Plecos for a ten gallon

megladonsharky · Post by **megladonsharky** » 15 Oct 2005, 06:20

I have a new ten gallon .... It will either have a pitbull pleco with preacox rainbows or white clouds with a dwarf cory.... or a femle betta or the rainbows alone

Ones I know
Pitbull
clown
zebra
queen arabeque
bristlenose
rubberlip

Did I miss any nice small plecos??? I love color and this is my first tank with light other than natural

Post by **Silurus** » 15 Oct 2005, 10:34

You forgot otos and their kin (hypoptopomatines).

If it's color you want, you can't go wrong with .

megladonsharky · Post by **megladonsharky** » 15 Oct 2005, 15:41

Silurus

WOw that is a lovely pleco... How would I get one ???

Post by **Silurus** » 15 Oct 2005, 16:01

Some were offered (direct from Argentina) a while back on Aquabid.

They don't come cheap, though.

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 15 Oct 2005, 20:57

Are there any other green Pl*cos? I wonder what is unique in their habitat.

j4782 · Post by **j4782** » 15 Oct 2005, 21:34

found an article w/ pics of another, similar green cat, Parotocinclus verde.

http://aquarticles.com/articles/breedin ... s_Aky.html

Post by **Shane** » 15 Oct 2005, 21:59

j4782,
The link is to an article about the same fish Silurus mentioned. Nice little article.
-Shane

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 16 Oct 2005, 17:42

It may sound like a "simpleton" question, but does a fish's color development have anything to do with the environs? I noticed more Enchinodorus sp. in the habitat. This would seem to allow the Epactionotus aky to blend in nicely.

Am I way off the mark?
Amanda

Post by **Shane** » 16 Oct 2005, 18:47

Amanda,
You are right on the mark. As a general rule gray and brown mottled fishes (like many Ancistrus and Chaetostoma) come from clear or whitewaters. Pretty much all the catfishes with "loud" color patterns live in blackwaters where the low visibility tannin stained waters protect them. A pleco as colorful as L 200 or L 81 would be quickly picked off in clear waters by any passing bird or predatory fish.
-Shane

j4782 · Post by **j4782** » 16 Oct 2005, 21:06

Yeah, I found the article by going to the link Silurus provided, then went to the web from the link there.

The article also seems to indicate that the vegetation these two species eat are not only important to their health, but their color.