Hi

I've noticed a few people seem to have plecos on this forum. I googled them and found out they are bottom feeders (and some look so pretty!).

Do you put plecos in with goldfish? Why?
Do they need heated water?

Just curious!

My plec i think is actually a Hillstream loach, not really sure. it was sold to me as a Butterfly Plec, but i don't think it is, could be wrong. it seems to get on fine with my fish, just gows about its business cleaning the glass. it changes colour also, itf its sat on light coloured things its a light rown with brown spots, if its sat on dark things its like black with stripes. really strange, but they dont like sudden changes in the water.

i am sure someone else can give you more info than me, i havent had mine for very long.

Plecs are good at keeping the algae under control, but dont get the common plec. Its fine while its still young but as it grows it becomes more and more aggressive as its diet changes to a more meaty one. They can also grow to 3 foot in length but the usual is around 18 inches.
The hillstream/butterfly plec that claire has likes a really cold water tank with plenty of fast moving oxygenated water and prefer to live in small groups.
Most hardy plecs such as the rubbernose and bristlenose do well with goldfish as they dont grow too big and can take sub tropical temperatures.

thank you for that info sandy, i was planing on getting another one when the ick has cleared up in the tank, which i do not know how it got in there. theres a lot of bubbles in the tank, an tends to hide away all day til night time.

So if there's not much algae in the tank, there's no use in getting one?

im not sure about that one, i just wanted something different!! anyway is 1.15am and time for bed.

No hon, lol! You can still have them if you dont have algae! Just buy algae disks! The goldies might like them too! And I recommend people still give their plecos disks even if they DO have algae, just to make sure they are getting all they need.

And DRIFTWOOD!! Driftwood is a MUST if u have plecos. It's like their 2nd primary food after algae.

Hmmm..I think it would be fun to get a little pleco eventually...on closer inspection of the tank there is a bit of brown algae.

And driftwood would look pretty in the tank

i was feeding the algea disks, but then my my big fish, coco decided it would be rather fun to eat a whole one, and got it stuck, alot of chokin ltr, i think he/she must have swallowed it, so i dont put them in anymore. i have a piece of driftwood, which the plec loves and alot of plants.

I have a Blue Eyed Plec which had been co-existing swimingly (yeah, bad pun) with my gold fish until the last few days when it started to become aggressive with them. So I've now had to put him in his own tank. Some sites say the Plecos are docile and some say they can become agressive as they get older. I guess mine decided that after 9+ years he was getting older!

I can sure vouch for that! My husband picked up a 400 litre 2nd hand tank yesterday, along with gravel, rocks & plants which were in a seperate bucket. I slung the gravel back in the tank and merrily filled the tank with FREEZING cold water via the hose pipe, whilst adding boiling hot water to get it to a reasonable temperature - and as yet no water conditioner. Then my little boy says "Mummy, there're some fish in there!" And sure enough there are 3 bristlenose plecos!!!
They must has been buried in the bucket of gravel when the tank was emptied, just before my husband picked it up! Good job I decided to fill it straight away, but it was a bit of a baptism of fire - or ice! And they seem to be doing just fine!!

I would have died from the shock of it for sure!!!! Just keep an eye out for Ick,etc...God only knows how long they were in that bucket of gravel!

I think it largely depends on the nature of the goldfish living with the Pleco. I've had a common pleco in with my black moor, Caesar, for nearly a year now and he makes it known who's boss when it comes to feeding time. He uses all 5 inches of his body to muscle the pleco out of the way and will even nip at him

I have two different common plec's.Neither one has been kept with Goldies,but they have at one time or another been kept with the smallest of Tetra's to Bala Sharks. I have never seen them hurt a flea. I have always loved my Common's and have always been an advocate for them,as well as Toothless has been too. I have always heard stories,but figured that there were reasons,or that people were beginner's etc....I changed my tune when Toothless himself loss a Goldie to his Common that he's had around for a while.Up until that incident,I don't think Paul's Plec's behavior was anything out of the ordinary. I know that Paul did things right ,and yet the attack still happened. It only takes one try....Are you guys willing to lose a Goldie over one try?

oooh who put the "say no to common pleco's" up there??!!

