Which One....

[fishfishfish]

im after new plecs.im going to get rid of my 3 plecs i have now which are 1 clown pleco and 2 albino bristlenoses.
i want a sultan pleco and im not sure which other to get.either a leopard frog or a flash pleco.which would be more active with mbuna that leave other fish alone.mine only go for each other and if a cichlid tries to pick on another kind of fish, my dominant steps in and chases the cichlid away.

 

[LisaLQ]

I wouldn't risk any of them in with mbuna. Firstly the ph will be wrong for them and secondly, why waste £30 on a plec for your mbuna to beat the crap out of it and maybe kill it? Bristlenoses are very hardy, and if there isn't a problem in there now, I'd stick with what you have. If it were me, and I wanted those plecs, I'd set up a new tank with more suitable params and tankmates.

 

[fishfishfish]

ive tried a few delicate plecs in and they lasted the entire time.i had a rubberlip and 2 whiptails and they were left alone the entire time!i sold them to my friend.

 

[Ravenwing]

Why get rid of the fish you already have? If they're happy with you, I'd suggest getting another tank if you want others =)

 

[Gankutsuou]

I know that itchy feeling of wanting new fish.....

but only get rid of things if problems arise...

 

[fishfishfish]

no well im upgrading to a 55 gallon but i never see my current plecs.i probly wont do it because i dont like just getting rid of fish. i was just looking at better looking plecs.

 

[LisaLQ]

In a 55g with your others, a flash plec would be nice. They have the same diet needs as the clown plec (ie. lots of bogwood lol), so there wont be any fiddly feeding probs like you'd get if you added a species that preferred meatier diets. A couple more clowns is another option, I hear they are a lot more outgoing in groups?

 

[Gankutsuou]

It's been said they're more active in groups, but I think that's due to territorial agression from watching them.

But I'd go with adding a flash. Still..... hmmmmm..... Almost all plecs are hard to see. Mine come out during the day some and run back in when you take a look. My queen arab is out 24/7 because it perfers to dig and curl up in corners rather than hang out under the bogwood with everyone...

If you want an open catfish that might work with cichlids, why not try some sort of specialized syno.?