco in a 20 gallon (24"L x 12"W x 16"H ) Taking the recommendation i decided to go with a "stick fish", however after a recent ick outbreak I lost him. However during the 2-3 weeks I had him he didn't do as good a job as the pleco did. So I am looking at picking up another pleco (looking at the bristlenose) However I have a live planted tank would I have issues with the bristlenose eating my plants?? Any information would be great. Thanks!

 

[pippoodle]

A bristlenose plec would not be suitable for your tank hun , their minimum recommended tank size is 30 gallons , they dont eat plants IME but you would need a bigger tank to house one in it's right enviroment - they grow 4-5 inches when mature

for a 2ft tank i would recommend a pair of pitbull plecs - i say a pair cos thats how they prefer to be kept
they do an excellent job and only grow 2.4 inches (approx) when mature

 

[joshjames]

iv got 2 clown pleco and they eat quite a bit of algae for me although most other records say they dont my person experience is they do
also they could do with a few pieces of bogwood in there but all round i think they are great plecs
i see them at least twice a day and they are quite active
i love them

 

[snowflake311]

iv got 2 clown pleco and they eat quite a bit of algae for me although most other records say they dont my person experience is they do
also they could do with a few pieces of bogwood in there but all round i think they are great plecs
i see them at least twice a day and they are quite active
i love them

You have a freak then because clown plecos are not good algea eaters. I have one for over a year and she never did any real algea cleaning. She just eats left overs and waffers. Yes these guys need wood they love it. But don't expect much out of algea cleaning.
Unless you are starving your clown pleco they will not eat algea much.u

 

[pippoodle]

clown pleco would not be suitable for a 2 ft tank either , they require 25-30 gallons

OP wants to know what would be suitable for a 2 ft tank

 

[JenCliBee]

In a low stocked tank bristlenose and clowns are fine for a 2 foot tank, no more than 2 of either species but they would be fine...... not sure where the 20-30 g tanks come from but never rely on websites for min tank always info go with general experience

 

[stang1]

I agree with Jenclibee, a BN would be fine for that size tank provided it has a good current and good filtration as they can produce a lot of waste.
Don't rely on the Plec for keeping the algae down, they are not all efficient at the job. Buy a Plec because you want one.
Plecs tend to be ok with plants provided you give them the right amount of food.
If you are not bothered about the Plec eating algae, there are plenty out there that don't reach more than 5-6".

 

[joshjames]

iv got 2 clown pleco and they eat quite a bit of algae for me although most other records say they dont my person experience is they do
also they could do with a few pieces of bogwood in there but all round i think they are great plecs
i see them at least twice a day and they are quite active
i love them

You have a freak then because clown plecos are not good algea eaters. I have one for over a year and she never did any real algea cleaning. She just eats left overs and waffers. Yes these guys need wood they love it. But don't expect much out of algea cleaning.
Unless you are starving your clown pleco they will not eat algea much.u

i must just have a strange one then i definatly feed them well enough with algae wafers and veg also they eat my catfish pellets
i suppose it is just the individual fish's personality!

 

[shadowhywind]

Thanks for the info. After doing a bit more research, I think I am going to go with a pair of pitbull pleco's. Sounds like they are good at algee cleaning and doesn't make as much a mess as a common pleco does. So one last question is I am looking at least at 2, but should i get 3-4? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.