# Pleco in cichlid tank?



## Tim54321 (Aug 30, 2011)

Hi topic says it all, if it's allright which pleco would be best ?
Thx in advance!


----------



## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

Kind of a vague question there... What kind of cichlids, how many, and how big of a tank (footprint and volume)?


----------



## sik-lid (Sep 6, 2011)

Some common plecos grow to be enormous, that being said. If your cichlids take a notion they may very well harass it to death. In my experience the plecos I have put into my cichlid tank have done very well however, I recently put a small common pleco in a new tank and I am not sure if he starved to death or he was harassed to death by my pseudos. Your tank will need a pleco regardless. Hope that helps


----------



## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

sik-lid - I don't think there is any situation where you NEED a pleco in a cichlid tank...

What tank size? What fish are already in the tank? That will help us narrow it down.

If you're just looking for something to eat algae, a magnet scrubber and good ol' fashioned elbow grease will do the trick!


----------



## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

Chubbs the Jellybean said:


> If you're just looking for something to eat algae, a magnet scrubber and good ol' fashioned elbow grease will do the trick!


Of course, if you're lazy like me, then nothing beats a couple BN, a swarm of otos, or some nerite snails and amano shrimp :lol:


----------



## sik-lid (Sep 6, 2011)

Chubbs the Jellybean said:


> sik-lid - I don't think there is any situation where you NEED a pleco in a cichlid tank...
> 
> What tank size? What fish are already in the tank? That will help us narrow it down.
> 
> If you're just looking for something to eat algae, a magnet scrubber and good ol' fashioned elbow grease will do the trick!


In my experience they help big time with algae, especially in pairs so I would have to disagree with ya chubbs


----------



## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

The problem with them is that they turn algae into poop, and the common ones get large and require algae wafers = more poop. My dad and I pulled a dead one out of his pond last winter after a freeze that was the size of a shoe!

Bristlenose plecos do a good job on the glass, and don't get too big. Unfortunately some cichlids will kill them, and it's difficult to guess whether they will be OK.

I'm personally trying to keep nitrates low and give my mbuna algae to graze on, so no plecos at the moment.


----------



## ivanmike (Jun 15, 2003)

I'm a neotropical guy, so in larger tanks I've always liked a "pleco" of some sort. In cichlid tanks many starve as cichlids will eat algae wafers - big chunks of parboiled zuchinni attached to rocks with rubber bands give plecos plenty to eat (of course theraps/vieja will also eat this so be careful with those black belts!) They also dig some wood in their "diet".

I've found most commons to be bulletproof, but with really nasty and rowdy cichlids a Panaque such as a royal or blue eyed pleco will give it right back. Between the huge teeth and formidable intraoccular spines, a harassed panaque will give a cichlid bully the fright of its life! They are also better armored than the common pleco type.

One caveat- Panaques will *destroy* driftwood. They like to have it, but its best to keep the ornate pieces out of their tank and stick to big shapeless hunks. Likewise, frequent cleaning of mechanical filter media and prefilters is a must as they will clog it up with wood bits.

I personally don't worry about the "poop issue". I do some pretty aggressive water changes and substrate vacuuming as well as mechanical filter rinsing in tank water in all my cichlid tanks. Most "plecos" are really detritus feeders moreso than algae eaters, so much of the "poop" that folk complain about used to be cichlid poo! -Ah, the circle of life - (or poo in this case...) :thumb: [/b]


----------



## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

I'd def. keep an exotic pleco in a neotropical tank, just because I find them beautiful specimens. Some can also help keep algae off of leaves in a planted tank.

They're just not swimming mag-floats, that's all.


----------

