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Ok I'am getting a 55 gallon tank for Christmas(hopefully) and was wandering what can live Plecostomus?
Angelfishes?

Imo a 55 gallon isnt a proper tank size for a plecostomus (if you mean commons like Liposarcus e.a.)...and most 200 litre tanks arent high enough for angels imo. I had a grown P.scalare in my 240 litre 50 cm high and it looked a bit cramped...

There are many varieties of plec that don't get over 5"-6". You can put just about anything size appropriate for the tank in with them. IMO Angels would be okay for a 55g. You will end up only being able to keep one in there unless you have a pair.

You will end up only being able to keep one in there

You advise to put 1 angelfish in a tank? imo thats nonsense...

Caol_ila wrote:You advise to put 1 angelfish in a tank? I.M.O. thats nonsense...

You advised none. That's even more nonsense....

The reason I said what I did is because I just recently had to separate two male angels who could no longer co-exist in the same 55 gallon tank together. They were starting to fight very bad.

Barbie wrote:Whoa... I've kept 4-5 angels in a 55 gallon at times, yes, having to remove the mated pairs to tanks of their own, but its not a situation where it "can't" be done. The 4 foot length, I.M.O., gives the fish enough room to get away from the pair that wants to spawn. The odds aren't good you'll raise any fry that way, but as far as just keeping them, I guess I must have just had amazingly good luck with mine or something People will have different experiences. Saying that you "can't" do it, rather than telling about your own personal experience is a recipe for misunderstandings, I.M.O..

I started w/4 in a 55. 2 paired and I moved them to a 29. The other 2 started to fight very shortly after that (they were about 3.5"). I agree I should have said "may" or "might".

Barbie wrote:Telling someone their post is nonsense is also both rude, and not required. Hopefully you'll both see my point on that one. Barbie

I apologize for retaliating against "nonsense". 2 wrongs don't make a right.

I saw an Angelfish with a Rubbernose Plecostomus(in the same tank).

well, rubbernoses aren't really hypostomus species if you're looking for a pleco in general that will live in a 55 there are many... just about anything on my site except the L014, L114, the royal, or L025, would do fine in a 55 gallon. any peckoltia, hypancistrus or panaqolus species should be fine, some baryancistrus would fit. Panaque, hypostomus (with a very few rare exceptions, only one I know of), scobinancistrus and such are gonna get too big. If you have your heart set on a common pleco then you're gonna have to get a bigger tank.

Besides, rub bernoses are happier in a tank with a strong current, which angelfish will not like.

Silurus wrote:Besides, rub bernoses are happier in a tank with a strong current, which angelfish will not like.

Well they do live in the slow-moving waters of Amazon.

*sigh* the amazon river drainage runs the whole spectrum of water types, the one you're considering is from the higher elevations where water moves much more quickly. For instance... rio xingu, which the fish you've got in your signature, comes from



Rio Madeira at Teotonio rapids, where many pims are caught, including M. tigrinus


Many places in South america have very fast moving water, in fact many plecos use their sucker as a method of staying still in incredibly turbulent water.

Pics from a Brazilian fishing site http://www.balaio.com.br/pesca/pesqueir ... ueiros.htm

But if you bother to check in the cat-e-log, you can see that they're being collected in a small brook that'd be moving pretty good.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/lo ... /407_f.htm

Not to hijack the topic. But if you are interested, that is me lifting the rock and Jools placing the net under the stone (catching Chaetostoma). Jools and I in action!
-Shane

Nice pics S.Allen!!

pics aren't mine, I've never been south of Nogales, Mexico. They're from that brazilian fishing site. They also have information on how to angle some of our favorite tankbusters, if you run it through alta vista's portugese to english translator.

I think that a 55 is too small for the fish that is sold as "Plecostamus" in most stores. To get a good Pleco for a 55 I'd definitely look at the more specialty (read: expensive) Plecos, or other related fish like Loricaridae and Hemiloricaria. The whiptail cats are cool looking and do very well in community tanks. The problem with the standard Pleco is they get big...really big I've seen them at over a foot long.

If you have a LFS that buys fish back you can have the plecos that get larger. Buy them when they are smaller ( and cheaper) and sell them/ trade them in when they get too big for your tank. My LFS here is always on the lookout for large plecos in any type.
The only problem is letting go. I mean you build up an attachment to the fish. At the same time though the empty nest feeling can be filled by putting in a couple new small ones. Or you can upgrade to a larger tank size to accomodate the fish when it gets too big. I have barbs and danios in my tank along with a mix of gouramis and a couple goldfish. They all seem to get along decent with my sailfin, bristlenose, and common. Though occasionally the sailfin will tease the goldfish about trying to get his algae flakes.

Well, the fish you're keeping together aren't exactly the best idea in the first place... goldfish and tropicals are best kept seperately.

And your LFS is different from mine, Trey takes in the grown out fish, but he's currently wasting a 180 on oscars, pacu, tinfoil barbs and common plecos that no one wants. I'd definitely check to see what the market for the fish is locally, cause here you can't give away a foot long common pleco, much less and 18 incher. If there's a market then it's great, if not, don't burden your LFS with a fish because you wanted it. I was in an LFS a few month ago and heard this conversation and it took all my patience not to grab Axelrod's atlas off the wall and beat this guy stupid (stupider I suppose is the better term, if possible) with it.

"So you can get me a baby nurse shark, huh?"
"Well, yeah, we can order one, but they get really big."
"Then what, I just sell it back to you guys when it's too big for my 55?"
"Uh, no... I don't know anyone in state willing or set up for an adult shark of that size."
"So what do I do with it then?"

Don't be that guy... Cause next time I might be in a bad mood.

I agree with Scott definitely ask a fish guy (who works there) at your LFS if there's a market for large Plecos. I worked at a store here and they will still take and sell large Plecos, Oscars, Tinfoils...etc, however they will not buy them. They realized that people were actually making money raising and selling back these fish that don't have a large resale market. If you've got a 55 look for Plecos that stay smaller.