L187a (Spotted Bulldog Pleco) owns the tank

[DrunkenPanda]

hi there, I placed a number of posts yesterday to try and solve a problem I have with my two Plecos (L187a and L082).

What i'm posting for is for information on keeping many plecos in the same tank. The Bulldog Pleco is a mature male and no matter what I have try the Bulldog refuses to let my female Opal Spot Pleco live in the same tank. I have been told by a local fish stockist that they only recommend one Pleco per tank because they will fight to the death if they are two males or the male will hound any female Pleco to breed.

I dont get it because loads of members of this website keep a lot of Plecos in the same tank with success, so any help and advice would be great.

What I have done is made up a second tank to house the Bulldog Pleco away from the other fish. So my problem has been resolved but i still would like to have more than one Pleco in my 200L tank.

[racoll]

the male will hound any female pl*co to breed.

I wish

Plecos will respond like Malawi cichlids, i.e. by adding a group of them (not obviously as many as you would with Malawi cichlids), any aggression will be spread out and not directed on any one fish. They will all each defend their smaller territory.

[DrunkenPanda]

That's good news then, so I just need to buy some more Plecos. Anyone got ideas for other plecos i can buy, they have to be not too violent and grow under 25 cms in size.

[racoll]

Anyone got ideas for other pl*cos i can buy, they have to be not too violent and grow under 25 cms in size.

With all the restrictions (export bans) coming into force for most Brazilian plecs, we do not know if any of these species have a future in the trade.

Therefore, people are recommended to buy groups of the same species, to set up breeding programs. You don't have to be a master breeder, or have immediate intentions of setting up breeding tanks, it just means potential groups of [very importantly] the same species are available when there are none left in the trade.

[DrunkenPanda]

I did not know that about a ban. Currently I'm able to breed peppered Corys and possibly my Otos are breeding, so if Opal spots can be bred in a captive environment then I'm happy to try and do my bit.

I have some problems though, I don't know the difference between male and female Opals and have no idea how any plecos breed. so if anyone can offer some advice then I will try and get a Female Spotted Bulldog and Male/Female Opal Spot and see if they breed.

[DutchFry]

the bulldog pleco is very territorial! i have one too and he lives in company of three L010a. he's just a small guy but is very bossy and chases all the other fish away from the feeding ground.

maybe we could rename this species to bullydog pleco

i guess it's the safest option to put another two or three bulldogs of the same species in your tank and remove the L082 to another tank. maybe you will succeed in breeding them!

[Martin S]

I have a

Chaetostoma sp(L444)

, L187a (

Chaetostoma milesi

) and what i believe to be a

Chaetostoma sp(L443)

, and of the three, the sp1 is the only bully, but not enough for me to worry about him. He will just bowl in and push anything out of the way if there's food about and I have watched him chase the L187a away, but no damage is done and all three are healthy and happy. Maybe I was just lucky! My sp1 went in first, then L187a about a month later and the (probable) sp2 about another month later. The L187a and the sp2 are both very skittish and will disappear from view if they detect any movement towards the tank, although the sp1 is not so bad.
Martin

[Mod edit: Fix old sp(x) to sp(Lxxx) --Mats]

[DrunkenPanda]

The L187a and the sp2 are both very skittish and will disappear from view if they detect any movement towards the tank, although the sp1 is not so bad.

My L187a is just a pain in the arse and he only bullys the L082, but i think its because the Opal is new to the tank so now i have split them into different tanks better for thier different requirments. I would agree with you about the Bulldogs hating movement. Before i got the 200L the bulldog would watch people on the computer then run away if he saw you looking at him .

What gets me about the Bulldog is he lets 9 Corys and 6 Otos bully him out of his cave and off food and does nothing at all but run off in a huff. So why did he take a disliking to this larger Opal Spot who leaves him well alone, but i guess he is just a moody Bulldog Pleco who wants to be king of the tank.