PlanetCatfish.com

Hi,

I have a tank 48" long x 20" wide x 22" high

My current bottom dwellers are

1 x L264 (4") - had it for 3 weeks, it is permenantly attached to some wood, never see it eating but appears (when I can see it) to be healthy!
3 x Yoyo loaches
5 x Blue Botia (who all hid in the stump of a tree!)

The tank has a 80% sand 20% gravel base (corner at filter has the gravel) and 5 pieces of wood of various sizes.

My question (yes there is one!) is can I buy another Pleco or 2 to share the bottom of the tank or would it be an issue!

I would also like to get a Pleco that at least show some interest in the algae. And does not hide all day (okay that may be asking for the impossible).

What would be your recommendations, bearing in mind that I live in the UK and only have my LFS and a few UK online stores to choose from!

Thanks
Jazz_UK

well, there are lots of good candidates... there are some questions though

are you looking for a pretty pleco or one that's just interesting looking? Some say bristlenoses are very lively in the tank, my experience is they hide as much as Queen arabesque plecos though...

Another would be, do you want a standard "pleco" body type? From what I've heard farlowella and sturisoma species seem to be fairly visible in the tank, if you can catch their camoflauge pattern on the driftwood.

Size would be an issue, for bigger fish, baryancistrus probably work best. For smaller the peckoltia and panaqolus species are good.

those are my ideas...

S.Allen - Thanks for your response. My main concern was that I was not overcrowding the fish at the bottom (1 pleco & 8 loaches), could I add another pleco (or 2).

Also the L264 seems peaceable with other fish, I did not want to buy another pleco that may be territorial & bully my current fish.

farlowella and sturisoma species - I have only ever seen these in one fish shop. They would not be my first choice, I guess that I am looking for the typical Pleco body type.

baryancistrus - The Gold Nuggets look great, but I have heard so many problems with them that I have been put off buying them.

peckoltia & panaqolus - Both of these have some great markings - Are they peaceable & easy to keep? And are they available in the UK?

They did have a male L264 in the LFS when I bought the female, would there be a problem having them both in the tank or would it possible mean that they would not hid as much?

Thanks in advance for your advise
Jazz_UK

Personally, I'd say its not overcrowded. but that's more of a judgement call than a set rule... But maybe someone else can give us their perspective.

the species I mentioned should be fairly easy to find somewhere in the UK, and possibly available for shipping. I dunno, I remember I had seriously considered bringing in L134 from the UK as it was impossible to find them here for a few years.

Hi,
You can buy the male L264 without problem and you will see them more during the day.As for the algae,the best solution is Baryancistrus because they are peaceful towards other fishes except for their own kind.
Hope that i helped a little.

Kostas - Can I only buy one Baryancistrus? as they are agressive to their own kind!

The L264 has gone from the shop so I will need to hunt around for another).

Thanks
Jazz

Hi,
That depends on the particular baryancistrus sp you want to buy.Some are just territorial while some are agressive.

Any Suggestions? What baryancistrus sp would be suitable?

Hi,
I would choose to buy two of one of the smaller baryancistrus sp like LDA33 or L81.

heh, I've got an L177, he's tiny still, got him at about an inch in length, now he's about 3, and has for some reason just hit a massive growth spurt... but he causes no trouble at all.

I"ve had only one other baryancistrus, a regular gold nugget, but it decided that my workroom looked so awfully interesting it'd go walking about seeing what fun it could find. of course since my workroom is not an underwater one, I lost him... couldn't find him till about a week later, my dog brought me a little green with yellow polka dot exoskeleton for a gift... I had only had it in quarentine for like 2 days before it left the tank though, so I blame it on exploring it's new habitat, not frailty or mental problems. I've just recently been hearing of things about baryancistrus being delicate... I'd never had that notion myself

Hi,
I agree with S. Allen,Baryancistrus are not delicate as long as you select a healthy spiecemen.
The only problem with the other baryancistrus sp is that they grow large and when fully mature need a tank at least 150-180cm.If you plan on getting a tank of that size in the near future you can buy whatever baryancistrus sp you want.They wont harm any of your fishes.