Ok - so I looked around to see what plecos my lfs had and they had quite a few...
I asked for rubbernose and bristlenose but the guy just started rattling off scientific names and I had no idea...I think he said they couldn't handle "sub-tropical temps"...

oohh it's late and my brain is broken from exhaustion..

Hey- can anyone get a little more specific on the temp. range of bristlnose plecos? I have read 70,72 and 74 F as bottom acceptable temps on different websites. I am so confused Some even specifically say they don't suggest keeping them with fancy goldfish, although that doesn't seem to be the opinion here!

What temps do you all keep your tanks at?

I have a ton of Bristlenose.Their tanks range from about 72 degrees up to 75-76 in most tanks.I even have a pair with some Angelfish that do fine in trop temps of 78. They're very durable and I think it's really about acclimating them slowly to what ever temps you have ,and the biggest factor= a stable/steady temp with no temp swings. I can't say offhand that I've met anyone who's had major probs keeping Bristles and Goldies together.You can never say never though-there can/will always be one in the bunch that may not behave,but all in all,they seem to be one of the most compatible for our Goldies.

How big do rubbernose and bristlenose plecos get?

I've heard up to 6 inches,but mine aren't near that big-probably closer to 4.

O ic thanks.

Plecos... They're so cool looking!
I'm thinking of (eventually ) getting a pleco and its own tank, but how much tank size do these fish need? I'm considering either a rubbernose or bristlenose (I don't think I can get a big enough tank for a common!).
And also, what's the pH level that they can tolerate?

Guys i dunno what to do!!!someone has given me a beautiful large aquarium with 2 fantails and a plec in there.the plec is around 8.5 inches long and leopard spotted..i want to put my small fish in there as well eventually to have one beautiful large aquarium but i dont like the look of that plec!!he looks menacing and id be so upset if it attacked my little ones..i dont know what to do!I wish i knew someone who could take him for me,or if he wont hurt the little ones i would keep him.

8.5 inches,eh? He must look something like this?

With his size,chances are that he is a Common Pleco,and therefore I would have to advise you NOT to keep him with any Goldies.
I have 2 Common's in my Trop Tanks,and they've never hurt anyone,but there have been enough reported attacks on Goldfish made by Pleco's to make me too afraid to trust them.
I'd check your local Mom and Pop Fish Stores.Alot of times they'll take fish and give credit or something to you for the fish.Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

My friend had a common pleco with a goldfish lets just say goldie

That's exactly what happened to my goldfish. I've returned the pleco to the store and gotten new fish.

Hi..update.Well im so soft that i eventually got attached to the weird looking pleco and i watched him and he seems docile..so i put one very bossy and dominant comet in with him,along with a black tetra that was also in the original tank with him.all seem ok so far exept the comet keeps hitting the plec when he tries to eat his algae disc...but if the plec(percy,lol!)puts a foot wrong he will be going to the pet store...i guess he's kind of sweet tho,and ive done abit of research so..fingers crossed:)

To be on the safe side i found a bargfain second hand tank with heater and now the plec lives in there happily as a bachelor.I was too nervous every morning when i checked on him:)
more people should check out second hand markets etc to solve thier over crowding issues perhaps,so much cheaper than the pet stores.

Regarding temperature - common plecos are hardy, though others may be wimpy.

My overworked pleco wintered with my comets outside. The water temp was below 50F quite a few times. He's still here in the spring, and almost 5" long now.


The comets I keep are tough enough that the pleco hasn't harrassed them (yet). Maybe the fancies don't have the speed and toughness to deal with a common pleco. But I'm the kind that will pick a big tough alley cat over a purebred persian.

