Went to the LFS today to buy some plants for my tanks and also got a little clown pleco they had. Quite pretty with his tan stripes and the owner said it would get 4 - 5 inches max. Just wondering if anyone else has one of these also? I had 2 bristlenose plecos before, but both of them unfortunately didn't make it:( Iam hoping to do better with this one and would like to know if they have any special requirements or anything I should know about. Also once its quarentine is down I wanted to put him in with my 2 Orandas. Will it get along ok or will I have problems as it gets bigger?

I'd love to hear a reply to this as well. My lfs suggested clown plecos as a good algae eater for a goldie tank. (though he did say I should keep the tank species-only-- which was impressive to hear)

Anyone had any experience with this one?

(oh, and does it eat algae or just a bottom feeder?)

hi my lfs wanted me to get a clown too!!! anyways they both grow to about the same size about 6 inches for them both. they eat algae from the side of the tank and will also need special plec food if there is no food around. bogwood is also needed as they like to munch on that. they also need places to hide, such as caves. they need a tropical temperature of around 24 degrees centigrade.
i got a hong kong plec instead as it only grows to 4 inches.
there are people who advise against any plec or catfish small enough to get in to the mouth of your fish as the spines will get stuck in the mouth. always make sure the plec is a lot bigger than your fish. and, never buy a common plec.

hello

We have a clown pleck in with my gf, and as far as I can tell he is a model inmate. He tends to lie dormant all day, and will ignore the rest of the tank, but come evening he becomes more active. When he's out and about he's a very handsome little fellow, he's also an algae eating machine, which is great1

Main probs I have found is that he is hard to spot on the gravel, and liable to get investigated by nosy fish, but they appear real wimps, and tend to run away if approached. Also, we feed him and our bristlenose on sinking pellets, and the gf tend to gobble them up before the catfish get to them. We get ropund this by using a hollow pipe to drop the food into, so we can aim it into the lair where the clown likes to hide out. This is a: practical and b: highly amusing, as some of my more stupid fish tend to aim for the food and swim straight into the pipe

I got a clown pleco recently and I love him. He seems to be a really good tankmate. He hides a lot so a place to hide seems to be pretty important.

Slim will sometimes poke around near him and he'll rush away. But I'm not even sure Slim realizes it's a fish, he blends so well with the gravel. He seems to making some progress on the algae, at least in some of the more sheltered/remote spots of the aquarium. I think everything is still new for him as every day he comes out a little earlier in the day and a little more in the open.

So far it's been a good match. B)

My clown pleco does pretty much the same thing, hiding during the day and coming out at night. I just moved him to my main tank, so he is still getting using to everything and staying hidden most of the day. My two orandas don't seem to mind him, if they even know that he is there yet, lol.