Pleco Stocking For 150 Gal Us

[Nevergone815]

i want to set up a pleco tank. sure a couple of other fish may be present, but i want to set up a huge cave system and have lots of plecos. different types woud be appreciated. water parameters would be adjusted ot the fish's needs. i would like to have plecos that i can easily feed (i.e. it won't always have its food stolen from it by the other plecos). size of the plecos aren't options, mostly variety.

thanks in advanced for your suggestions

 

[bunjiweb]

So you would be aiming for a south american biotope of some sorts. Lots of bogwood, branches etc. in the tank, pH of around 6-6.5 and good filteration to keep up with messy plecs.

In a tank that size I would happily keep 10 fully grown plecos, if not twice then depending on the species you are planning on going for.

You can easily feed all south american plecos by having lots of wood in the tank, then feeding algae wafers and vegitables a couple of times a week.

Ben

 

[smithrc]

I'd have to save up and get a few 10"+ specimins of nicer large plecos

L014 - LDA33... or if you fancy splashing out - a nice L25

 

[Nevergone815]

i was looking for more around smaller plecos as i would like to have more variety. i like leapard frog, zebra and scribble plecos but don't know if they would be compatible. and if i get zebras i would want to try breeding them.

if i set up a big enough tank and the plecos bred and their was a variety of plecos what fish would probably predate the fry? could i have other fish in the tank or would i just have to keep the plecs by themsleves? i think i would need to keep them seperate from other fish, but will other plecos or even the parents eat the fry? i don't think they would if i remember right but i could be mistaken.

thanks for the help guys

So you would be aiming for a south american biotope of some sorts. Lots of bogwood, branches etc. in the tank, pH of around 6-6.5 and good filteration to keep up with messy plecs.

In a tank that size I would happily keep 10 fully grown plecos, if not twice then depending on the species you are planning on going for.

You can easily feed all south american plecos by having lots of wood in the tank, then feeding algae wafers and vegitables a couple of times a week.

Ben

a south american tank is looking good to me, what species of small plecs that i can have many types for vaiety would you suggest.

edit: typos

 

[bunjiweb]

Well from what you have mentioned you favour the hypancistrus plecos. They mostly come from fairly fast flowing warm water with the previous mentioned pH values.

Plecs I would consider..

Queen Arabesque - L260
King Tiger Plec - L66
Zebras (If you can get them) - L046
Hypancistrus Inspector - L339

If you go for wood any of the panaque family would suit the same kind of water conditions.

Another fish which would look great would be a colony of ottos, 15 or so would look great in a big tank.

You could quite happily have other fish in the tank but I would look primarily at middle/top dwelling fish, A large shoal of tetra or rasbora perhaps.

Plec parents rarely eat the fry. The first time they spawn they may eat the eggs, but if they make it to the free-swimming fry stage then the parents are generally very protective over their fry. This is because in the wild there is generally an abundance of food for plecs - wood etc, so they don't have to resort to eating their fry. Other fish like cichlids of the african lakes, although very protective over their fry from predators, may eat their fry as there is a denser stocking of fish compared to the main food sources, hence why the parents may resort to eating their fry.... Thats the theory anyway....

Ben

 

[Nevergone815]

thanks for the help: i am having troubles searching planetcatfish's cat-e-log for the types that would work but 'm still looking. it looks like most of them will have to be special ordered, but that will be worth it for me in the long run i think.

i hope i could get a spawn, but i know this will probably need to be in a special setup just for the potential breeding colony. but we will see.

i would like to mostly have ones that rely more on wood eating as it would make my life easier as when i go away its for months at a time and my little sister who knows nothing about fishkeeping is the only one that is willing to take care of them. i want it to be as simple as possible, so that she can properly care for them while i am gone.

i probably will try to get a few of one kind and establish breedibg pairs then sell or give back the rest and then introduce new species. i know that many types of plecos are territorial so i want to make sure they have plenty of spaces for territory.

i never thought of ottos, they would be a great addition.

any other suggestions would be appreciated, keep em coming! thanks for all the help guys/girls