Fancy Plecs for Future tank

[Ismart120]

Ok,

Planning on my tank upgrade already - currently have a red spot severum and a EB jack demsey and a sailfin plec in a three footer tank but aware of the need to upgrade before they start feeling cramped, thinking around a Rio 300 (Four foot 350 litre) ish sort of thing at this point

But, when I do upgrade, I'm wondering what fancy plecs I could get if I were to sell the sailfin, more striking is the aim so have been looking around the zebra/magnum types a little but have no idea what will actually go with the cichlids safely. Size is only an issue in terms of not being eaten and not being too big

Other bottom guys are a group of angelicus loaches, maybe a red tail shark so would also need to fit it well with these guys

Tank will have lots of drift wood, and hopefully, will still be planted.

Thoughts and or suggestions?

[David R]

L128 or L200 Hemiancistrus are nice looking at won't outgrow your tank. Any Hypancistrus would work, though the loaches may out-compete them for food?

[Ismart120]

Excellent - with those, am I looking at just the one for that tank or could I do a pair?

And any ideas/tricks on how to not let the loaches out compete them for food? Without overfeeding that is...

The loaches are currently quite relaxed with food but all to aware that that could change with time

[flatfish]

The phantoms might work but they are rather specialised vegetarians and you'd have to be careful with feeding, same with gold nuggets or magnums. I agree Hypancistrus (king tigers, chocolate zebras) or big-band tiger plecos (Hypancistrus sp. L140) might be good options.

[Ismart120]

Awesome, thanks

The chocolate and big banded zebras are quite cool, and much more reasonably priced than the l046 plecos (Have you seen the prices for those??) - I'll look into those when I upgrade.

With these two, would one or two work in a 1.2m 350 litre tank? With NW cichlids that is.

[Li@m]

L046 go for $399 each and they won't get cheaper any time soon.

[rabid]

I have an l066 for sale 70$, bout 10cm, male.

[David R]

Phantoms and nuggets are omnivorous, I wouldn't be at all concerned with the feeding unless you're feeding your other bottom dwellers lots of meaty foods like shrimp or massivore. Much to the distaste of the purists I'm keeping L14, L128, L81 and L190 all in the same tank, and all are doing well on a mixed diet of mostly NLS plus Hikari wafers and veges once a week. Generally speaking "vegetarian" plecs (and fish in general) are rarely strictly vegetarian, most of the green stuff they eat has plenty of small organisms in it that make their diet more omnivorous. And often in the same sense "carnivorous" fish get a fair bit of green stuff in the gut of their prey, though with Hypancistrus I'm not sure if that would be the case. I'm not particularly familiar with their diet so won't comment, though I did see a thread recently on PlanetCatfish where they had been housed (and bred) in a large tank kept together with L190, so I would suspect a quality food like NLS would make a good staple diet for both species.

[flatfish]

Hi David, you're quite right in saying that vegetarian plecos are not completely vegetarian. However if the literature is to be believed then phantoms and gold nuggets are specialised Aufwuchs (algal biofilm) feeders in the wild, i.e. omnivores at the vegetarian end of the spectrum. I personally have no issue with you keeping those plecos together and you are feeding them a great balanced diet. However you could have problems if the protein levels are to high in what you're feeding (which i think you've mentioned already). I lost my large royal pleco a while ago and I suspect it was due to the wrong diet. Although I put plenty of green matter and algal wafers in the tank the royal showed a preference for Hikari carnivore tablets which I put in for the goldies and leopard cactus plecos. It would spit out the algal wafers and only eat the carnivore tabs. Its very hard to stop that from happening when they are in the same tank together. It died a few months later with a very bloated stomach. I have also seen a very skinny goldie pleco being kept with healthy royals which were fed largely a vegetarian diet. So its a balancing act if you want to keep largely vegetarian omnivores with largely carnviorous omnivores.

[David R]

You're indeed right it is a balancing act, and that is why I stay well away from any carnivore-specific foods like the Hikari sinking carnivore. The more reading I do the more impressed I am with NLS as an all-round food, I've seen large Panaques as well as Scobinancistrus [being kept by different people] thriving being fed a staple diet their sinking pellets. My fish certainly seem to be doing well on it, and I'm not even sure if I'll bother buying more Hikari wafers once this lot runs out.

[flatfish]

Awesome, thanks

The chocolate and big banded zebras are quite cool, and much more reasonably priced than the l046 plecos (Have you seen the prices for those??) - I'll look into those when I upgrade.

With these two, would one or two work in a 1.2m 350 litre tank? With NW cichlids that is.

If they have plenty of cover (bogwood, rocks) you could keep a small group of either species in a four foot tank. The key would be plenty of cover so they feel save and can hide from the stroppy cichlids and possibly your sailfin.

[flatfish]

You might want to keep feeding algae wafers as well. Your still dealing with mainly largely herbivorous plecos and your goldie will also eat a few. Good luck and keep us updated with pics of those cool plecos as they grow.

[camtang]

Is this the product you are taking David? http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-suppli ... afers.html

[David R]

I've been feeding them this; http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-suppli ... rmula.html

Several people on MFK swear by it for panaques, and coincidentally have had problems with Hikari algae wafers causing bloat in Panaques. They have less protein than the NLS, but they're main ingredient is "fish meal" which is nowhere near as good as the krill meal used in NLS (fish meal is a byproduct of processing fish, where as krill meal has the whole krill, not just the left overs).

I haven't seen the NLS wafers, might grab some to try next time I order.

[camtang]

I have been reading some of the talk on MFK, very interested reading. I have found that NLS cichlid is really well balanced so I am not suprised that this product is suited for many different types of plecos.

I might have to add some next time I get some cichlid formula.

[KrazyGeoff]

.......or big-band tiger plecos (Hypancistrus sp. L140) might be good options.

I thinks you mean Peckoltia sp. L140

.....more reasonably priced than the l046 plecos (Have you seen the prices for those??)

I know, only $400.00 each, how ridiculously cheap is that!

Unbelievable.

[flatfish]

I thinks you mean Peckoltia sp. L140

yes you're quite correct Geoff. Must have been having a blonde moment :lol:

[Mirio]

Where are Leopard Frog Plecs and Orange Lazer Corys at manggggg

[Rabbit]

Leopards are here and have been placed in the best hands.

[David R]

Fingers crossed eh! One species I'd love to get my hands on nearly as much as L46...