Need advice on pleco mix

[JONP]

So I have a 75 gallon with about 30 yellow lab fry (under 3/4 inch) and I also have large common pleco (I think that is what he is) he is very wide and probably about 8 inches long now. I also have a green phantom pleco (5 inches) keeps to himself but eats the majority of the food in the tank. My wife for my 33rd birthday on Sunday bought a white spot pleco (3 inches) he stays hidden most of the time. When I brought my phantom home 2 weeks later my royal died. I don't that to happen again and I'm still not sure why he died.

Will he be suited to that type of environment along with the common and phantom? I have generally fed potato and squash to my plecos and they seem to enjoy it.

Will I continue to feed the white spot the same diet?

Any feedback is much appreciated....

 

[WyldFya]

The addition of the phantom and the royal dying is pure coincidence. I would consider removing the common, as they can be aggressive as they get bigger. The white spot however, is going to be hard to identify without a picture.

 

[JONP]

Cool, I'll take some pics tonight of all three. The Royal was my favorite fish in the tank and I was extremely disappointed that he died.

Another question: Could he have died due to the potato that I was feeding him? Once I fed him potato it wasn't but a couple days after that he was dead.

....and it is okay for me to pursue another Royal as he can thrive with both a phantom and a white spot pleco...

thanks wyldfya

 

[WyldFya]

The royal would have done well on potatoes, check the sticky for feeding info. I can't say whether or not the white spot will work with the royal, it is likely a carnivorous one, and royals don't do well on high protein diets.

 

[davo]

Cool, I'll take some pics tonight of all three. The Royal was my favorite fish in the tank and I was extremely disappointed that he died.

Another question: Could he have died due to the potato that I was feeding him? Once I fed him potato it wasn't but a couple days after that he was dead.

....and it is okay for me to pursue another Royal as he can thrive with both a phantom and a white spot pleco...

thanks wyldfya

Potatoes are a great source of food, great for roughage that Panaques need, will be good for other fish too. The whole mix would work out fine. I take it you have driftwood?

 

[davo]

So I have a 75 gallon with about 30 yellow lab fry (under 3/4 inch) and I also have large common pleco (I think that is what he is) he is very wide and probably about 8 inches long now. I also have a green phantom pleco (5 inches) keeps to himself but eats the majority of the food in the tank. My wife for my 33rd birthday on Sunday bought a white spot pleco (3 inches) he stays hidden most of the time. When I brought my phantom home 2 weeks later my royal died. I don't that to happen again and I'm still not sure why he died.

Will he be suited to that type of environment along with the common and phantom? I have generally fed potato and squash to my plecos and they seem to enjoy it.

Will I continue to feed the white spot the same diet?

Any feedback is much appreciated....

Do you feed anything besides veggies? Your white spot (depending on species) will probably like some meaty foods and your phantom would certainly appreciate it too. This mix will work fine, including mixing a common (of whatever species) if you have the space and the amount of retreats necessary. Remember to always check your water conditions, it'll be a reasonable bioload with all the plecos, especially as they grow larger. Oh and with the potatoes, as mentioned in the dietry thread, make sure you wash them well (I even soak mine for a small period) to leach out some of the starch, it isn't good for water quality.

 

[JONP]

To answer some of the questions above:

I do have driftwood, a lot too
I feed brine shrimp 2 - 3 times a week
I change 20% weekly

I will put pics up tomorrow night, maybe tonight if they will come out.

Thanks again,

 

[davo]

Plecos can be territorial, so having decorations is a good thing to break the tank up into areas and having lots of caves and retreats will also bring down levels of agression... if of course you have any in the first place. Look forward to some pics

 

[WyldFya]

To answer some of the questions above:

I do have driftwood, a lot too
I feed brine shrimp 2 - 3 times a week
I change 20% weekly

I will put pics up tomorrow night, maybe tonight if they will come out.

Thanks again,

You might want to look at some more green food. I'd look at either zucchini and/or HBH veggie wafers.

 

[davo]

Plenty of food ideas in the dietry thread sticky