Nice Beautiful large pleco?

[Syno Rey]

Hey guys. I want to get a Pleco that can grow big but one that look nice and beautiful to put in a 120G tank with my aggressive SA cichlids. Just need you guys to give me examples. Thanks !

[Syno Rey]

oh, also that it can take care of some of the algae in the tank !

[MatsP]

I would say

Pterygoplichthys pardalis

.

--
Mats

[racoll]

Of the same genus, but in my opinion much cooler looking are:

Pterygoplichthys scrophus

,

Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps

or

Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus

. You should be able to get any of these with ease.

A bit more unusual would be

Pseudorinelepis sp(l095)

. Large

Panaque

or

Hypostomus

(e.g.

Hypostomus soniae

) might also work, but any wood eaters will place bigger demands on your filtration, oxygenation and water change regimes.

[plecomanpat]

I concur, I keep a (rhino plceo)pterygoplichthys scrophus in my 75 gallon african tank and it fares well,he is brash enough to keep even the most agressive out of his cave and he doesnt get bullied at dinner time either.

[Leopardfrogplec]

Don't know many technical names, but the Sailfin plec is IMO better looking than the 'common' plec. (Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus is probably what I mean.) Apparently there are 2 species of Common plecs. I can't tell the difference ...

[MatsP]

Or probably NOT P. multiradiatus, as it's almost never seen in the trade (I'm not even sure that the pictures we have are actually of P. multiradiatus). Sailfin is P. gibbiceps - although the whole group is also sometimes called "Sailfin plecos".

--
Mats

[bsmith]

I had a rhino for years and loved him dearly. I could hand fed him food pellets. But after I put a few 183'sin the tank they harassed him and he stopped eating. It was not only strange IMO because of the size difference between the two but that he would allow that to happen after being in there so long before the starlights were introduced. Ill have another.

I would suggest the Rhino or a Royal, another of my favorite cats. Just remember they seem to like it warmer and with lots of o2 in the water.

[Kampfer]

I would recommended Scobinancistrus aureatus(L14). They are bright and colourful and one of the less shy species.

[joefish72b]

I would vote for a royal pleco. They are average priced and pretty scrappy when it comes to defending themselves. I have a juvenile in my 240 gallon along with half dozen others (most are bigger than the royal)and my royal has claimed his own little space that nobody goes near.

[MatsP]

Large

Scobinancistrus aureatus

tend to be fairly pricey - even small ones(2-4") are often in the $50-100 range, and larger ones can easily reach $100-200. Quite a lot of money, and you never really know if it's going to work out or not - stress from aggressive cichlids can kill the fish, even if there isn't that much real physical damage...

--
Mats

[plecomanpat]

Royals are my favorites too, but bear in mind they take a long time to grow,some are more fragile than others,certain varieties,for example the L027's retail over $100 ea. and you certainly would not put that in a tank with agressive fish.IMO the L014 Scobiancistrus, although a beautiful and scrappy fish would not be feesable unless you pick up one of decent size,at least 6 inches in length and for that size you will pay through the nose,and pray it doesnt get beat up. The choice is ultimately yours, but in an agressive tank such as S.A.cichlids with all the scrapping and nipping I would go with something more common and less $$$$$$$. Enjoy

[MatsP]

The choice is ultimately yours, but in an agressive tank such as S.A.cichlids with all the scrapping and nipping I would go with something more common and less $$$$$$$. Enjoy

Indeed. And if it's a "rehomed" common type of pleco (

Pterygoplichthys

), then it's actually (assuming all goes well) helping some poor fish that was probably bought for a small-ish tank and needs to be found a larger home...

--
Mats

[plecomanpat]

Excellent point Mats, there are always numerous large"trade ins" at most LFS,commonly sold as an "algae eater" when they are small, soon to outgrow the tank.

[chad320]

Yeah, even not-so-common ones show up at my LFS once in awhile. Good luck!!!