Iron waffle

They have some dwarf plecos at my LFS (don't know what kind, completely black). I was wondering if plecos would be ok with a sand and gravel substrate, some driftwood and some plants. How fast do they grow on average? Will they eat shrimp pellets? Do they get along with keyhole cichlids, cories, glowlights, gouramis and kuhli loaches. sorry for all the questions, i'm quarantining my fish right now in 3 tanks.

Laelanna

Hmm. I'm not aware of a small breed of a black pleco. I would be concerned that it might not be one of the smaller breeds. Other than that, I do not see any issue with the substrate. Some plecos need driftwood to keep healthy. All like it to hide better. Same with plants. The plecos I have had generaly eat anything. I believe there are a handful out there that are vegetarians, but most are omnivores. You should mix in some veggies occassionally. I've heard sqaush and cucumbers are faves.

Definitely double check the breed of pleco. That may be one of the types that can get 36 inches on you quick. The growth rate really depends on the tank and conditions, but they can grow quickly if conditions are good.

Amanda

Make sure that they are actually dwarves! Check what kind they are. Plecos do well in most substrates, sand included. Depends on the type of pleco - they eat different types of food. Clown plecos eat driftwood. Bristlenoses eat veggies & algae. Medusas eat a meatier diet.

clinton1621

Plecos in general get along fine with almost all fish, with the exception of some of them and discus (they like to attach themselves to discus because discus are large and flat)

The sand may cause some irritation to plecos if its not extremely soft sand... they are considered scaleless and abrasive/sharp objects can injure them

I would make sure that they are REALLY dwarf plecos and research exactly what kind they are for yourself.... some plecos grow to almost 2 feet in length while others stay around 2 - 3 inches

Driftwood is a must with plecos, they need it for shelter from light, a place to rasp(suck) and they actually eat it a little as it decays.... the larger plecos tend to uproot plants, so if you want to get plants you should only get ones that are not soft and easily torn up (if you get cichlids you wont be able to keep plants anyway as they like to try to eat them)

Plecos do not consume a lot of algae despite being called "algae eaters" ... its more of a supplement... they need a good staple food, sinking pellets, algae wafers, and even lettuce or watermelon are all good foods for them

Iron waffle

the guy said they were dwarf plecos, they were labelled assorted dwarf plecostomus and he said they grow 4-9 inches, he even showed me a full grown one. they had clown plecos, bristlenoses and that black pleco the only difference is that they were only $4 and the others were $15.

mathas

I don't know that I'd call a 9 inch pleco a dwarf

But the answers to just about all of your questions in the original post depends on the species you're talking about. You can either get a random pleco from the assorted grab bag and hope it works out, or you can buy a specific species and meet its needs.

And for the record, don't assume anything is true just because a salesperson told you so, unless you have a lot of confidence in him. He could be telling you they're "dwarf" plecos because that's what his distributor said and he doesn't know any better, or he could be trying to move some inventory.

Barbrella

Even if these plecos are dwarfs, you need to know what kind they are. Some plecos are vegetarian and others are strictly carnivorous.

Driftwood and sand is fine. Most Dwarf pleco varieties will not harm plants and would be fine with the fish you have.

You can go to the following website and try and find the fish you think is at your petstore.


www.planetcatfish.com

Iron waffle

It looks like this one, except slightly darker( could also be because it had subdued lighting) They are on special!!Only 3 left!!!

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...?species_id=82

PetSmart

First thing I thought was Vampire pleco, but that could just be because mine is only 8 inches compared to a 30 inch common I have.
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/pleco/vampire.php
Pretty sure you'd notice the spots....and the price.