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Hey guys,

I am helping my gf to start her 40gal tank back up, We are going to go with some sword tails, platys, and probably some tetra here and there, i was wondering if anyone had any ideas on a type of pleco that would be able to go in here. I dont want to get just a common pleco, since it will easily out grow her tank, and there are so many new and colorful pleco's avaliable now. I was thinking about Golden Stripes Peckoltia Pleco (LDA-20) or a Snowball Pleco (L-102)


Is there any that would be better suited for this kind of setup, mostly im looking for something that wont get too big, and wont end up trying to snack on the smaller fish.

Any ideas are welcome

By far the easiest plec to keep is the common bristlenose - .

This fish will tolerate a wide range of water conditions, and will not drop dead if you make a few small errors with water quality.

They cost next to nothing, won't get too big, eat algae, and are easy to breed.

Perfect, but somehow I think you are after some of the prettier more exotic plecs.

The problem with these fish is that they are imported from the wild unlike the bristlenose, which is usually tank bred.

This makes these fish more tricky. If cared for correctly they are quite hardy, but you must obey several rules.



1) Always buy fish that are acclimated to your water supply (i.e. from a local store that uses the same tapwater as you).

2) Make sure the fish is fat, healthy, eating (ask to see this!) and has been in the store for at least a month.

3) Most exotic plecs prefer warm (27C+) very well oxygenated water, so provide plenty of airstones and a powerhead.

4) Most plecs are consummate poopers, so I would consider an external power filter necessary.

5) Research the fish and make sure you know exactly what it eats/needs.

6) Give the plec loads of hiding places in bogwood/rocks. You will see it more!

6) Buy a set of test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Test water weekly before a 25% water change.



If you follow the above, you should be OK, but I would strongly recommend keeping a bristlenose for at least 6 months before you get involved with more demanding expensive fish.


I hope this has been some help.

racoll wrote:By far the easiest plec to keep is the common bristlenose -

Ancistrus sp(3)

.

This fish will tolerate a wide range of water conditions, and will not drop dead if you make a few small errors with water quality.

Or even quite large errors, if they are otherwise healthy, they are just about indestructable [obviously not if there is sufficient mechanical force involved, and the two in my nevue's tank didn't survive the foul-smelling goop that became of the combination of overfeeding and dead fish when the filter clogged by the excess food - don't let grandma take care of your fish for two weeks!]. I've transported one of them for two hours in a damp but otherwise waterless bamboo pipe with no obvious ill effect - he has since fathered about 100 young ones...

They also tolerate a quite wide range of temperature, but breeding won't happen unless the temp is less than around 26'C.

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Mats