Peace,

Normally both the Common and the Bristlenose are quite the hardy Pleco's. They can handle quite a range in water temps as long as it's done slowly. I have some in the low 70's and a few in my Trop tanks where it's around 80.
Bristlenose Pleco's are normally quite a docile pleco,and most people in general,have not had a problem with these little guys sharing a tank with their Goldfish.
Every fish is different though so it's always wise to somewhat moniter your tanks just to be on the safe side.
I myself have kept both these fish for years,and have never had any problems with them bothering any other fish.I do have to add that my Common's are kept with Angelfish. I have never made an attempt to house those guys with my Goldies.

Hi Daniel - your pleco is beautiful and looks just like mine (except yours is much bigger!). What kind of pleco is it?

I think he's a common pleco. I asked him, but he didn't answer.

I'll tell him you think he's beautiful - if I ever see him. I had to sneak up on him in the black of night to get that pic.

hehe!

uh oh...I hope mine isn't a common pleco! I asked for a bristlenose when I got mine (he lives with the goldfish).

I have (i think) a common pleco. He's black with white spots. Neither my goldfish nor my pleco bother eachother. I have the heater in the corner (not plugged in as we are now in summer) cause he just loves to stay on the heater out of the way. But I've tried waiting till it was dark and I saw him moving around to put the algae discs in and my goldfish got it before he could. But I haven't had a problem with my pleco and fish. Also.. about the drift wood.. wouldn't that be kind of bad seeing how driftwood normally (all the kind i have anyways) comes from the ocean and is filled with salt from the ocean and whatever bacteria and other stuff??

I have a hong kong plec and its terrified of my fish it spends near all its time hiding under the fluval its a cute wee thing.No wonder its lazy and isnt eating all the algae.

not knowing much about algae eaters, I bought a common pleco suckermouth from my pet store. I asked the guy in the fish department if he would be OK with my 2 goldfish I already had in the tank and he said it was fine. So I've had him for a few days and so far so good, he's just a little guy, only about 2 inches long (no bigger than my goldfish).

The only problem is whenever I drop in algae wafers for him, the goldfish go crazy and devour them before the pleco even notices them. I even tried doing it late at night when the lights were off and the fish were sleepy, but after a minute they start going crazy and eating it. I woke up one morning and my one goldfish was sunk to the bottom with an enlarged belly from eating the whole thing. he got better later in the day, but it can't be healthy for him to eat so much.

so is there anything I can give the pleco to eat that the goldfish will not eat? there is little to no algae in my tank now so I am worried he is not eating enough. what can I do? thanks

Just a little FYI....Most people that work in Pet stores don't have a clue.I'm not saying all of them,just most. Normally when Plec's are small sized and housed with Goldies,you rarely see a problem.It seems to happen as they start getting a bigger size.
As for the feeding part,that can be a problem because Goldies will try and eat anything that will fit into their mouths. The only thing I can tell you is try dropping the Plec's food in at night when you turn the lights off.Does your Plec have an ornament or log that he hides under?If so,try and drop the food there.

Since I thought this was so cool and it is kinda relevant, I saw a plec I have never seen tonight, called a Blue Ghost (is that a real breed? That is what was written on the tank). It was gorgeous, although this is a horrible picture and he just looks brownish-gray. But he really was a blue color and very odd looking in a good way. I would love to have him but he was a least 7 inches! I imagine a blue ghost plec is some color variation of a common anyway?

I have a cave ornament that he likes to go in all the time, a small cave about the size of a small brick or a camera.. so the other night I tried putting an algae disk in there. sure enough my pleco went right for it.. but about 5 minutes later, so did the goldfish (mainly my common, Pez.. he's a little jerk, and he'll invade the pleco's cave forcing him out just so he can find food!

At least i know they are all getting enough food now.. i just don't want the common and the pleco to get aggressive towards each other. and i totally don't want to get rid of the pleco.. the other day was the first time i saw him with his dorsal fin completely extended, he's an awesome looking little fish. I suppose if it gets really bad I can give him to my girlfriend's brother

That's a chanceyou take.Any tie you keep apleco's and Goldies together,you're always going to have to be aware of whats going on in the tankThings can change in a heart beat,

yeah i've been watching them a lot lately, especially since they're just getting over ich. i wanna buy another cave/log type structure so the pleco can have other places to hide. any suggestions?