Poll - Do you own a pleco?

Do you own a pleco?
If so, are you happy about it?
What type of pleco do you have?
Do you think they are good to keep or not?

 

I own one, yes. But, honestly, I'm not sure what he does.

I only ever see him in two places, and then he is sucking on the glass. I'd get rid of him, but my girlfriend likes him.

 

I have a common pleco. I love him, and he keeps my tank very clean. I think plecos are awesome.

 

I have a chocolate pleco.

He's OK, but in my opinion, plecos are not all they're cracked up to be as far as algae cleaner-uppers/ tank cleaners. Seems to me they produce more waste than they clean up, and they just get too big for most tanks anyway. Otos are like a tenth the size of a pleco and do a better job on keeping a tank free of algae.

 

I'm getting a pleco. ;D

 

I love my plecs. They make me think of prehistoric creatures. I have three different kinds of bristlenose, a Rhino (Glyptoperichthys scorphus), an albino P.pardalis which is going to live at Dinos forever and ever because he is getting so big
Carol

 

I have one in my tank, he does a great job cleaning my tank. I haven't seen a spec of algae sense I put him in there. He's about 3" now, he was only about 1.5" when I had him in the 5 gal, but he seems to be growing in the new 10 gal tank. I just hope he doesn't grow to be 20" like the one I saw in the local pet store. If you guys want a pic I can get one for you guy, if he's still there.

 

I have a BN. He has done a wonderful job of cleaning up brown algae from my 55 gallon. He does pump out a lot of waste though. He is a poop machine!

 

we don't have any yet, but are on the lookout for a breeding pair of L046s.

 

we don't have any yet, but are on the lookout for a breeding pair of L046s.

I hope you have recently become independently wealthy. Would love to have some but they are out of my price range

Carol

 

I plan to have a bn for my 73 gallon when I finally get fish in it its been months dam high nitrite

Peace Out Callum!

 

we don't have any yet, but are on the lookout for a breeding pair of L046s.

I hope you have recently become independently wealthy. Would love to have some but they are out of my price range


Carol

lol.. well, it's a dream.. and they're such cute little pleco babies.. it would be great to do a successful breeding of them.

And a newbie question (for i'm still that! ) What is a L046s? I'm guessing its a type of pleco but i've googled it and its bringing me a whole lot of books!

 

plecos are not all they're cracked up to be as far as algae cleaner-uppers/ tank cleaners. Seems to me they produce more waste than they clean up, and they just get too big for most tanks anyway. Otos are like a tenth the size of a pleco and do a better job on keeping a tank free of algae.

this is what I think about plecos, i've had/have bn, albino bn, and a regular. currently switched over to all otos tho.

 

And a newbie question (for i'm still that! ) What is a L046s? I'm guessing its a type of pleco but i've googled it and its bringing me a whole lot of books!

check out planet catfish. L046 is the designation for a Zebra Pleco. They easily sell for $200 or more each. .

 

Oh zebras!
Yep i'm keeping a lookout for them too! Though they are bound to be much cheaper here. My lfs don't sell small fish expensively for some reason, and they get small ones. They had something like the zebra plec when I asked them but this one instead of having white stripes it had tanish stripes.

My common pleco sleeps or stays in one place most of the time then after a while goes on a cleaning spree and polishes the tank spick and span. The leopard stays on the anchor all day and moves around soon as I switch off the light. The tanks stays clean btwn the 2` of them, however I'll trade in algy soon....
I LOVE both guys!

 

yea.. there are so many types of plecos!

 

For the first time since I have algy I saw him actually sucking algae! Anybody ever saw how they do it? Its interesting to watch, it goes sort of like 'scrub, scrub and a long brush'! Its really cool to watch! I can't get what's with him, he was always quiet when the lights are on now all of a sudden he eating algae in front of me! I think maybe his jealous over The other plec!!

 

For the first time since I have algy I saw him actually sucking algae! Anybody ever saw how they do it? Its interesting to watch, it goes sort of like 'scrub, scrub and a long brush'! Its really cool to watch! I can't get what's with him, he was always quiet when the lights are on now all of a sudden he eating algae in front of me! I think maybe his jealous over The other plec!!

yea, it is cool how the eat. I love watching algae eaters and the different ways they eat.. plecos, shrimp, otos, etc.. and maybe algy is jealous or he wants to be sure he's not getting a pink slip.

 

Do you own a pleco?
If so, are you happy about it?
What type of pleco do you have?
Do you think they are good to keep or not?

well they are HUGE waste producers so I would stick with cory cats even though I still own my pleco

 

cory cats don't do a lot on algae though.. of course a lot of dwarf plecos don't either.. otos & shrimp or algae-loving plecos are the best for algae-control.

