Trying to decide on a pleco

[musilvr4eva]

I have a 93 gallon cube tank that I set up back in August. Currently it has a fire eel, ropefish, elephant nose, red tail shark, 2 bleekeri, 3 bala sharks, electric blue jack dempsey, jack dempsey, texas cichlid, 2 unknown catfish (one day I'll have time to get pics on here and find out what they are) and a white spot pike cichlid. Except for the eel and ropefish, no one is more than six inches. It's a live planted tank.

The issue I'm having is what kind of pleco to put in there. The tank has black sand and has two sides covered in a black background. I would like to have a pleco that is really gonna pop in the tank. Something with a lot of color. Size is not an option, so the sky's the limit. Any suggestions?

~Emily~

[robb harriston]

i love black sand i always use it myself. it makes the tank look so magical,and gives it a lot of depth.my favorite plec is p.nigrolineatus, but for more contrast i'd choose h.zebra,they would look killer on black sand. or try panaque sp.L397,the bright orange and black would really pop.or just go with a couple gold nuggets or blue phantoms. or any combination of these.a nice spiny cactus plec with bright red fins would also be nice.it really is just a matter of choice. the possibilities are endless.

[PlecoCrazy]

I think I'd stay away from the smaller pleco species such as hypancistrus with those large cichlids; especially a $150 zebra. I also think I'd stay away from Panaque's since they eat wood and will dirty the tank quite quickly. While 90 gallons seems like a large tank I think you've reached your fish limit on the tank quite a while ago. If i'd suggest something I think

L014

or

L114

would do good with the SA cichlids you have. I still must say I don't think you should add anymore fish to your tank.

[racoll]

I think I'd stay away from the smaller pleco species such as hypancistrus with those large cichlids; especially a $150 zebra. I also think I'd stay away from Panaque's since they eat wood and will dirty the tank quite quickly. While 90 gallons seems like a large tank I think you've reached your fish limit on the tank quite a while ago. If i'd suggest something I think L014 or L114 would do good with the SA cichlids you have. I still must say I don't think you should add anymore fish to your tank.

Wise advice...

[Richard B]

with the tough & predatory fish in there (if you have space to fit a plec) i would absolutely avoid smaller species like hyps & peckoltia. What is the surface area of the tank? You also need to consider if a plec can compete for food with what you have in there.

Leporacanthicus galaxias

Pseudacanthicus spinosus

Pseudacanthicus cf_leopardus

Might be suitable but consider the territory requirements of the bottom dwellers you have

[2wheelsx2]

Not trying to sound critical, but with all those big fish in there, isn't your bioload pretty high already? Do you want to increase it further with a pleco, which is a known high bioload generator? Not saying it's not possible or advisable, just wondering if you've considered that? My vote for a pleco would be an L114.

[musilvr4eva]

Yes, my tank is approaching it's limit, but as soon as I decide on a pleco, then anyone who is big enough is going into my 375 gallon, everyone is small though, for now, I promise. I know I should have given more precise sizes, but no one will hold still for the tape measure

I would love a zebra pleco, but the most I've spent on a fish was $60 for my blue phantom, and that was a big contemplating event as to spend that much on a fish. I want my blue phantom in the tank, but he's little. I've seen a couple of the suggested species at a pet store I go to, but they just haven't had the right one yet. I'm hoping if I can find one I love then they can special order it for me.

My tank is 30x30x25, so no one can get too huge, but if they do then I'll have room in the big tank, or any other of the fourteen tanks around this house.

I saw a couple suggestions with orange on the fins. Are they any with a lot of red or blue? My favorite color is pink, but I doubt there are pink plecos out there, sad.

Thanks for everyone's help so far!

~Emily~
musilvr4eva

[2wheelsx2]

L137 - red fin and blue eyes.

[L number Banana]

Can't advise on the fish but if you want pink, there's really nice pink granite rocks on the market that would look fabulous on the black sand and could make some nice hidey holes for fish that want a little security.

[Richard B]

Hi Emily

One of the albino species would be pink - like an albino gibbiceps which could move to the big tank later on

I think the bala sharks will quickly outgrow that tank too - these can get large & need swimming space & the fire eel can get huge too although quite a bit slower growing

[musilvr4eva]

I've thought about albino species. I have an albino chocolate and an albino longfin bristlenose, but they are either too big or too small to go in there.

I might just look into bright accent rocks, I could get some pretty pink, green and blue. EVERYTHING is ALL my tanks are natural looking, but pink quartz does indeed excist!

Are there any solid snow white plecos? Maybe it's the nine inches of snow outside my door talking, but snow white would be very pretty regardless of what color surroundings.

~Emily~

[2wheelsx2]

I might just look into bright accent rocks, I could get some pretty pink, green and blue. EVERYTHING is ALL my tanks are natural looking, but pink quartz does indeed excist!

If you wanted a natural gemstone scape, you could get all those colours. Natural Granite and Granodiorite are pink. Monzonite is salmon pink. For green, you'd have to go with Jade. Most other common green rocks/minerals would contain copper compounds. As for blue, you could go with sapphire! Seriously speaking, if you can find some sodalite, you'd have your blue rocks. None of those would be very natural on a lake or river bottom, but the elements would be natural though.