# Is there such a thing as a small pleco species?



## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

I need a suckermouth cat for my biotope of South America. The problem is that the otocinclus I am after are very hard to find.


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

oh yeah, they have to fit well with other fish in an Eclipse 12 tank.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Bristlenose (bushy nose), Pit Bull, and Rubber lipped are just a few that stay between 3 and 5 inches.
Bristlenose are the most hardy IME. I have never gotten a Rubber Lipped from PetSmart to live.
I am going to try the Pit bull next, they are supposed to be great at algae and don't eat plants from what I heard, but destroy any and all algae and detritus.


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

thanks, can they be put alone? Or do they have to be kept with other Plecos?


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

1 is fine, they can be aggresive towards each other, but if you have a pair, they will breed.
I think 1 per 15-20 gallons, IIRC, is a good stocking ratio.


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

would they always hang out on the acrylic tank walls? Would they bother other fish? Will they damage the acrylic? I might try the Pitbull, seeing that I have an algae problem.

The thing is, they are a little big, are there any others from south America that are small like otocinclus, but are not otocinclus. (I have only found 1 place to buy otocinclus)


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

I really like all otos, I just have no idea where to find the nice, good quality ones. I wish to buy zebra otos, but I have never seen these for sale.


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## Minsc (May 7, 2006)

Pit bull plecs are just a tad bigger than otos. If you go that route, one will be fine for the tank. If you supplement extra food, you could try two, they might get along, or they might fight.

Pit bulls can get really grumpy towards other fish that hang out around the bottom. Damage is unlikely, but they can cause a lot of stress...


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

yeah, I want apistos, so pit bulls might not be a good idea if they get grumpy. Do YOU know where to buy otos? Are there any other fish that will eat algae? How about the Amazon ghost shrimp, the problem is, they can't get at the algae on the sides.


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

clown pleco are the smallest


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

do you own any?


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

oh, I just looked it up, and it said they need 25-30 gallons, is that true? Also, do they eat algae? Brown spot algae?


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

i dont own any the LFS i used to work at carried a bunch of these guys, they are great algae eaters and do not need 25-30 gallons in fact you can keep 2-3 of em in a 10 gallon and they'll be fine Ive never seen one bigger than 2.5 inches


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

wherer would you buy them?


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I was going to say that my Clowns are by far the smallest Plec's I have too. There are many different varieties of them (technically Peckoltia), and not all of them are great algae eaters. The common brownish ones you usually see for sale do a great job with it though.

I'd personally only put one of them in a 12 gallon tank though. Even with one, it will probably wipe your algae out in a hurry, so they do need supplemental feedings a few times per week.


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## captain_bu (Dec 13, 2007)

Hey Fish.... two sources local to you..
You can get good quality ottos at Albany Aquarium. If you want zebra ottos or any other rare ones give Justin a call at Ocean Aquarium in SF. He has had the zebras and stocks many rare fish so he may have a nice selection of plecos too. I have a bristlenose in my 50 gallon tank that I got in hopes it would help with algae. It not only didn't seem to be much help with algae but I very rarely even see it since they are nocturnal and hide for most of the day.


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## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

I would go with a candy stripe pleco.


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

hey fish I didn't know you here around the Ca area the LFS I used to work at that carries them is exotic aquarium here in Sacramento


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

Thanks for all your fast responses. Captain Bu, do you know how much Ocean Aquariums charges for Zebra Otos? Since they are rare, I would they would be quite expensive.


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## captain_bu (Dec 13, 2007)

fishman9809 said:


> Thanks for all your fast responses. Captain Bu, do you know how much Ocean Aquariums charges for Zebra Otos? Since they are rare, I would they would be quite expensive.


Haven't bought this particular fish from Ocean but did see a post on one of the forums where someone had gotten Zebra Ottos there. Justin's prices have always seemed fair to me and less than the prices at Albany. Why don't you give Justin a ring? He is super nice, extremely knowledgeable about fish and should be able to give you some good advice about what is available and would work for your tank.

Ocean Aquarium 415 771-3206.


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

well, I am definately getting otos, but I have to decide on a biotope, and each has different otos, so I will have to choose a biotope setting first.


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## Fishman123 (Dec 11, 2007)

I've got a clown pleco, although I don't see him often, he's really cool looking. I don't really mind if he doesn't eat a lot of algae, it's just a nice fish.


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

Yeah, they are very nice, but they are kind of wide and if they are on the front of the tank, they can be quite distracting. They are wonderful fish too. If I get a new tank, a 20 gallon long, I will definately try for plecos or zebra otos.


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