plecos with discus

[mangopleco]

What type of plecos go with discus? I just had a mango pleco with them that died of old age with them i want to try a diffrent one.

[MatsP]

Sorry to perhaps be controversial, but how long did you have the Mango pleco? How big was it, and how big was it when you got it? They should really live LONGER than a Hypancistrus or similar, and they will live for around 15 years with good care. However, Mango pleco and other "yellow seam" Baryancistrus are among the more challenging fish to keep, so most people don't manage to keep them for very long.

Now when I've said that, I'll try to answer your actual question: Many plecos work well in a Discus setup. The ones from Rio Xingu are good choices, but several others are available.

You can search the Cat-eLog for fish that is suitable to a certain temperature:
www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/search.php

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Mats

[Richard B]

I'll turn your question round - what do you like the look of & we can advise you on your preferences

[Lloydy]

I assume you have a fairly big tank if you are keeping discus but can you confirm your tanks size.

Also are you after a single plec, a group of similar plecs or a variety of different plecs?

[apistomaster]

As long as the plecos come from naturally warm river systems like those MapsP suggested, the Rio Xingu, they will be fine in a Discus tank.
I don't have a lot of experience with the large species of plecos but I have kept a single specimen of Gold nugget Pleco in with 10 adult Heckel Discus but as Mat also said, my experience keeping it was short lived although there were extenuating circumstances surrounding it's death. I accidentally used SeaChem Acid Buffer when I meant to use SeaChem Neutral Regulator in a pinch as I couldn't find my Prime Dechlorinator. It was a scramble to change their water promptly but I still lost the Gold Nugget and a couple of the L134 plecos.
My experience with keeping wild Discus began in 1967 and I began breeding wild Discus two years later. I continue to keep and breed Discus and am only working with wild Discus now. There is always one or two common Bushy Nose plecos in my Discus tanks because there are no better species to use as the designated algae eater. They are available in many color and long finned forms. I happen to like the albinos but they are one of the few albino varieties of fish I like. They show up well in a Discus taank. I have never had a Bushy Nose harm a Discus. I even keep a couple juveniles with breeding pairs of Discus. The take care the algae and also are helpful when it comes to cleaning up leftover food. I recommend any small species of Peckoltia or Hypancistrus as Discus tank mates. In fact, I keep L134 or L333 in all my Discus display tanks as my bottom feeders instead of Corydoras. I raise these in numbers so they are convenient for me to use and they are both attractive species which are perfectly safe with Discus. They all require similar water conditions including temperatures and because they are naturally carnivorous they are especially good at cleaning up bits of the high protein foods we feed Discus including the scraps of beef heart blend. They can eat more than most average size Corydoras.
Avoid the Pterygoplichthys and Hypostomus species of Plecos because some decide to attack and suck on the sides of large Discus. They grow very fast and get quite large. You will see these in almost every fish shop being sold at a small cute size for very low prices but they will become a problem in a Discus tank. There are many attractive species to choose from so you need not try any of the large and sometimes difficult species. Your Mango pleco could potentially get too large but not very soon and they are demanding when it comes to water quality and warmth and those issues are covered well if you are taking proper care of your Discus.

[RickE]

Interestingly, Wildwoods keep all their L-numbers in with their Discus in RO water at 30C. But I guess they're not expecting to have them in stock for the long term.

[MatsP]

Interestingly, Wildwoods keep all their L-numbers in with their Discus in RO water at 30C. But I guess they're not expecting to have them in stock for the long term.

Well, technically not ALL of them, but yes, most of their fancy plecos are in the same system as they keep their discus in. And at least short term, higher temperature [subject to sufficient oxygen levels] is better for plecos than low temps. And most of the fish you see at Wildwoods come from the warmer rivers anyways.

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Mats

[mangopleco]

I do have 2 breeding pairs of discus but the plecos are not going in that tank. because i had the pair kill the plecos/corys when spotted with babys around. this is for a bigger tank with 6discus i herd blue phantom,golden nugget, bushynose, mango, clown, zebra and galaxy plecos go with discus.

[zerojquan85]

I always find Goldie pleco to work best with discus.. Their temperature demand is the same..

In fact.. all Scobinancistrus species are perfect for Discus..

[apistomaster]

I always keep a couple of small Bushy Nose and even some small L134 in with my mated Discus pairs and they leave each other alone. The plecos are helpful in cleaning up the bits of left over food. I do provide the plecos with a few small caves so that probably reduces the chances they can't escape a zealous pair.
I know a lot of Discus breeders who keep a small Bushy Nose in with their mated pairs.