It is necessary to have a pleco in an aquarium? I think yes because it keeps the bottom and walls clean, but my boyfriend disagrees. Which one of us is right?
2006-11-09 01:30:33 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
Plecos are only a good idea if you have a large tank, since they can esily get 24 inches long. I like to keep them myself, they are wierd looking fish, and they do a great job when they are tiny, once they get to the 10 inch mark they usualy give up on the alge and go strait for the fish food. I have snails and a cory fish in my tank now for my clean up crew.
2006-11-09 02:46:55 · answer #1 · answered by pharfly1 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
My opinion is that plecos are way to messy... In my tank they created more of a mess that what he cleaned....
You only need plecos if you have algae.. If you have live plants and have the lighting that keeps'em going.. then you will have algae in your tank... and thats where the pleco comes in...
I don't like plecos so i got 6 otto cats(otocinclus catfish) ... They are just like the pleco but 1-2" long.... they eat all the alge and are not as messy as the pleco... plus they are pretty cute.. hard workers...
If you don't have live plants and you just want your tank to be clean from extra food that falls to the bottom... get some shrimp.. I got two and every night the bottom gets a tune-up... all the extra food gets eaten... I don't now how they do it.. but those guys can eat!!.
Experience have shown me that women are always right.. but for this time you can listen you your boy...
2006-11-09 09:45:07 · answer #2 · answered by Ricky 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
No, your boyfriend is correct. They don't really clean the bottom, they crap too so they actually add to the mess. If you have excess food on the bottom after you feed your fish then you are feeding too much. The algae can just be wiped away so you don't need one for that either. Oh and depending on what type of pleco and what kind of fish you have the pleco can actually kill the fish.
2006-11-09 09:34:54 · answer #3 · answered by Nunya Biznis 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Sorry, your boyfriend. Pleco's can be helpful but only if you have green slime algae in your tank. They are not scavengers like some other members of the catfish family. So they will not automatically go after fish waste and leftover food. For that you should get fish that like to forage like loaches, guppy's, corydoras, or depending on what other fish you have some types of shrimp for your tank. One nasty habit of plecos is if there is no algae for them to eat in the tank they may start to go after the slime coat of your other fish!!
2006-11-09 09:41:17 · answer #4 · answered by midraj 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I bought two plecos three weeks ago, since then I have not seen them but I have not had any algae since. I used to clean the glass two or three times a week.
wanna buy a magnetic algae cleaner?
2006-11-09 11:24:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think your boyfriend is right. It might clean some parts, but it also add a little more mess (because it is a fish too and it eats as well) so, but, if you want it that badly, go ahead. But I advise you not to do it. You`re just going to waste money.
2006-11-09 09:42:31 · answer #6 · answered by Cloud 9 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Plecos are a necessity or algae eaters, scraping the algae off your aquarium walls can force it down under the undergravel filter and add to the problem of bloom. Let the fish keep the tank healthy as much as possible. As to waste, any fish you get adds to the waste and ammonia problems of a tank, some more and some less. one small pleco will add less than one goldfish. stay with the smaller breeds of pleco don't get a black or royal as both will require no less than fifty gallons at full growth ( has a 32 inch black pleco) and as they mature they need more to eat then algae ( I feed mine lettuce or Broccoli).
2006-11-09 09:50:21 · answer #7 · answered by knight_in_burntarmor 3 · 0⤊ 5⤋
depends, some fish will eat algae. snails suck in my opinion and i cant have a pleco in my aq. so im stuck cleaning algae once every other week or so. get a placo but get one that will grow well with your aq. yes it will crap just like any other fish but it serves a pupose as well. or dont if u dont mind scraping algae.
2006-11-09 09:41:32 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
its not necessary, becouse there is other kinds of fish that will clean your tank...but if you do put one in, I suggest using big gravel. They have a tendancy to get the small gravel stuck in themselves, which in turn kills them. I have had them grow to over 12 inches long using the bigger gravel
2006-11-09 14:46:45 · answer #9 · answered by crusherlord 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It isn't necessary but it helps to have some sort of algae eater in the tank to eat the junk.
2006-11-09 09:52:06 · answer #10 · answered by Gone fishin' 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