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Suggestions in a box! Pleco species please

J

jamesb

Member
Joined
12 Jun 2012
Messages
226
Right I am getting serious plec envy now as I still don't have one and can never decide which one I like the most. I have a 1m long tank so I don't want anything bigger than 6" max size. I have a top 3 ATM but open to suggestions as there will be loads I have never heard/seen before

Flash
Butterfly
Gold nugget/orange seam (I know they are different but very similar looking hence I have them both in short list)
 
Chocolate zebra L270 (reasonably priced)
Leopard Frog L134 (getting very expensive)


The Gold nugget gets much bigger than 6" though? I also think that the Flash looks much better when younger and tends to lose it's colouring when getting a bit older.
 
It will depend on how the tanks is planned to be setup?.... are you using pressurised co2?, substrate?... etc.

Most plec species, well tbh no plec species would be suitable for a hightech pressurised tank but if conditions are altered slightly, some would be more suited than others.
 
any hypan stays small enough however as Jen says co2 + plecs is hard/crazy particularly with the more expensive L's
most are also veggies and take great pleasure in eating all your plants.

You could possibly get away with an L264 (or another carnivore pleco unfortunately most carni's grow large) as long as there's no co2
 
May have to reconsider then as Recently made tank hi tech with injected co2....:(. Do they cope ok with things like excel and easy carbo?
 
I don't see any reason why you can't have plecs. You just need to add extra surface agitation and possibly an air stone. Of course you will use more c02 in doing so but you can have high levels of both oxygen and carbon dioxide within water. Co2 doesn't mean less oxygen and infact a healthy planted tank during the day will have good levels through photosynthesis. The night time is probably the time whe youll need extra oxygen as the plants use it and produce carbon dioxide. If 02 is the main factor rather than c02 intolerance you can work round it if you want too.
Just my humble opinion.
 
the thing to remember is that most plecs come from quite fast flowing oxygen rich rivers with very little co2 and almost no plants most plecs for example are veggies so will devour most plants. the carnivore plecs tend to be larger (with a couple of exceptions). However most plecs also prefer slightly acidic water so co2 injection could work in your favour that way in lowering the ph some light the golden nuggets (almost all varieties of the gn) are extemely water parameter sensitive get it slightly wrong and you get dead fish.
 
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