PlanetCatfish.com

Okay folks, here's the set-up. Through some minor misfortune I have managed to gather about eighty dollars in store credit at a nice auqarium store. And, I will be in need of an attractive pl*co for my new tank. The list of requirements are as follows:

Care: Hardy, I don't want anything too senseitive to water parameters. I've kept a rhino, butterfly, clown, and a couple of Medusa bristlenoses in the past in a similar tanks.
Tankmate: One oscar
Job: general clean-up, scraps from oscar feeding, algae control, I'll feed veggies and sinking tablets as well.
Appearence: decorative, I know a common or a rhino would do a great job, but I'm looking for something a little more colorful
Size: oscar-proof, not huge, no sailfin gibbi's

The tank is a 55 and will have a Tahitian Moon black sand bottom and a large driftwood piece, some artificial plants (siliconed to the bottom, oscar-proof, heh, I hope), and eventually some live Java Ferns and Java Moss. Filtration will be handled by a wet/dry trickle system.

So, what do you suggest? The shop should be able to order just about anything so let your imagination run wild. Well, wild up to fifty bucksd or so.

Thanks for the help, folks.

No suggestions?

Far too broad of a question...

What are you interested in?

What is available to you at this particular store? Unless the shopkeep is willing to share his wholesale list (not likely) you/we have no way of knowing what may be available to you.

Try to narrow it down a bit. I have my personal "Wish List" of fishes, but considering I have been looking of some of those species for over ten years, that wouldn't do you much good. Besides, if you happened to get Hemiodontichthys acipenserius on my recommendation before I can find them, now that would just tick me off now, wouldn't it!

Cheers,

I realize you don't want somethign huge and ruled out a Gibbi, but you say you have an Oscar, how large is the Oscar, you need to have a fish at least half the size of the Oscar or else the Oscar will damage it.

A Gibbi is great for growing large and eating Algea, but since you don't want one, I can only suggest off hand after browsing the cat-e log a Scarlet Pleco. They grow large enough for the Oscar to not have problems with it and they look very nice. According to its feeding habits it doesnt say much about them eating algea though. And they can grow up to 18" large.

LDA33
Baryancistrus sp. (Polka Dot Pleco); Brazil; 15.0cm; Temp 23-27degC; pH 6.5-7.5

Very good Algae eater, Not shy and good looking to boot! Place some algae wafers or Plecomin tabs in tank, any time during the day, guaranteed he/she will be out and about having a munch or two. Also likes plenty of wood and regularly found cleaning leaves and wood. He/She is a better tank/house cleaner than me!

sodapopdima wrote:A Gibbi is great for growing large and eating Algea, but since you don't want one, I can only suggest off hand after browsing the cat-e log a Scarlet pl*co. They grow large enough for the Oscar to not have problems with it and they look very nice. According to its feeding habits it doesnt say much about them eating algea though. And they can grow up to 18" large.

These guys are almost 100% carnivorous. Also, getting one at a decent size (say over 6 inches) will run well over $80 in most LFS.

Rusty

Just looking for suggestions, if the store can't get one of them, I'll try the next. I don't have the oscar yet, and will be buying small. Here's my list thus far, feel free to add and point out pros and cons:

L190, Royal Pl*co
L200, Lemon Spotted Green Pl*co
L168, Buterfly Pl*co
Rhino Pl*co
L021, Common Pl*co
L083, Sailfin Gibby

No particular order on those. I don't really want the Gibby because of the size potential. I don't really want the Common or Rhino because I would like soething with a little more color. However, the Rhino is on my short list because several oscar owners have recommended this fellow. Please, make suggestions, point out potential problems and advantages. The tank is still cycling so I've got some shopping time on my hands. Thanks for your help.

You are most likely going to pay more for the catfish than the Oscars and unless you are getting some expensive oscars you may want to change your way of thinking slightly as well, in my tanks it's the cichlids that do the cleanup work, you have to make sure the catfish get enough food as the cichlids usually will eat everything in sight before the cats get much of a chance, even at night it does not take much light for the cichlids to be able to see and they can learn there is a treat coming when the light go off, you should give the cichlids time to settle down before feeding the catfish.
As for a choice, personal taste goes a long way in this but I would reseach the Royals.

Yeah, I knew the pl*co would be more costly than the oscar. Especially given that oscars are easily bred in captivity and some pl*co's just aren't.

Interestingly enough, I have read accounts of the Royals being good tankmates. People have reported success at algae control with them, despite their appetite for driftwood. They are first on my list of possibilities for decorative species. They are relatively inexpensive, large enough to be oscar proof, and quite attractive, IMO. Still, the wooden diet has me concerned......