Vampire plecos

[Blurk]

Alright, I'm having a small bit of difficulty finding royal plecos within a 40 mile radius of my house (most LFS "just sold their last one"). However, I did find a rather beautiful vampire pleco. I might get it this weekend if its still there but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with them?

 

[radamsk1]

Basically if you knew the requirements for a Royal Pleco, they are equally the same for a Vampire Plec. They both grow to around 15", need lots of space, like driftwood, and need a decent algae supply via actual algae or food supplements and vegetable matter.

 

[Blurk]

Sounds good. He'll be in an 80g so that should be enough room (at least for a while). I've got driftwood and it will be supplied with daily veggies. Is there anything else I should know. Do they need any supplements or anything else?

 

[lordroad]

How much is the store charging for a vampire plec if I may ask?

 

[Blurk]

I believe it was $60.

 

[Pure]

60 bucks is too much $ IMO unless it's a full grown fish. You should be able to find one for 30-45 $.

They are omnivorous, but not a vegetarian. So a mixed variety of foods should be offered. Basically it will eat what ever you put in the tank, but yes some fresh veggies should be offered from time to time.

They are not like the royal as wood is not the main food source. A royals diet is roughly 80% wood.

Max size is roughly 10 inches.