What Kind of Pleco Should I get?

[negative_tea]

I Just recently bought a sene Bichir that is currently only about 3 inches and happily living singularly in a 25 gallon tank while I am letting my new 55 gallong set up. The new tank should be ready in the standard three days. I would like to get a Pleco but it would have to be able to stand the heat necessary for the dino eel. The tank has lots of driftwood and hides. So, I think that a pleco would be very happy in there. The thing is, the people at my LFS weren't very helpful in explaining the differences between the different types of Pleco's. So, what I would like to know is what specific type of pleco would be best with my Sene. I would like them to be long term tank mates if possible. So, he would need to grow at a rate relative to the Sene and I would prefer if I could find one with a similar lifespan.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[negative_tea]

I guess it would be good to note that my tank is HEAVILY Planted with sand as a substrate and river rocks placed about the driftwood.

 

[jclyde13]

Most people recommend against keeping plecos and bichirs together (plecos are notorious for sucking on the slime coats of ganoid scaled fish like bichirs and gars), but since I have been keeping my senegal with a pleco for over a year without any problems, I'd recommend either a gold nugget, or a green phantom.

 

[joecoulson]

This kind:

 

[jclyde13]

This kind:

That is a common pleco aka Pterygoplichthys pardalis, they will easily grow to over 20", which is far too large for a 55 gallon.





And to the OP: If you do buy a pleco, be sure and do plenty of research on whatever species you choose before buying it, and be aware that plecos create a very large amount of waste and need to be fed driftwood (which is a must for most species), vegitable matter, and/or algae disks. The lifespan of a pleco (as with any other fish) will depend on how well it is cared for. The maximum lifespan of most fish over 6" is well over a decade, but they are not by any means guaranteed to get anywhere near that age.

 

[negative_tea]

Most people recommend against keeping plecos and bichirs together (plecos are notorious for sucking on the slime coats of ganoid scaled fish like bichirs and gars), but since I have been keeping my senegal with a pleco for over a year without any problems, I'd recommend either a gold nugget, or a green phantom.

Wow, I'm glad I asked before I bought one my LFS said they would be fine together.

 

[jclyde13]

Wow, I'm glad I asked before I bought one my LFS said they would be fine together.

Well, sometimes they are fine together (as in my case). I think usually when a problem occurs, it is because the pleco is being housed with many bichirs, so it is constantly surrounded with them (resulting in constant interraction between the pleco and bichirs), whereas when a pleco is kept with only a single bichir, the only time they interact is when one happens to be in the same area of the tank as the other, so if the pleco does try to suck on the bichir, the bichir can easily escape. This is just a theory, though, I could be wrong, but I know I'm not the only one who has been able to keep a pleco with a single bichir.

 

[Allan01230]

Look into an L-114 pseudacanthicas leopardus. This pleco will max at 10 inches and is a carnivore. Carnivourous plecos do not seem to go after a fish's slime coat. Just understand this pleco will not touch algae. They are gorgeous though.

 

[Warborg]

Yes stay away from a common. I would think a bristlenose may be something to look into. To my knowledge they are pretty good at leaving other fish alone.