im looking at getting a pleco not sure if its a sailfin or gold or whatever. im wanting to purchase a 4ft tank thats about all that will fit in my room at the moment. what do i need to have/need to accomidate a pleco? i wouldnt mind sand instead of gravel for the bottom. would that be ok? also what other fish can i put in with it? or what fish i cant? thanks for your time.Troy
what size tank and set up for a pleco?
- Thread starter Troytroy
- Start date
Well the tank size you need really depends on the exact species of pleco you purchase do to the fact of such size differences . find out the scientific name or at least the common name and try to do some research before you buy it . Some plecos can grow to some impressive sizes and take different food requirements. I cannot come even close to telling you anything acurate from "sailfin or gold or whatever" , but i am no expert either. If it is a marble sailfin(gibbiceps) it has the potential of 18 inches i do believe.
I think you'd be safe with a 4' 120 48"x24"x24" this would accomodate all but the most ]V[onster pleco, they do fine on sand, they like a lot of hiding places, as for diet this varies from species to species, but it's mostly veggies, some require wood in their diet. There's a ton of good information in the stickies here http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=123
They produce a great deal of waste, and you'll have strings of poo all over your tank, so good filtration is a must!
As far as fish you can keep with them, just about anything.
They produce a great deal of waste, and you'll have strings of poo all over your tank, so good filtration is a must!
As far as fish you can keep with them, just about anything.
I agree with Frosty; the 4ft 120 is the best 4ft tank to go with. Sand vs gravel is not much of an issue as long as the gravel is not jagged. Know that large plecos = large amounts of stringy poo which will sit on top of sand and be unpleasant to the eye. Make sure you have a lot of filtration to help with the waste.
ive never had a pleco have a problem with any types of fish, my only problem has been having a cichlid being mean to my pleco so ive had to move him. if you are breeding fish though, dont have a pleco in the tank because they will try to eat the eggs.
that pleco can grow pretty big(around 12" I believe), but a 120 should be fine for it. Frostyone is right, check out planetcatfish.com. I have sand in with 2 plecos. One of them being a royal pleco, the poop king of the pleco world. you will have to experiment a bit but with proper filtration and water movement(i.e. powerhead) you can keep the waste to a minimum. I have two ac110 that create a rolling effect with the water that pushes the waste to the back wall of the aquarium where the uptubes for the filters are. I plan on adding a powerhead on the side shooting across the back wall to help push the waste into one corner. I plan on putting gravel in that corner for the waste to get trapped, then in theory I should only have to siphon the one corner. Overall I am pleased with my sand with my plecos just have good current with no dead spots.