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Thread: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

  1. #1
    Registered Member Debow's Avatar
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    Default Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    So I have had plecos from the start of my tank build and I hate the amount of poop they leave behind . The majority of the poop you see on the bottom of the tank is the plecos, and I have to say its unsightly even with every other day water changes. So the question is do they do more good for the algae control v.s the waste they produce? Granted I have a 240 gallon with three 4'' +/- plecos. Just looking for others thoughts on this.

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    Registered Member Ryan925's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    I got rid of mine for that exact reason. Every morning thank bottom was covered in pleco spaghetti poo. Absolutely hated it. I also found that they really didn't seem to eat all that much algae.

    It's a shame because I am a fan of plecos I just don't like their mess.

    I feel that there are better methods of algae control with less mess. When my tank was planted my nerites and otos did a great job. I still have a few in my hard scape now

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    Registered Member GivensOU's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    Some plecos get the taste for the discus slime, and will injury your discus.
    Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

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    Silver Member Willie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    Plecos don't do very much because most discus aquariums do not build up a lot of algae. They're just nice to look at. If the poop bothers you, get rid of the fish. I do daily 100% water changes and wipe down my tanks weekly. Most of the poop come from the plecos.

    Other suitable tank mates that work for me are Corydoras species, German rams and rummynose tetras. For a large tank like yours, you'll need ~100 rummynose tetras to even notice them.

    Willie
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    I've gone thru maybe 4 plecos in my discus tanks. I bought them very small. They did a great job of cleaning algae and slime off the glass.

    The downside was the amount of poop they create and as they got bigger, they ended up harassing the discus. I ended up giving them away.

    I no longer keep plecos with my disucs because of this.

  6. #6
    Registered Member Debow's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    Ya I don't have algae issues due to water changes, and maintaince routines. I might swap the three out for one golden nugget or a zebra just to have something interesting or maybe even a snowball. I love my 60 cardinal tetras going to get more in the spring.

  7. #7
    Registered Member Jack L's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    my thoughts. i don't like them, they get too big.
    and i never was impresses by their algae consumption

    look into rubber lip plec if you want them for algea, they don't get big either.

  8. #8
    Registered Member Phillydubs's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    I have 3 l-201 inspector pleccos in w my wilds and I like them. They are in there for the look more than their work but I don't. Price that they poop too much and stay small.

    I always keep a few pleccos usually buahybose as they stay small and gobble stuff all over.

    Devon who did you get the tummies from? They are doing well. I feel like they always die off on me
    Over time

  9. #9
    Registered Member Debow's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack L View Post
    my thoughts. i don't like them, they get too big.
    and i never was impresses by their algae consumption

    look into rubber lip plec if you want them for algea, they don't get big either.
    I have 2 rubber lips and a albino bristle nose

  10. #10
    Registered Member Debow's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    Phill,

    If your talking about the tetras, I got them from john (Snook). I got 100 at firsts and lost a bunch throughout the Qt due to water sealability or other issues. I seem to have had better luck now that they are in the big tank.

  11. #11
    Registered Member bluelagoon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    I find the rubber lips do a better job than the bushynose on the algae.I have both.

  12. #12
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    Juvenile BNPs (and many other juvenile plecos species) will eat some algae, but it is a misconception that they can survive solely on bits of algae around an aquarium and that they will keep it free of any algae. They are good scavengers, but if there's not enough for them to scavenge, they will need to be fed algae wafers, slices of cucumber, etc. I personally like having a few BNPs to scavenge left over bits of food, etc. As far as the poop all over the place thing goes, I see it as them packaging up stuff that would otherwise start breaking down immediately and get into the water column. Maybe not a huge deal if you have a BB set up and do large WCs after every time you feed, but I keep my discus in a planted tank so the plecos work for me.

  13. #13
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    Default Re: Pleco Pro's v.s Cons

    Quote Originally Posted by GivensOU View Post
    Some plecos get the taste for the discus slime, and will injury your discus.
    Yes and once they taste that slime, they won't stop.

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