# Finding the right Pleco



## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

so out of interest of not stunting anymore large fish...
What pleco can I keep in a 15 gallon tank who will reach full size and not be stunted due to the small tank.

I have this problem with quite a few of my fish. Including a CAE.
who i have only recently switched from my 5 gal.

Optimally, i'd want to buy the pleco as a juvenille and then have him grow in my tank. as opposed to buying the adult version. which are larger ( and more expensive)


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## Acipenser (Apr 21, 2010)

if your having algae issues why not consider some flying foxes. they stay pretty small are quite active and eat algae .


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## ncutler (Apr 26, 2010)

Bushynosed/Bristlenose Plecos are the primary ones to look out, they max out at about 5" But even them might get stunted in a 15G.

Otocinclus would be your best bet for your tank, they only get to about 1.5".

Siamese Flying Foxes (aka Siamese Algae Eaters) can get up to 6" and need space. Be careful about Flying Foxes, they are very similar, but do not eat much algae and can be quite aggressive.


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## beN (Apr 21, 2010)

id say ask charles for the best pleco that you could keep. his knowledge on pleco's is very good!


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

ben_mbu said:


> id say ask charles for the best pleco that you could keep. his knowledge on pleco's is very good!


Yeah, ask Charles or 2wheelsx2 (Gary) He is a good reference for pleco info.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

for a 15g, keep 1-2 bristlenoses to grow up. Sell them when they are bigger. Then repeat the process again. Adz has many plecos babies for you to choose from. They are most likely a better choice for you.

But before adding fish, you should properly cycle your tank first.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

got any species that i won't have to sell.?
what do y'all think about this
http://www.bigalscanada.com/Features/Articles/data/fancyplecos.html


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Yeah, Charles - what do you think ????


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

In a 15 gallon long term, with other fishes, nothing but otos will fit. They all get too big. I have a 15 gallon that I keep tetras in and grow out my BNP's. Once they get to a certain size, into the 125 gallon they go. It's pretty easy to overwhelm the bio-capacity of a 15 gallon with a full grown pleco unless you are able to achieve and maintain a delicate balance. If this tank were for plecos only, then sure, no problem, but with a heavy bioload already, impossible.


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

I would agree that Oto cats are the best bet. Although Bulldog or Clown Plecos do a great job and stay quite small. Clowns are omnivores as well so they need Bloodworms etc occasionally but both would be fine in that size.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> In a 15 gallon long term, with other fishes, nothing but otos will fit. They all get too big. I have a 15 gallon that I keep tetras in and grow out my BNP's. Once they get to a certain size, into the 125 gallon they go. It's pretty easy to overwhelm the bio-capacity of a 15 gallon with a full grown pleco unless you are able to achieve and maintain a delicate balance. If this tank were for plecos only, then sure, no problem, but with a heavy bioload already, impossible.


So BNP won't reach full size in a 15 gallon?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Edarion said:


> So BNP won't reach full size in a 15 gallon?


No, you misunderstand. The problem is that it will and will produce a lot of waste. It'll be 4 - 5" fully grown and consume a lot of food and poop a lot.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> No, you misunderstand. The problem is that it will and will produce a lot of waste. It'll be 4 - 5" fully grown and consume a lot of food and poop a lot.


ok. so it won't be stunted, but rather reach full size with a large waste output. Couldn't I just use a better filter then to take care of the waste.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

No, the boload remains inside the tank and has to be transported out via water changes. Filtration only converts ammonia and moves the detritus to the filter, but remains in the system. At some point in time it'll overwhelm the filter. It's better to get a fish more suited to the tank than trying to fix a problem that's not fixable. If you want more/bigger fish, get a bigger tank.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

ok so as long as I do frequent water changes. I fix the problem... that's easy enough. 


