I need a pleco for my 20 gallon long tank. This tank has my female and baby guppies in it and I have 4 cories on the way as well. I need something small and inexpensive and hardy. The only thing at our LFS is common plecos so I'll probably have to order from a fish farm. Any suggestions?
I'd go with either a clown pleco (which you'll never see once you put it in there) or Otos. Bristlenoses get a shade too big to be really comfortable in a 20 gallon, and Bulldogs like cooler, fast flowing, highly oxygenated water (much like hillstream loaches, really).
If you can lay hands on them, I've heard really good things about pitbull plecos, which are closely related to otos but 2 to 3" long - just right for a 20 - and algae eating fools.
Were it me, I'd skip the otos if the tank weren't planted. But then again, if it were me, I'd skip the tank if it weren't planted.
Ottos, I have noticed, like their privacy. Nothing gives that to them like masses of soft, feathery plants. Dwarf gouramis are pretty fond of plants too.
Perhaps I should pass up getting something since this tank isn't planted. I like keeping it fairly open so I can see and monitor all the babies. I have 5 bandit corys and I have a few hiding places for them . Maybe it would be too many fish that wanted hiding places if I put something else in there. Thanks for all your help though. I guess I better invest in another magnet cleaner for this tank.
I would still consider getting the otos as I have kept them in planted and non-planted tanks with the same success. Mine won't use my plants to hide but prefer to hide in small ceramic caves. A school of 5-6 of the would be fine in the tank and will never hurt the other fish or fry.
I am curious why you feel the NEED to get a placo?
We love our Clown Pleco, he is small and he DOES come out of hiding! I can usually see his little tail wagging behind a log. Also, we just added a Rubber Pleco which has a very different attitude than the Clown so far - he darts all around and tries to stay hidden. Good luck.
Well, I did decide to not get anything but I'm still having an algae problem so I decided to order 6 Otos for the tank. In this tank I only have a few baby guppies and the 5 Bandit Corys. I'll add a few more decorations in there for them to hid in. This will be my first time ever owning Otos so lets pray I don't goof up. Thanks for all your help!
Nuthin but luck to ya. Get some algae tablets and keep some zucchini and some banana on hand. Ottos will sometimes (usually) eat those if no algae is available.
Thanks everyone for all your help. My 6 otos arrived in the mail yesterday. Tough little buggers as they arrived in 104 degree heat. They all looks great and have settled in nicely. I love how small they are and they are very cute. I'm hoping they will work out just perfectly. Thanks everyone for all your advice.
I got them from Corys R Us. www.corysrus.com and they are Otocinclus affinis. I didn't realize there were different species of them.
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