tom28

hey so im thinking of adding a clown pleco to my 20 gal tank. ive got 2 fair size peices of drift wood in there for it and three small java ferns. ive read that they dont just eat the algae on the side of tanks but also need other nutrition, ive read about wafer things but also that zuchinni and other veggies are good if you heat them up. is ths true and how often would i feed them this type of food? if anyone knows anything more that i will need to know to introducing the little guy to my tank please let me know since id like to have it all set up before i get one.

thanks tom

2lucky

Sorry to say that when fully grown clown plecos need at least a 29 gallon tank, so it would be fair to cram one into your 20.
But for the record, they do need driftwood to live happy, healthy lives. And give them food whenever the food you've put in has gone (replace rotting food) or if their isn't much algae about.

Hope that helps

Oh and if you wanted a similiar sort if fish you could give a bristlenose or any other small catfish a go...

tom28

alright sounds good, i like the look of plecos so ill clearly have to do a little more searching on something that will fit. thanks for the heards up

jdhef

I believe a common Pleco need something more like 55 gallons+

From what I understand, when feeding fish vegatables, you blanch them so they become soft then let them cool before putting them in the tank. (If I'm wrong about this, I hope someone corrects me!)

tom28

hey i acutally found this site which is pretty good .. http://www.planetcatfish.com/ and this link give specifics about which plecos to get for what size tanks... http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesw...article_id=170
it helped me out so hopefully will other people

tom28

...and for sizes and tanks sizes you can go to http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profile.html

mlfly

I added a Candy Stripe Pleco to a 29 gallon tank. He's happy and there seems to be plenty of food (I toss in a 1/2 algae wafer every night when the lights go out and remove in the morning when I turn the lights on). Max length is 5".

Spartman_1

[/quote](I toss in a 1/2 algae wafer every night when the lights go out and remove in the morning when I turn the lights on). Max length is 5".[/quote]

Removing the un eaten bit seems to be a pain in the tail finn - why not just let it get eaten? Seems to me it'd be eaten soon enough - but I lack experience to know any better. So that's why I ask.

gremlin

Or only put it in every other night or only put in 1/4 of the algae wafer. Is any of it eaten the next morning? If you can tell how much of it is being eaten, then you could only put that much of the wafer in.

g-g

a fully grown female clown pleco should reach 4''
males slightly smaller
they are small locariids. a 20 gallon tank could host one for sure in my opinion.
but, on another note, bigger volumes of water are much easier to handle and all catfish are gonna pollute your water much faster than most others due to the constant grazing and endless pooping. This will no doubt effect your nitrate volume causing fast increases, which would mean more regular water changes.

Its up to you.

Amanda

I have a clown & it is quite tiny.
I think it would be fine in a 20 gal, you'll just have to really keep up with water changes & checking the water parameters.

mlfly

g-g - Cory Cat's too? We were thinking of a school of 6.