Aquariums and Fish Keeping

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Pleco advice (lemm.ee)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/aquariums

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Hi everyone! I have a 40 gallon breeder planted tank. Currently it has cardinal tetra, rummy nose tetra, peppered cordyora, a honey gourami, and innumerable blue cherry shrimp. There is tons of driftwood in the tank, and I think a pleco would fit in well. I'm kind of overwhelmed by all the different subspecies and varieties, wondered if anyone had some (smaller) plecos they've particularly liked and would recommend. And also best places to order them online, unfortunately our main lfs in the area closed and so it's pretty much down to petsmart and petco for local choices.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I've also got a 40 breeder with similar temperament of stock and added an L129 Colombian zebra pleco (Hypancistrus debilittera) in the last 5 months. It's a very beautiful fish, but it's very small and in a densely planted tank so sightings are rare. Most Hypancistrus should do really well in a 40 breeder as they are generally 2-4 inches. Bristlenose plecos would also be a good choice but they're kind of vanilla. You could probably find one at Petco.

Plecos are really popular fish to breed so I would see if there are any aquarium clubs or other fish dorks in your area you could contact. I've ordered online from local hobbyists with decent results. Aquatic Arts is also a store I've bought from with great results. One I've not bought from but am interested in is Dan's Fish. It looks like a well run operation and has tons of pleco variety. I'm a serial fish window shopper (in person and online) and Dan's really looks like a good shop. Great variety of all kinds of fish and has a lot of great videos on his YouTube explaining his fish and his shipping and keeping methods.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Thanks for the response and all the great advice!

[–] Broccoli 2 points 2 years ago

Yeah some zebras would be nice, but if you can't or won't pay that much, you can go for longfin bristlenose. I'd go with black, I have both black and albino, and the black one is the boss of the tank.