Benefits of the Plecostomus!Sometimes called the "janitor fish" or "sucker fish" these helpful species can help keep tanks clean as they are natural scavengers. They are bottom-feeders and will eat uneaten food or other leftover matter that would otherwise cause harmful nitrates in the water.
There are lots of reasons why this happened. Primarily though, I'd say your pleco died of a combination of being too cold and being in an un cycled aquarium. Look up the nitrogen cycle and fishless and fish-in cycling on this website. Also, never, ever take the fish out of the tank for any reason.
Becasue your tank is very big i would say that keeping two would be fine as they wouldn't meet as much and therefore be less worried about food. Especially with the smaller pleco's like the bristlenose. I don't think you would have trouble with three plecos in a 125 gallon.
yes, pleco have teeth like formations for rasping algae and wood.
The smallest pleco commonly available is the bristle nose (bushy nose) and they get to at least 5 inches long and need 20 gallons or more. Five gallon tanks are very limited and not intended for a community, territorial fish, very active fish, or anything much larger than an adult inch.
Pleco Feed or Attack Other Fish. Pleco catfish aren't aggressive fish but if there is a dead fish they may feed on it. They do appreciate a good source of protein. Usually a fish dies and sinks to the bottom and then the pleco eats the entire fish.
All tropical fish require a heater. Plecos are not cold-water fish. Even if they were, it would be a good idea to include a heater in the tank to make sure the water temperature never drops too far.
It is very possible to keep different species of plecos together and many people including myself do so with success. Plecos can hurt each other and kill each other in different ways; rasping, stress, fighting with odontodes while slamming the sides of each against the other etc.
I would probably say only one in a 30 and only add another if you upgrade to a 40 gallon or larger. Plecos (even smaller ones like the bristlenose) contribute a fairly hefty bio load to a tank. Be sure you over filter and keep up with water changes.
Plecos enjoy to graze on drift wood as part of their diet. It provides them a safe place to hide and also fiber. Your pleco will be much happier adding drift wood. Most plecos are nocturnal.
20 to 25 fish in a 55 gallon PLUS three gigantic plecos? That is one high bio-load Even if they were juveniles, without seriously over-filtering that tank and doing partial water changes every few days you would have high amounts of ammonia.
As hardy fish species, they can comfortably adapt to a wide variety of tank conditions. While males should not be kept together as they get extremely territorial (this is especially true if you plan to breed your bristlenose plecos), you can keep multiple bristlenose plecos together in the same tank.
5 Small Pleco Fish Breeds – Plecos that Stay Small
- Bristlenose Pleco. The Bristlenose pleco has an average size of 3-5 inches, and it is coveted since it keeps algal growth to a minimum.
- Clown Pleco. The clown pleco grows to 3-4 inches in the aquarium.
- Pitbull Pleco. Pitbull Pleco (source – CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Rubber Lip Pleco.
- Zebra Pleco.
it could be a victim of old tank syndrome. moving from horribly maintained tank to a healthy tank can be hard on a fish. it could also be something random, like he's learned to graze off the surface for flakes because people tend to not feed plecos. it happens.
Yes, plecos can see rather well in the dark. They also can 'smell' out food so I wouldn't worry about him not getting enough food.
There are other various types of plecos that can live with the betta; however, some of these can become quite large. A bigger betta fish tank may be needed in time. Having Plecos as a betta companion is generally a good partnership as the Plecos tend to stay out of the betta fish's way.
Oscar's are a wonderful fish, but require a LARGE tank to house them. For two Oscars you would need over a 100 gallon tank IMO. But like Dozey said there are a ton of fish that would thrive in a 20 gallon.
Top 10 Fish for a 20-Gallon Aquarium
- Molly Fish.
- Cory Catfish.
- Dwarf Gourami.
- Neon Tetra.
- Zebra Danio.
- Fancy Guppy.
- Otoconclus.
- Harlequin Rasbora.
Some of the most suitable fish for 20-gallon aquariums include:
- Platys.
- Cardinal tetras (Paracheirodon axelrodi)
- Zebra danios (Danio rerio)
- Red-tailed sharks (Epalzeorhynchos bicolor)
- Pygmy sucker catfish (Otocinclus vittatus)
- Bronze corys (Corydoras aeneus)
In a 20 gallon, you could keep up to 24 Neon tetras. They are schooling fish that are very active, typically swimming horizontally. Use plants and rocks and driftwood to provide entertainment and also provide security for these little guys. Use a good small filter to keep the tank healthy and clean.
The majority of these micro African cichlid species hail from Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. HOWEVER, please don't just put in three or four of these beauties and call it a day; 20–30 is the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM for maybe 2 fish.
They are also called plecos. They are one of the most common species of fish bought to keep an aquarium clean since they will eat the waste of other fish. Plecos are hardy fish that can live for 10 to 15 years. They are easy to take care of if you follow a few simple steps.
I've had my Hypostomus plecostomus for six months. It has developed a new behaviour where it rests inside its log upside down, if approach the tank it will quickly resume sucking the log in its usual fashion. I first noticed this new behaviour a week ago and it has continued to behave this way.
The body shape of a pleco can help a fishkeeper determine the fish's sex. This works best from a top view. Females generally have a more rounded body, while males are generally skinnier. When viewed from the side, females have a more rounded abdomen, which is longer in relation to the rest of the body.
There is some evidence somewhere that a pleco with driftwood lives a longer, healthier life than those who don't have driftwood to rasp on. You can buy driftwood such as bogwood, mopani or Thai mangrove wood off of Amazon, but I don't think Petsmart would sell this kind of stuff.
Personally I would only keep one Bristlenose pleco in a 29 gallon tank, their waste output is huge and they can be territorial. However just for the fun of it I asked AqAdvisor which said bio-load wise you could keep 4 Bristlenose Plecos in a 29 gallon tank with no other fish.
Most plecos are tolerant of waters ranging from 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (18-30°C), though they prefer temperatures between about 75 and 82°F (24-28°C). With that being said, there are some pleco species that are hardier than others, and may be able to withstand some cooler waters. A Bristlenose Pleco.
Common plecos grow fast in their first year, after which the growth rate slows down. It can grow up to 3-5 inches in its first year. After then the growth proceeds in an almost unnoticeable manner for a few more years until they attain full size. Common plecos usually grow up to 20-25 inches on average.
Common plecos are not. I've picked up plecos before and was never hurt at all.
Plecostomus are omnivorous bottom-feeders and can be safely housed with fish much smaller than themselves. Plecos generally pair well with cichlids, angelfish, barbs, bettas, other catfish species, gouramis, guppies, hatchets, loaches, mollies and platies.
