Pleco Suggestions

[IDunnoWhy]

OK there may be 1000 posts about Pleco suggestions, but lets make it 1001 (besides every tank is different)

So, I have a 55g that I'd like to add 1 single Pleco to.

Current stock

4 Angels (only 2 if I can get two of these guys to "pair up", the other 2 go)
12 Neons (Potential Angel food later)
4 Albino BA Tetra
5 Red Eye Tetra (Will be gone as soon as a new home is found)
2 Yoyo Loaches (Will be 3 this weekend)
2 Khuli Loaches (Will also be 3 this weekend)
1 Dojo Loach
3 Albino Cories
2 Otos

Now, I don't want to add Driftwood if I don't have to, so some wood eating plecs are out. I have a bunch of "bottom feeders" already and I'd like to keep them, but if there's going to be a conflict, please tell me with which ones. I don't want a real big plec either...something maybe 6" but larger is OK, I just don't want to have to get a larger tank for him later.

OK, Your Thoughts?..........

 

[Helena21]

a BN! there great little plecs and get to around 4-5", i love em

 

[IDunnoWhy]

a BN! there great little plecs and get to around 4-5", i love em

BN is Bristle Nose Right?

 

[Helena21]

yup, sure is

 

[FishGeek]

Its reccomended by planetcatfish.com to have wood in your tank with a BN. However, what about a Rubbernose??
Here is mine: http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/freshwater-general-discussion/45203-my-rubbernose-pleco-pics.html

 

[IDunnoWhy]

Your Rubbernose is a cute lil' guy ain't he

Are "Rubber nose" and "Rubber lipped" the same thing? Seems to me I've seen posts with both names.

 

[FreshwaterJeff]

Bristlenoses may like wood, but they aren't "wood eaters" like clown plecos (and other panaques), so I wouldn't say they "require" it.

I'm going to go ahead and recommend the two plecos I have in my 55 gallon: L-134 and LDA 08

PlanetCatfish :: Cat-eLog :: Loricariidae :: Peckoltia sp(l134)

PlanetCatfish :: Cat-eLog :: Loricariidae :: Ancistrus claro

They're both well-behaved and good to great algae eaters, and they get along fine with my loaches and dwarf cichlids...

 

[Fuzz16]

mm id love to have a marbled BN...beautiful...id even like an albino!

i would go with a clown pleco or a bristlenose. ive noticed that between my 2 plecs...that the clown likes to do NOTHING and he hides a lot. so i would say BN

 

[IDunnoWhy]

I've always thought clown plecs were cute, but my LFS said they require driftwood (yet there is NO driftwood in their clown plec display tank....hmmm).

 

[Fuzz16]

never heard that on...but mine does like to stick by it and never leave it....so maybe. i thought it was the BNs who liked driftwood

 

[Helena21]

I dont have any wood im my tank with my BN's had them for years and there happy as ever. I would go with a BN if i were you.

Clowns are cute.. but i think they need wood

 

[FreshwaterJeff]

Clown Plecos (those darned super-recluses) are wood-eating panaques that do need wood in their diet (though you can likely get by if you feed them very high vegetable diets).

Bristlenoses do not require wood, but they are good algae eaters. You'll also see them a lot more than you'd see a clown. I'd go that direction...

 

[Big Vine]

How sociable is the leopard frog plec (Peckoltia)?
They looks pretty cool. I'd go with that, maybe.

BV

 

[IDunnoWhy]

How sociable is the leopard frog plec (Peckoltia)?
They looks pretty cool. I'd go with that, maybe.

BV

Yea, I was looking at that one too, looks pretty dang cool, I have a feeling that I'll have better luck finding a BN though

 

[IDunnoWhy]

Additional Questions

OK.....So I went in search of a "Bristle nose Plec" today, I went to 5 LFS, (2 were more boutique) anyway none of them had these guys, 3 places did have "Bushy nose plecs" are they the same thing? (No I didn't buy one yet )

 

[Helena21]

yep, there the same thing

 

[IDunnoWhy]

Sweet They had itty bitty ones like 1.5 inches, sooooo cute, cheap too (I think) they were like $5.99

 

[Helena21]

yep, there really cool.
You could get a male and female and breed them , if ya wanted too.
IMO there sooooo easy to breed

 

[IDunnoWhy]

There's a thought Females don't have the "bristles" right? or is there a different way to sex them?

 

[Lotus]

The males get larger bristles when they're mature, but neither has bristles when they're small. Females have shorter bristles when they're mature.