# pleco three-some pic



## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

I am the exception, not the rule about keeping plecos with cichlids. Snowball, Queen Gold Nugget, and King Tiger. Enjoy


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## mserin (Jul 19, 2009)

I know I'm new to this but it's odd to keep plecos with cichlids? I have just a common florida and a butterfly without issues at all..... along with two peppered corys..... is this not normal? Should i be worried or cautious?


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

I just said it like that because alot of people have a hard time with fancier plecos and cichlids. There is no danger, unless your plecos loose an eye or get beat down. Some people keep plecos and bottom feeders others dont just up to the person.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Outrageous mix. How can those plecs be happy in water suitable for Tang cichlids?
Seems you like fish mainly sold to the rich and gullible?


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

first of all I am far from rich and am not gullible 
I buy what I like and have raised my plecos and cichlids together very effectively. I do not alter my tap water with additives, all my fish have been grown out in Toledo tap not, Tang. Lake water!! It is so nice to get positive feedback.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

BigFish77 said:


> I buy what I like


 that statement alone makes you "rich" in comparison to the majority of the human race... :wink: all a matter of perspective.



BigFish77 said:


> It is so nice to get positive feedback.


 You pretty much setup the ball for the spike with the comments and the tone. 
I'm glad your fancy plecos are doing well enough and I'm glad that the Frontosa have not attempted to eat them yet... that would be bad for both fish! I myself like to bend the rules and keep plecos in with Tanganyikans as well, yet I don't think I've ever been "proud" of it... more admitting that what I *want* in my tank is more important than the needs of the plecos. I am willing to accept some unintended consequences, but even I wouldn't bend the rule to the edge of breaking and try fronts in with fancy plecs... just a time bomb as far as I can forsee.

Hope you don't ever regret the mix!


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

regret ever posting on this site with comments like this


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## Addesyn (Jul 1, 2009)

Well I have no gripe about your mix, I have quite a mix myself... Those are some beautiful plecos though :thumb:


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

I was not trying to be rude in tone or comments, just trying to share a nice pic. My plecos have plenty of spots to hide, and lots of driftwood to chew. They have been in my tank for over a year and have their own caves etc. Yes they could potentially be Front food, but the fronts in my tank are the biggest wimps. I always wonder why people get so H.E.L.L. bent on try to keep aquarium fish in natural water conditions, when they are purchased from individuals that usually house them in local tap environments, who then sell them to LFS that put them in local tap environments, etc etc etc. I keep in mind the requirements for a given fish species as a guideline, but not as the holy grail. Guess I must have hit a sensitive spot, LOL.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Wow. Did everyone have a bad day???

Nice Plecos.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Bad day? Yep I guess so.
But would you buy fish from a shop that displayed these fish in this mix?
Or think of reporting them?
Are not these plecs better kept with soft water with dark hiding places and bogwood or wood to graze?
Are not plecs famous for individuals that learn to eat the slime coats from large sedementary fish like fronts?
Are not fronts unpredictable predators that can suddenly kill and eat smaller fish?

I guess you have to admire the skill or luck of keeping these guys together for any length of time without obvious sines of distress.

Does showing the mixing of these fish (posting it as a recommendation???) serve the purpose of helping folk keep their fish well?


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

when it comes down to it....if things go sour cant say we didnt tell you so :wink:

reardless those are some nice looking plecos :thumb:

what sizew tank is that?


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

Nice plecs but I can say not all plecs need wood. Fancy plecs have different requirments to common and bn plecs who do have wood in their diet. I would recommend in reading about the plecs you do have to give their needs in food. Just my honest opinion. I don't know about fronts.


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## @nt!x (Feb 9, 2009)

Lol looks good! Don't listen to the negative comments. Its your tank do what you want.


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## Addesyn (Jul 1, 2009)

@nt!x said:


> Lol looks good! Don't listen to the negative comments. Its your tank do what you want.


I agree! There is such a thing as constructive criticism but in the end we all do what we want to with our own tanks.


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## chris777 (Jun 27, 2008)

Nice plecos. As the one said its your tank do what you wish. Plus its your money.



> Are not fronts unpredictable predators that can suddenly kill and eat smaller fish?


Any cichlid can try to eat another fish if its big enough and hungry enough not just fronts.


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

Thanks for the positive feed back all, I do know the requirements of my pleco's actually most of the plecos I have will chew on driftwood, but the majority feed directly on NLS pellets, waffers, or frozen left-overs. I researched the plecos on planetcatfish.com, its a nice catfish site. These pleco's I have grown out since they were less then an inch and now some are more then 6 inches. :thumb:

Do you think a fish will know it likes soft water better if its raised in neutral water conditions from fry age to adult? Sometimes people here are a bit over dramatic and forget most people are not so specific about conditions etc and are just trying to enjoy a hobby!! I have always tried to keep things simple in my tanks, lots of water changes and little to no additives. 

I never thought this posting would get me so many replies, I love it.


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

I only put a declor in my tank when doing water changes and thats it.

Planetcatfish is by far a good site thats deicated to catfish (hence the name :lol: ), you found a good site.

