Although my initial plans to have a Niki_up-style zebra pleco breeding tank aren't going to happen, I nonetheless will be getting a Colombian (L129) if I can find it for a reasonable price.
However, the conditions and tankmates (these listed in signature) that pleco will be living with may not be suitable. My questions, therefore, are the following:
-Since it's going to be a planted, brightly-lit tank, would I have to worry about it being too bright for the pleco?
-If so, can this problem be solved by arranging the plants and decor in such a way that there are plenty ofdark spots despite the bright light?
-Could the tankmates eat all the food before the pleco gets any? I am not concerned about the hatchetfish as they only eat off the top, but the 3 types of tetras concern me, as they eat the same meaty foods the pleco does, eat off all levels, and are very fast group eaters (like mini-piranhas, which makes sense).
The dwarf chain loaches concern me even more. From the little experience I have with them, even sickly specimens are fast and greedy eaters which eat to the degree of their bellies greatly bloating, and since they dwell in the same domain as the pleco they may be even bigger competitors than the tetras.
-If the tankmates turn out to be too much competition for food, could I put in larger pieces of meaty food (say: larger carnivore pellets or pieces of mussel) too large for the dwarf loaches and tetras to eat but sufficient for the pleco to rasp what it needs off?
As an example, if I'm feeding my 473 liter mussel, I could give a piece to the 110 liter and only feed it to the 473 once the zebra pleco has had some.
Thanks in advance for any help, as I don't want to spend a couple hundred bucks on a pleco that my tank will be unsuitable for.
However, the conditions and tankmates (these listed in signature) that pleco will be living with may not be suitable. My questions, therefore, are the following:
-Since it's going to be a planted, brightly-lit tank, would I have to worry about it being too bright for the pleco?
-If so, can this problem be solved by arranging the plants and decor in such a way that there are plenty ofdark spots despite the bright light?
-Could the tankmates eat all the food before the pleco gets any? I am not concerned about the hatchetfish as they only eat off the top, but the 3 types of tetras concern me, as they eat the same meaty foods the pleco does, eat off all levels, and are very fast group eaters (like mini-piranhas, which makes sense).
The dwarf chain loaches concern me even more. From the little experience I have with them, even sickly specimens are fast and greedy eaters which eat to the degree of their bellies greatly bloating, and since they dwell in the same domain as the pleco they may be even bigger competitors than the tetras.
-If the tankmates turn out to be too much competition for food, could I put in larger pieces of meaty food (say: larger carnivore pellets or pieces of mussel) too large for the dwarf loaches and tetras to eat but sufficient for the pleco to rasp what it needs off?
As an example, if I'm feeding my 473 liter mussel, I could give a piece to the 110 liter and only feed it to the 473 once the zebra pleco has had some.
Thanks in advance for any help, as I don't want to spend a couple hundred bucks on a pleco that my tank will be unsuitable for.
