What would be a good pleco for a 20 gallon?

Question

I currently have a 20 gallon with 5 goldfish.
1 Black and Gold Oranda(Maurice)
1 Calico Shubunkin(Wrangler)
1 Black Comet(Leo)
1 Orange Comet- Long tail(Noena)
1 Orange Comet- Short tail(Sharky)
They are all about 2.5 to 3 inches long now.

My Comets will be pond fish and the fancy goldfish will stay in my tank for the spring, fall and winter, and spend summers in the pond.

I currently have no heater in their tank, and I was wondering what kind of pleco I could keep in the tank in the spring, fall and winter, but also keep him/her in my pond in the summer.

Please don't tell me about goldfish requirements, I am well aware and I have researched for about 3 months before I got my first goldfish. (comets)

Answer 1

Personally i would recommend getting a larger tank first. i have a 40 gallon tank and
1 Shibunkin
1 Comet
1 Baby Butterfly Koi
3 baby fantails
all 5-6+"
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and 2 BABY orandas 1.5-2"

and i have 1Common Chocolate pleco in that tank. the two BABY orandas are a new addition but ive had the pleco with the fish above for over 1.3 years now and he is VERY healthy and happy. so that would be my suggestion first is to bump up to a bigger tank.

as far as choices, you can go with the common pleco, a white chocolate albino pleco or a rubber lip pleco which is one of the smaller pleco breeds and would probably fit well in your tank permanently. the other plecos would do well to start in your tank and then be better for the pond in permanence as they do get big.
hope this helps. good luck with your tank. sounds like a fine set up.
just like i said, a larger tank for those fish would work better for everyone. i found mine on craigslist for $30 and it works fine.

Answer 2

Plecos are tropical fish and need good quality, warm water. They should not be kept with messy goldfish that appreciate cooler water. Goldfish will get sick and die in water that is too warm and the pleco will get sick and die if the water is too cold. People who say they are successful with this combination mean for a year or two or three, but these fish can live up to 15 years if they are not forced to cohabit with fish they are not really compatible with. No pleco should be in less than 30 gallons and the common pleco needs 75+. Also, plecos, goldfish, or any other fish do not "grow to the size of the tank." They only appear to because they die when they are overcrowded or in too small of a tank, but they continue to grow until they reach their maximum size or die.

Answer 3

Hi Fuzzy Pink Seahorse, I would advise you not to add a Pleco for a couple of reasons, firstly you are already pushing your bio-load into overdrive & risking meltdown with so many fish in such a small space so adding another fish will probably tip the balance. They do not eat poop & debris-they merely add to it. Getting one of these types of fish purely as a vacuum cleaner is simply an injustice both to the fish & his tank mates.

The other problem is compatibility-many Pleco type fish are habitually nocturnal & will get a taste for Goldfish slime coats leaving your stock vulnerable to all manner of ailments. You may not be aware of this problem for many weeks until it reaches very serious levels.

Answer 4

The only thing you could keep with them are panda cories, which like to have cooler water
I know none of the plecos which are coldwater




Hope that helps
Good luck


EB

Answer 5

Hmm... You'd likely be best getting a pleco for the tank and another one for the pond - unless, of course, you're living somewhere where it freezes in the winter. The problem with a pleco is that they're like goldfish in that they'll grow to fit the tank they're in. If you were to move him from the tank to the pond, you might find that he'd be a wee bit too big for the tank by the time summer was over.