# Small BN pleco in cichlid tank?



## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

I just bought 2 BN pleco that are 1 inch long and i was thinking to add them to my 150G tank to start scraping on the algae..I have another one on a 30G tank but theres really not much algae for all 3 of them in that tank..Good or bad idea to put them with the bigger cichlids?are they gonna kill them?


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## trashburner (Feb 28, 2012)

Have BN in 75 gallon with peacocks/haps, size of fish range from 3'' to 5'' so far they have not bothered him, he's a busy little fellow as well. Glad he's part of my team.


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## trashburner (Feb 28, 2012)

Sorry he's about 1'' in size


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I think there is always a chance, regardless of size, that cichlids are going to kill a BN. I would probably let these guys grow out to 2" before adding them, just like I would for juvenile Malawi I wanted to add.


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## fusion (Jun 21, 2012)

I had 1 in each of my tanks, both were 3", one lasted 2 weeks, the other about 5 weeks then just bones, my cichlids were all just about the same size as the BN's.


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

ya but my 30G has no algae growth yet and im afraid theyll die in there ....i bought algae wafers for the one i already have and he is not eating them...what is wrong with the little guy?The 2 i got just now are floating in the bag still....ugh what should i do/i think ill just put them in the big tank ....take the chance ..if they die they die...next time ill get bigger ones i just never saw big ones for sale at my LFS and i guess i have to order them


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

fusion said:


> I had 1 in each of my tanks, both were 3", one lasted 2 weeks, the other about 5 weeks then just bones, my cichlids were all just about the same size as the BN's.


oh man that sucks.The cichlids are some little demons.I hate them for this matter....lol


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## fusion (Jun 21, 2012)

LOL yea, from what iv read, some have good luck with them some dont, good luck with yours


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

i am gonna kill the big peacock!!!! one of the plecos didnt even touch the botom and he got eaten...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The second one didnt have a chance to get out of the bag.Pheww i put him in the other tank.I still cant believe it....I guess what fits in his mouth gets eaten no matter what..


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## trashburner (Feb 28, 2012)

Sorry to hear that!! What kind of peacock??


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

I guess its a Fryeri hybrid of some kind.A mix between an aulonocara and scianechromis.Anyway hes about 6-7 inch ...Ofcourse he would see the pleco as a nice desert.I was hitting the tank so hard to let him go and when he finally did the poor BN was already dead in no time...learned from my mistakes....i shouldnt have put him in there.The second guy was about to follow the dead guy;s lead but he got stuck in the bag somehow and he is now alive in the 30G tank..i lost 6 bucks today haha...and many more along the way i will....


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## trashburner (Feb 28, 2012)

Sorry to hear!! Try a bigger BN or maybe some nerite snails they are great at eating algae as well.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Put the survivors in the small tank and feed them algae wafers. If they are healthy, they will eat it. Sometimes it is difficult to get healthy plecos.


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

why is it difficult?it seems like mine wont eat them...one of them is active and sucking up on glass from one end to the other of the tank while the second one is lurking for long periods of time in the same spot..


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

IDK why, but it happens that you buy them and they are already not thriving and you can't nurse them back to health. Did they already have plump bellies when you bought them?

They are not going to pounce on the food like mbuna, and any fish may take a week or so to settle into a new tank before eating.

They also may eat at night when you don't see them.

Is there a rock with algae in the other tank you can move into the small tank?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

They also like canned green beans...unsalted.


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

the rocks in the other tank are as big as the 30G tank lol...ill try the green beans.thanks


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## rDORO85 (Sep 13, 2012)

*** tried pleco, didnt work... tried snails, didnt work... only thing that worked was a bigger filter


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## ratbones86 (Jun 29, 2012)

i have a 1" bp in with my africans and stuff and he does just fine my fish dont mess with him and he hides most of the time untill night when he comes out to eat. hes a kool little guy i have to hunt around the tank all the time i make sure hes still in there lol. i think of it like a game hide and seek with my bp lol hes albino too so he blends in with the rocks a little better lol


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## cich2it (Jul 23, 2012)

You might wanna try small piece of zucchinni, blanch in water in micro for 10-15 sec, put on clip and place near bottom of
tank.
Its works on all my BNs, black and albino, plus regular Plecos..

Good luck..


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## Tpb55 (Jun 12, 2012)

Get some NORI sheets you can get them in walmart in the Sushi section Mine love them when the algae is low this what I use for a sub. The chiclids love ot too


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## TylerG (Oct 31, 2012)

I have a 5" Pleco and it's fine. I dropped in 2 1" BN and they were eaten in a week. I saw one of them being swallowed whole. My Cichlids are only 2-3" at the moment.


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## kat12510 (Apr 28, 2012)

I've been wondering the same thing about the plecos. I tried an apple snail but every time he stuck out even a tiny bit of antennae to try to eat or move or do anything, Acei attacked him so he was sucked into his shell always. I figured he'd die anyways with no access to food and threw him away. I'd assume a 1" plec would get eaten asap especially by a bigger adult cichlid. Maybe if you found a full grown bristle nose? That might work. I've seen the regular color BN's that size but never the albinos, those I've seen in the LFS are always less than 2". Are there one type of cichlids that are particularly more mean to plecos? I have a mbuna/peacock juvenile tank currently, not sure if I'm willing to take the risk but need algae clean up badly!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Always remember you can control algae without BN by controlling light and nutrients.

I do not find the size of the BN matters to his survival, but mbuna are worse than haps/peacocks or Tangs on killing them.

Hope you euthanized the snail before you threw him away?


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## colorblizzle (Oct 29, 2012)

i have a BN with my cichlids, overstocked in a small tank and hes fine. But if ur not sure what to put and need algae cleanup....why not just buy an algae magnet? No fish has to die and it gets cleaner quicker


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## Michael_M (May 31, 2012)

I recently had two BN die in two seperate Malawi tanks. They had both been in said tanks for over 6 months. No idea what happened. I'm not going to bother replacing them, like DJ said you can control algae without them.


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## jpilone (Sep 18, 2012)

I have two rubber lip sucker cats that are about 3" long and two rainbow cats that are about 2" long and they go about their business on the sides and bottom and my cichlids don't seem to care they are there. I have never seen them even go near them and get agitated..


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## ratbones86 (Jun 29, 2012)

heres what i found to work best with bn's with mbuna's LOTS of rock work keeps the BN alive. he will have plenty of places to hide during the day and at night when every one is a sleep he will come out and play. when i got mine he was an inch. put him in with 2.3"-3" guys and he got bit once and has been fine since. he hides alot but i see him out and about all the time now. hes a little over 2" now and loves life. i also have a stripped rapheal cat with my mbuna and they dont mess with him either, hes about 2" as well. he does a great job keeping my substrate clean and he is an awesome fish when i get the chance to see him lol


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