Pleco suggestions?

[xFl]

Hmm..I'm looking for a small Pleco to keep in my 46 gallon..Any suggestions?? I'm thinking of something that stays around the 5'' ish range, & does well in a community..

[CRS Fan]

Bristlenose are the most popular choice. But there are many others. The king tiger babies that mykiss are also very cool. Charles will chime in before you know it.

Best regards,

Stuart

[xFl]

can be smaller too. I'm liking the look of the king tigers

[2wheelsx2]

You have a lot of choices depending on the setup of the tank and tankmates. BNP's as CRS fan suggested, are great for most tanks, but there are many many plecos that stay < 5" and you can spend a fortune on some really exotic ones which may even make you a rich man if bred. What's the temperature/pH of the tank and what else is in there or do you plan to keep in there? What kind of substrate/planted/non-planted? Are you after something different, or just something to eat algae?

One thing to remember is that most plecos are actually that great at "cleaning", but generate more waste than clean, with a few exceptions like the BNP's.

[xFl]

My tank is a planted, stays at 6.0 PH and 28 C..so far, I've got a schoal of neons, a trio of GBRs, a pearl gourami, a betta and two khuli loaches. haha it would be nice if he "cleaned", but it's not an absolute necessity, I'm not out to hire janitorial staff XD.

[beN]

talk to charles ..he will give you great advice.

[2wheelsx2]

My tank is a planted, stays at 6.0 PH and 28 C..so far, I've got a schoal of neons, a trio of GBRs, a pearl gourami, a betta and two khuli loaches. haha it would be nice if he "cleaned", but it's not an absolute necessity, I'm not out to hire janitorial staff XD.

In that case, you have a lot of choices. You can have a look at my pleco thread for some pics of my favourites. The fish which are ominvores and carnivores probably suit you a bit better so your plants won't be disturbed. Besides BNP's, you can pretty much include any of the Hypancistrus (all meat eaters). You can go from L201 (fairly cheap) to L066 (moderately pricey) to L046 (really pricey). You can also have the smaller Baryancistrus species like the L239 (blue panaque which isn't really a panaque). Smaller pekoltia like the L134 (Leopard Frogs) are certainly very attractive enough.

Some of it comes down to if you like black and white, multi-coloured, spots or stripes. In your situation, I would suggest having a BNP or two, maybe even the rarer albino long finned or calico long fins, as there are local breeders and they will be cheaper than buying from a LFS or mail order, and then having a small school or L340/L201/L066/L046 etc. I think the contrast would look great in a planted tank.

[budahrox]

In that case, you have a lot of choices. You can have a look at my pleco thread for some pics of my favourites. The fish which are ominvores and carnivores probably suit you a bit better so your plants won't be disturbed. Besides BNP's, you can pretty much include any of the Hypancistrus (all meat eaters). You can go from L201 (fairly cheap) to L066 (moderately pricey) to L046 (really pricey). You can also have the smaller Baryancistrus species like the L239 (blue panaque which isn't really a panaque). Smaller pekoltia like the L134 (Leopard Frogs) are certainly very attractive enough.

Some of it comes down to if you like black and white, multi-coloured, spots or stripes. In your situation, I would suggest having a BNP or two, maybe even the rarer albino long finned or calico long fins, as there are local breeders and they will be cheaper than buying from a LFS or mail order, and then having a small school or L340/L201/L066/L046 etc. I think the contrast would look great in a planted tank.

Wow!!
Great advice!!
Cheers!!

[Adz1]

In that case, you have a lot of choices. You can have a look at my pleco thread for some pics of my favourites. The fish which are ominvores and carnivores probably suit you a bit better so your plants won't be disturbed. Besides BNP's, you can pretty much include any of the Hypancistrus (all meat eaters). You can go from L201 (fairly cheap) to L066 (moderately pricey) to L046 (really pricey). You can also have the smaller Baryancistrus species like the L239 (blue panaque which isn't really a panaque). Smaller pekoltia like the L134 (Leopard Frogs) are certainly very attractive enough.

Some of it comes down to if you like black and white, multi-coloured, spots or stripes. In your situation, I would suggest having a BNP or two, maybe even the rarer albino long finned or calico long fins, as there are local breeders and they will be cheaper than buying from a LFS or mail order, and then having a small school or L340/L201/L066/L046 etc. I think the contrast would look great in a planted tank.

Gary sure does know his plecos.
great advice.
i have Long fin Red calico BN if you are interested.
shoot me a pm we can talk..

[2wheelsx2]

Just filling in the space until Charles chimes in...he's really the master.