2wheelsx2 said:


> No, the boload remains inside the tank and has to be transported out via water changes. Filtration only converts ammonia and moves the detritus to the filter, but remains in the system. At some point in time it'll overwhelm the filter. It's better to get a fish more suited to the tank than trying to fix a problem that's not fixable. If you want more/bigger fish, get a bigger tank.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

To a degree, but at some point, such as people who put Oscars in 33 gallon tanks, the amount of ammonia overwhelms the filter and the filter cannot keep up with the bioload and now you no longer have nitrate, but free ammonia and nitrite in the tank, which is toxic at very low levels to fish. It depends on what you are willing to manage. 50% wc a week? 50% 3x a week, or 50% every day (like some discus keepers).


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

I'd be willing to do 50%/ week or 50% 2-3x a week. 
Wow. i wouldn't imagine doing a 50% water change every day. what dedicated people!


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

bump ttt. any further comments?


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## Adz1 (Apr 21, 2010)

you could always just get a bigger tank
like say a 55g ideal for what you are trying to stock in a 15g.


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## DR1V3N (Apr 22, 2010)

Edarion I tried putting a juvenile pleco in a tank half the size of yours to give it a better chance to grow out. It's like they said, the bioload is surprisingly huge! Within a day my sand looked like mixed gravel as the poop almost coated the bottom. I had an AC20 in that tank and as good as bacteria is, the load was just to much to handle. If you're dealing with limited space you could also consider a cube or tall tank although plecos as adz1 told me enjoy a good footprint with driftwood (being a must).


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## Smiladon (Apr 23, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> No, you misunderstand. The problem is that it will and will produce a lot of waste. It'll be 4 - 5" fully grown and consume a lot of food and poop a lot.


agreed! they are master poopers! so be careful not to add too many. 1-2 should be good, but IMO you should stick to 1 BNP


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## snowflakie (Apr 22, 2010)

Yea, plecos poop all the time. I have a 16gal with two ottos in it and they do a WONDERFUL job. Seriously, get those. try to get nice big fat ones too, better chance of survival


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

LOL but Otos don't grow to be all nice and everything.


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## j2daff (Apr 21, 2010)

although others have said it already... If you are really determined to have a Pleco, it would be best to get a bigger tank. You could probably get away a BNP as Juv but if you have other fish in the tank as well not once it nears adult size.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

Lol. you havn't talked to Eternity302 yet.
It seems like everyone has a different perspective on stocking fish.
And in that case you should check out my other thread.


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## CloudySky (Apr 22, 2010)

In the interest of finding you a good sized pleco, I came up with the Columbian Zebra. I know it grows to a max of around 3 inches - however, as I'm not familiar with them, does anyone know if they can be kept in a small tank?

On another note, the fact remains that stocking fish at levels greatly beneath the recommended parameters is very difficult. You are risking your fish, and even if they do stay alive, it's very difficult to keep them at a decent level of health. For a reference to a person who, as far as I know, has kept fish healthy at high density look up Peterchow. He keeps discus at one per 4 gallons? (somewhere around that), and has some experience breeding them as well. However, he does 80% percent water changes per DAY.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

Peter Chow. is he the same guy on youtube that makes the jokes?

http://www.youtube.com/user/pyrobooby

I'm thinking that if i keep on overstocking eventually i'll figure it out maybe???


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

Edarion, too keep over stocking fish tank, you need some experience. You have to be able to spot problem when it first occurs. I don't think you are at that level. Really, take people's general advise. They are offering nothing but helpful information.

I have kept over 1500 fish, tetra + cory + plecos at one point in my 125g. Will I ever tell ppl to do it, no. But I have enough tank to spread the fish around if I need to. And I am pretty good and keeping them alive and be able to spot problem when it occurs in the early stage.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

True, I agree. and the only way to get this experience is to test water parameters and stuff like that. which i'm doing


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## ibenu (Apr 21, 2010)

This thread has run its course, you have have lots of suggestions you can refer back to as well as the other thread you have running regarding this tank, Good night and Good luck!


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