i allready have 6 black neons 1 snail and 3 corys and i am wondering if i can get a pleco or any other fish its a 20 gallon tank with filter heater and lots of hiding places
2007-09-23 15:59:56 · 5 answers · asked by rob s 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
These would be compatible with plecos, but I would suggest that you be cautious with your choice of type. Common plecos can get 18 inches long, which will be too big for your tank. There are some species (bristlenose, rubbernose) that will stay smaller (about 5 inches), and these would be more suitable for you, unless you plan to upgrade to a larger tank in a few years.
2007-09-23 16:23:27 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you can, assuming you take good care of the tank and the water quality.
Both neons and corys do better in larger numbers than you have. In fact, if you're interested in seeing your corys spawn, I suggest having 6 of the same species. Assuming your 3 corys are of the same species, you could get 3 more and see them be more active and likely spawn, too. (I breed corys).
The neons (tetras) do better in larger numbers, too, although 6 is fine. Another small schooling fish would be nice, like rasboras, which are also peaceful and very pretty. Or any other small tetra.
You could also try some marbled hatchetfish which stay small & are very peaceful, and are really fun to watch, especially, if you can feed them some live flightless fruitflies, which will float on the top and the hatchetfish will nab.
The pleco will likely get too big for your tank, and they can be hard to keep fed with enough algae. In my experience, I'd forget the pleco - they usually get too big or die for inexperienced aquarists.
I've successfully had - in a 20 gallon tank - 6 marbled hatchetfish which mainly stay at the top, 12 peaceful schooling fish that mainly stay in the middle (raspboras and various tetras, my favorite being the cardinal tetra) and 6 corys at the bottom.
As an aside, forget getting a Chinese algae eater, in case the store tries to sell you one. They get huge and aggressively territorial (just learned that lesson the hard way myself).
Another option would be to add some guppies, but be prepared for a gajillion babies that will be too fast for your other fish to eat - meaning you'll have to buy another tank with a fish to eat the extras, or find someone who wants them for feeders. Babies are fun, though, if you haven't experienced that yet. They're very peaceful, though active all over the tank.
Another easy fish which is almost too active for me, is the mountain minnow. Very hardy, but all over the tank - mine were too hyper for me, but they're pretty and hard to kill.
Enjoy your tank. Sounds like it's going well for you so far.
2007-09-23 23:21:07 · answer #2 · answered by Ms. E 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
None of those will pick on a pleco. I doubt the pleco will pick on them either. Double check with the person at the pet store.
2007-09-23 23:06:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are compatible, and a pleco will be fine.
2007-09-25 15:29:42 · answer #4 · answered by pat c 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it would be better if you get a school of otocinclus catfish because these are smaller algae eaters.
2007-09-27 17:39:29 · answer #5 · answered by Chris 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