Good cleaning (fancy) pleco

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Ahh here we go with the condescending answers. I'm here for informative purposes, not childish answers. Unless you're under the age of about 16, these answers are not necessary.

wingate2581;2987774; said:
Answer #1: TONS

Answer #2: Mag Float and a little elbow grease

Answer #1 states absolutely nothing, whether it be informative or jokingly, it does neither. Answer #2 is exactly what I am not looking for. I clean my tank every week, and I am pretty aware of the tools needed to do so.

bigfishsmallpond;2987897; said:
fish dont clean tanks
peeple clean tanks

False statement. Fish can do some cleaning in tanks, and some people truly do not clean their tanks.

I'm not looking for a fish to clean my tank so I can sit back and do nothing. I am actively involved with my tank on a daily basis. I like plecos. I already have a fancy one in there. I would like to have another, but would also like to have one that cleans up the tank some. Which is the reason why I asked the question I did in the first place.

Thanks for all who give good honest answers and I am still looking for any more input that can be helpful.

-- Thank you
 
As far as "cleaning" plecos go, BNs are a safe bet. If your tank is kept at "subtropical" temps, I'd go with rubberlips. If you want a fancier BN, try Calicos. I keep one and it's a stunning male. I'll post pictures if I can get a good one. He's out a lot, but active.
 
Oh yeah, back on topic...my L264 is not the 'cleaning' type from the looks of it (hes a hider). Have only had it since Wednesday though...
 
ahodge84;2988148; said:
As far as "cleaning" plecos go, BNs are a safe bet. If your tank is kept at "subtropical" temps, I'd go with rubberlips. If you want a fancier BN, try Calicos. I keep one and it's a stunning male. I'll post pictures if I can get a good one. He's out a lot, but active.


What are we considering subtropical temps? My tank sits at about 82 F. I looked into all that everyone suggested so far. Most were too aggressive... especially the gold nugget. I liked the looks of the L264 but it supposedly is too aggressive towards other bottom dwellers. It seems like the bristlenose is the best so far, unless my waters classify as subtropical, then I will look into the rubberlips. Anybody else wanna chime in on this?
 
hcky4206sic6;2988477; said:
What are we considering subtropical temps? My tank sits at about 82 F. I looked into all that everyone suggested so far. Most were too aggressive... especially the gold nugget. I liked the looks of the L264 (? can't remember if that was the number of the last one suggested) but it supposedly is too aggressive. It seems like the bristlenose is the best so far, unless my waters classify as subtropical, then I will look into the rubbernose. Anybody else wanna chime in on this?


I suppose that I meant approximately room temperature for "subtropical," mid-70s and below. Such species would typically be Asian and South American mountain stream types. 82 is definitely tropical - look into Calicos, IMO. They are "fancier," but still very affordable. Gold Nuggets aren't really cleaners, IMO.
 
Agreed my L18 doesn't clean. My L200 does its best for a fancy pleco. I had fuzz on my anubus and my L200 cleaned it off (though it did leave a couple of holes in the leaves). If you have been having a lot of cleaning issues have you checked your phosphate levels recently? That was why I had some algae issues and now its under control and I dont have to clean the glass nearly as much!!

btw I have yet to notice any aggression between my plecos
 
ahodge84;2988488; said:
82 is definitely tropical - look into Calicos, IMO. They are "fancier," but still very affordable. Gold Nuggets aren't really cleaners, IMO.

I think I will be looking into thses guys... haven't seen them in my lfs, but he will get them if I want them and if he can get a hold of them. There is another lfs that has them usually, but their tanks are nasty. I can wait to get one frome the other guy before I stoop to the dirty tank fishies.

abarilot;2988530; said:
Agreed my L18 doesn't clean. My L200 does its best for a fancy pleco. I had fuzz on my anubus and my L200 cleaned it off (though it did leave a couple of holes in the leaves). If you have been having a lot of cleaning issues have you checked your phosphate levels recently? That was why I had some algae issues and now its under control and I dont have to clean the glass nearly as much!!

btw I have yet to notice any aggression between my plecos

I haven't had much of a cleaning issue really. I have had more algae than normal accumulate on my glass. I don't really know what is causing it... I am told it is natural with live plants being in the tank. But I don't have a kit to check phosphate levels. I am not even sure what sort of effect phosphate has on a tank... could you elaborate? What do you do to control phosphate?

Though aggression is a big thing to turn me away from getting a fish, the size is another. Gold nuggets get gigantic from what I've seen. I may have the room for one in there... but not looking for something like that just yet. They're awesome looking, but I think I'm gonna stray from them for the time being.
 
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