Starting a Pleco tank...

[ricomambo]

I have become very interested in Plecos and have set up a new tank yesterday now going though the cycling process. I have a few questions with people who have similar tanks...

What is the ideal temp?

With or without gravel or sand?

Can I mix with clown loaches?

Background color - black or blue? Will it affect the color of the Plecos?

How often do I feed them? Planning to feed NLS, algae pellets and cucumber/zucchini.

Thank you!


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[Rotaryp04s]

I keep my temp at 80 degree.
What ever your taste is for substrate is, I like sand and fine gravel. Food dnt fall threw
the crack as easy. Pleco like to dig a ditch where thiy will live with big gravel it harder for them
To dig.
Yes CLs and pleco are fine together. Too much bottom feeders and you have traffic.
With proper care your pleco color will pop with or with out background.
I feed my pleco 3 times a day sometime more. morning, when I get off work, and right befor I go to sleep.
It the same with most fishes. Hope this help
Zucchini sometime like a treat.

 

[Jc1119]

Alot may depend on the species you want to keep but 78-80 is probably a good happy medium. L46 and L14 prefer higher temps closer to 88 and some species prefer it a little cooler but the middle would suffice for most. Some prefer very high water movement as well....

Mine eat Xtreme pellets and cat scrapers, zucchini, romaine and the occasional market shrimp. They eat at least once a day and zucchini usually last 2 full days before it's completely eaten. Mine seem to prefer sand as a substrate with rounded rocks and wood for cover and rasping.

I've noticed no real difference in background affecting the colors, but the substrate seems to have an effect. Black sand and dark rocks seems to make them darken, or blend. Lighter colored PFS seems to make them brighten up a bit.

Buy a good gravel vac lol. Awesome fish to keep but they are crap factories like no other.

 

[Recumbent]

What is the ideal temp? Most of my pleco tanks are 76 in winter and 80F in summer.

With or without gravel or sand? I do bare bottom (can clean 15 tanks and change 1600 gallons of in 6 hours)

Can I mix with clown loaches? Yes

Background color - black or blue? Will it affect the color of the Plecos? Light level not color of background impacts color but I like back.

How often do I feed them? Planning to feed NLS, algae pellets and cucumber/zucchini. I feed once a day just before lights out except fry get 3X a day. NLS and spirulina exclusively.

I over filter, have lots of water movement and change about 40% of the water a week

 

[ricomambo]

I appreciate all the feedback. For some time, I thought Plecos like cooler water so I got the tank set at 76 right now. Will bump it up to 78, seems like a safe average.

I moved the 3 Plecos I have to the new tank. Did a 50% water change and transferred some existing water from my other tank. Also added water conditioner plus moved some pebbles, rocks and driftwood from a 6-year old tank to the new tank. All media being used are from existing filters.

Here are some pics of the new inhabitants - the first pic was taken from the bottom of the tank which is bare. Pls help ID as I don't know what type they are.

Thank you!


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[Recumbent]

One is L56.

 

[Linus_Cello]

Hopefully someone with Panaques can weigh in, but I've seen warnings about mixing Panaques (e.g., royals) with more carnivorous plecos (or clown loaches). The issue is that when you feed Panaques (which have a gut for more herbivorous foods) meaty foods, it can cause problems for them such as bloat. Yes, in nature the Panaques will eat larvae and crustaceans that live in the algae, but overly meaty foods (like shrimp) can cause long-term or acute problems. (You can even have similar problems with carnivorous hyphancistrus; some folks keep L134 with their discus as both like really warm water; however feeding too much beef heart, great for discus, can lead to problems for L134).

Looks like you got an L52 (butterfly pleco)? If it is, as you may have seen, it can change color. On black gravel, the pleco turns grey and black. I think it looks prettiest on green or brown, and then it almost looks white and black. Something to consider on gravel and background color.