I personally think every tanks condition is different


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## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

just wanted to say that in the beginning i dont think youve had an argumentative tone.. it looks to me like you were jumped on.. it IS hard to get emphasis from forum post.. same as a text message.. sometimes your intent is askew.. personally i think youre fish are healthy looking, happy looking and sometimes if you arent by the book you are attacked in this forum , i agree. but when its all said and done when the lights are out its YOU infront of YOUR tank.. so as long as your happy then way to go :thumb:


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## cindylou (Oct 22, 2008)

I do the same thing in all my tanks and everyone is swimming and happy.. Every once in a while there is going to be a problem with a fish getting sick or water chemistry going hay wire...IMO the more you fuss around trying to alter the water the worse it gets..I have been doing this now for only 1 year and I would say I have done a pretty good job with minimal problems, some I was able to fix and some I have not...I have learned a lot on this forum and will continue to read posts and find some advise and suggestions..IMO there are a lot of advise and different opinions, everyone is really not on the same page..I look for advise then I try to do what i think is the best route to take with the situation I am looking at..Last year I put a pleco in with my mbuna's and the poor thing ended up starving to death and getting it's eyeballs plucked out..My solution to this is I would never put another pleco in there..Right now I have 3 synodontis euptera in with them and they are working out fine..I am sure there will be a lot of people who disagree..And maybe it didn't work for them..You have to do what you like..Trial and error is the way it works..I had a stressed acei who ended up almost on death's door it's fins almost looked gone, I put the fish in quarantine with melafix and pimafix wc every other day, today the fins are all grown back he looks brand new and instead of putting it back with all the stress I put it in with my peacocks and haps and it's doing great... :fish: :fish: :fish:


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## cindylou (Oct 22, 2008)

By the way those pleco's are beautiful.. :thumb:


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## algae eater (Jul 29, 2008)

Let me see if I have my pleco in with the right fish. It is like the one in the picture, except the spots are not golden, but black. I have him in a 55 gal tank with about 7 yellow lab, 3 albino, 4 female peacock and one male peacock. I have alot of plants to hide in. Do not have any rocks. I don't believe the other fish have attacked. I did have a male peacock about a year ago that bothered him, but I got rid of the peacock. Do I need any wood for him? Any other suggestions are appreciated. Thanks,


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## aFinFan (Jul 29, 2009)

Nice pic am a huge pleco fan have a gold nuggett,2 royals,dracula,blue phantom and a mustard spot i keep mine in my discus and dempsey tanks only reason i dont mix in with africans is my crew of syndontis petracola and angelicus who would probably battle them for space,also frontosa are not as hard on plecos as their malawian neighbors used to keep bristlenose in with frontosa and tropheus with never a problem but mbuna usually only put up with plecos if they are much larger and able to defend themseves,so who is the boss pleco in your tank?


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## exasperatus2002 (Jul 5, 2003)

I love your plecos's. Whats your ph? My city water is 8 and was worried I wouldnt be able to keep some of the better pleco's like you have because if it. I thought I'd only be able to do bn's or L204 flash plecos.

Reason why I worried was most of them I see online are wild caught (ph below neutral) and thought they'd be to stressed out from capture, holding tanks, distributor to petshop to my high ph.


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

I have more then the three plecos pictured in my tank. The boss in an albino bristlenose, but the snowball (white spots black body) is working his way up the chain of command. I have no mbuna, so I am not too worried yet. I don't know what my pH is, probably a little over 7, whatever the tap is, until it is conditioned in the tank. I only bought my plecos, from a LFS where I could see them alive and kicking for a couple days before purchasing. SOme of the spotted plecos need more meat products then wood. I just try to keep one small to medium sized piece of wood per pleco in my tank, just in case. I have some coral rock as well so between the rock and wood the pH seems to remain constant. I have raised fish for a long time and either have problems within the first 3-4 days or none at all.


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## Bwell79 (Jul 12, 2009)

nice looking plecos, how can you ensure your plecos get enough to eat? I feed my mbuna tank flakes and sinkable pellets. I have 26 Mbuna and 5 Syno. Multis. I am worried that they dont get enough food.

I recently had my BN pleco fall ill. He seems to be recovering in my QT. I was thinking he might not be getting enough food in the 20g he shares with 8 tiger barbs. I feed the 20g tank nutrifin flakes and and frozen krill. :fish:


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

I can easily tell if they are eating enough if there is a trail of pooh behind them. If your unsure you can wait about 20 minutes after the light goes out for the night and add some sinking pellets / food then. I feed frozen and pellets so they tend to scavenge alot of the NLS pellets as soon as they fall in the tank. They actually come out and grab some pellets and swim away with them kinda funny.


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## kodyboy (Dec 9, 2007)

I like the plecos, beautiful fish!
Since you are keeping all the fish in fairly neutral water (I am guessing the pH or Toledo tap water is close to 7) all of them should be fairly happy. In addition most of our aquarium fish are captive bred, usually in whatever water is available so they may have only encountered water like Toledo tap


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

*kodyboy*
wow, who is the local breeder of these fancy plecos? King Tiger aren't commonly captive bred though I know there are some folks who are doing it. Just a few years ago, anyone succeeding made a big fuss of the success, so it's surprising to hear that most of your local fancy plecos are captive bred.

Amazing how this hobby progresses!


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

I think he was referring to the Fronts. Does everyone on this forum take things in life so serious?


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