Pleco Recommendations

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Can anyone recommend me a nice reasonably priced pleco? I have a 45 gallon tank (it’s 32” long – not entirely sure about the other dimensions at the moment @ work).

I don’t fancy a bristlenose pleco, otherwise I’d like something that won’t hide constantly, looks nice and won’t break the bank to get.

 

[james_fish]

L202 or Peckoltia lineola --> link

Mine is a nice fish, doesn't hide all the time but not always out.

Just about finding one, not the most common fish but should be able to get hold of one at any decent independant store. Mine was £16 when I bought him.

James.

 

[simonas]

how about the pitbull plecs? I;ve never kept one but people who do rave about them

 

[roadmaster]

how about the pitbull plecs? I;ve never kept one but people who do rave about them

+one for the little LDA25 Pitbull plecos.
I call em stone tosser's for they will toss fine gravel, or sand pebbles over with their mouths, while searching for food.
They are quite active,small,and fairly hearty.
Also like to be in groups much like otocinclus.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

how about the pitbull plecs? I;ve never kept one but people who do rave about them

+one for the little LDA25 Pitbull plecos.
I call em stone tosser's for they will toss fine gravel, or sand pebbles over with their mouths, while searching for food.
They are quite active,small,and fairly hearty.
Also like to be in groups much like otocinclus.

How big a group? Any ideas?

 

[amy1994]

I think it depends which LFS you go to, i have seem some which are high priced and others which are pretty cheap, and it's the same fish

As i have a couple of candy striped plecos (L015) i would recommend them, only because they are small, i see them alot, and they do a very good job of cleaning my tank, but their prices can vary...
You say you don't want a pleco that hides constantly, i do think it also depends on the fish, some will come out while others might not want to, try putting some food near the front of the tank to help them out, something that they can't resist like frozen food

And if your going to get a pleco get 2 so it isn't lonely

But obviously you will have to make a lot of hiding places, so there won't be any aggression.

 

[roadmaster]

how about the pitbull plecs? I;ve never kept one but people who do rave about them

+one for the little LDA25 Pitbull plecos.
I call em stone tosser's for they will toss fine gravel, or sand pebbles over with their mouths, while searching for food.
They are quite active,small,and fairly hearty.
Also like to be in groups much like otocinclus.

How big a group? Any ideas?

Three to five or more if tank space permits.
They seldom get over two and a half inches long,and I see them about nearly every time I look.

 

[moochy13]

my L204 flash plec cost 23 quid, and i can almost always see him. which is nice because hes stunning.

 

[fluttermoth]

I've got an L052 that I can often see and that always comes out at feeding time. Cost me £17 and well worth every penny IMHO.

 

[lilfishie]

I've got an L052 that I can often see and that always comes out at feeding time. Cost me £17 and well worth every penny IMHO.

I also got one for £17 but hardly see her i often see a tail

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

LO75/Para Pleco. Look gorgeous, don't grow huge and are pretty active plecos- mine cost £20 6 or 7 years ago but you can now commonly pick them up for £15 .

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Brill, I'll look into the latest suggestions today

 

[JenCliBee]

You will need to consider varying things before just saying .. yes i like that plec.

What's the current tank mates?
Whats, the current substrate?, sand, gravel... smooth, sharp?
What the tank setup like?, hiding places, bogwood etc etc
What temperature do you keep the tank at?


There is so much more to actually having a nice looking plec, there initial needs need to be considered. Species to species differ in the way of care and setup.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

You will need to consider varying things before just saying .. yes i like that plec.

What's the current tank mates?
Whats, the current substrate?, sand, gravel... smooth, sharp?
What the tank setup like?, hiding places, bogwood etc etc
What temperature do you keep the tank at?


There is so much more to actually having a nice looking plec, there initial needs need to be considered. Species to species differ in the way of care and setup.

At the moment the tank is a goldfish tank but the goldfish are being moved tomorrow and then I can change the tank how I want after that.

Current tank mates will be 12 female bettas.
Current substrate is soft rounded gravel but I'm changing to sand at the weekend.
Tank set up (it can be however I want - I'm doing a swap around at the weekend). There will definiately be bog wood in there and I can add some nice slate caves; but there are ornamets in there at the moment which will be perfect hiding spots.

Tank will be 25-26 - possibly a degree either side.

 

[JenCliBee]

You will need to consider varying things before just saying .. yes i like that plec.

What's the current tank mates?
Whats, the current substrate?, sand, gravel... smooth, sharp?
What the tank setup like?, hiding places, bogwood etc etc
What temperature do you keep the tank at?


There is so much more to actually having a nice looking plec, there initial needs need to be considered. Species to species differ in the way of care and setup.

At the moment the tank is a goldfish tank but the goldfish are being moved tomorrow and then I can change the tank how I want after that.

Current tank mates will be 12 female bettas.
Current substrate is soft rounded gravel but I'm changing to sand at the weekend.
Tank set up (it can be however I want - I'm doing a swap around at the weekend). There will definiately be bog wood in there and I can add some nice slate caves; but there are ornamets in there at the moment which will be perfect hiding spots.

Tank will be 25-26 - possibly a degree either side.

That's ultimately the best way to do it, work round the plec rather than the other way round.

Just be careful the betta dont decide to constantly harass, stressing the plec isn't gonna be good and will encourage illness which would then obviously spread to the betta's (vicious circle).

The temp wise is good for most, the sand substrate is ideal and the bogwood and advantage. The caves and hiding places are a must but it sounds like you have that covered, now to pick a species lol.

There are many species you could chose. The obvious ones would be bristlenose species but you have mentioned this isn't what you want. so what about a hypan or peckoltia species?...

Have a look here for HERE! for hypan species

and

HERE! for peckoltia species.

Quite a few will be readily available but some will be much harder and at a much higher price.

There will be various others from the mentioned L15 to the L104, L102 to the lovely 204.

Basically trying to chose a plec for you is to hard a job, everybody has there distinct taste's and with so many species available it really is a mine field lol.

Good luck in your search, if you find a few species, post them up here and we can tell you if they are completely suitable to your setup