 

I recently got a new "pleco" if you could call it that, it is a long forgotten L species that look very much like whiptail cat's but aren't quite, the mouth and armour structure is different. Anyway, for the amount of time I have had him (yesterday) he is the most active "pleco" I have ever had, though he has trouble turning himself around so he curls into a ball and drops from the glass sides.

I used to have a common pleco in a 10 gallon tank, he would flip upside down, horizontally to eat the flakes off of the surface of the water. Strange little feller.

 

I recently got a new "pleco" if you could call it that, it is a long forgotten L species that look very much like whiptail cat's but aren't quite, the mouth and armour structure is different. Anyway, for the amount of time I have had him (yesterday) he is the most active "pleco" I have ever had, though he has trouble turning himself around so he curls into a ball and drops from the glass sides.

I used to have a common pleco in a 10 gallon tank, he would flip upside down, horizontally to eat the flakes off of the surface of the water. Strange little feller.

That's interesting! Never heard of a pleco that can flip backwards and eat the flakes!

 

what L number is that pleco? he sounds pretty cool.

 

I used to have 3 common plecs, including a lovely one who was out ALL the time, but I gave them away for lack of room. Now we have this strange one. Leopard pleco I think. Very pretty. I loooove plecos. Shame they're such sh** machines!

 

Yea its a shame. But I guess if you stock your tank with mostly low waste produces there's a chance it might be possible to keep them with other fish, at least i'm trying it out!

Is there some site where I can learn the " L numbers" to match the plecos?

 

planet catfish are pretty good with the L's and latin and common names.

 

I just recently got a pleco. I love the little guy. He is all over my tank and is very happy and active. I have a bristlenose pleco. They stay pretty small which means you can get more than one.

 

Congrats on the bristlenose. Definitely on my shopping list.

 

Congrats on the bristlenose. Definitely on my shopping list.

I have 2 really good I can';t find them half the time lol

Peace Out Callum!

 

Oh, are they shy, then? I was hoping for a BRAVE pleco!

 

Oh, are they shy, then? I was hoping for a BRAVE pleco!

no not really but there always sucking onto something mines only a 1 inche they are really cool I would suggest one but they do produce a lot of waste I have a gold spot and kinda looks like a sailfin (I think and wish) and one that is just noraml I will post pics later for u to have a looksy

Peace Out Callum!

 

Oh good. I've had some common plecos and a couple were really daring and the other half were painfully shy. We've got this leopard pleco now and he's ALWAYS hiding. It's a pain.

What pleco doesn't produce a lot of waste is what I tell myself. The gold spots don't eat algae, do they? I think only the common and the bristlenose do among the larger plecos.

 

Oh good. I've had some common plecos and a couple were really daring and the other half were painfully shy. We've got this leopard pleco now and he's ALWAYS hiding. It's a pain.

What pleco doesn't produce a lot of waste is what I tell myself. The gold spots don't eat algae, do they? I think only the common and the bristlenose do among the larger plecos.

I dunno i'm not even sure its a gold sopt

Peace Out Callum!

 

Gold spot just as in gold nugget?

My leopard plec comes out sometimes to suck the glass most of the time at night even though the tank light is on but sometimes like now he comes out during the day too.

 

We need to remember to keep an eye out for him at night.

 

maybe a moonlight setup for the tank would be a cool way to watch the plecos and make them feel more at ease?

 

I wouldn't know how to have a moonlight setup. Am no good at lightbulbs and that sort of stuff.

 

I wouldn't know how to have a moonlight setup. Am no good at lightbulbs and that sort of stuff.

would any local shop be of use to you? did you ever hear back from DFS on ordering from them?

 

No, I"d sent them this whole order list, but they never really got back to me.

 

I remember on another site this guy set up an amazon biotope with BN and royal panaques and they only came out at night so he used 1" pvc pipes in his canopy and drilled holes in the sides and set in blue LED lights at a 45 degree angle and that caused the most realistic moonlight effect I have ever seen, rather than justfrom above or the sides it was from all around.

I don't know what L number mine is, all I could find out is that it is a long forgotton L number, probably too well forgotten. Now he has calmed down a bit more and enjoys schooling with my otos until I try to take a picture, then he bats away the otos, a true camera hog!

My common pleco always was a strange one, I raised him from about 1/4-1/2 inch baby to a 7 inch gentle giant. He wouldn't eat anything under water, he ate duckweed, floating zuchinI and flakes off of the surface and he swam with my barb school.