Any plecos I could keep a small group of in a 15 gallon aquarium?

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Woodh
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Any plecos I could keep a small group of in a 15 gallon aquarium?

Post by Woodh »

So I am going to fetch a small aquarium this weekend. The plan is to initially use it to quarantine some dither fish(+corys) that I want to add to my existing tank.

But of course the mind wanders and I am now looking for a pair or possibly a group of some small pleco that might be able to thrive in it afterwards. So far I have looked at ancistrus aguabonesis(L032) but there are conflicting size estimations and so on. Anyone have a tips of some species that could be suitable and also realistic to get? Would prefer if they are somewhat easy to breed. Tank is 60x30x30cm.

Thanks in advance! \M/
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Re: Any plecos I could keep a small group of in a 15 gallon aquarium?

Post by fishguy1978 »

The problem is that plecos are such waste producers. Even my 6 L104 produce a crazy amount of waste in a 29g(120l).
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Re: Any plecos I could keep a small group of in a 15 gallon aquarium?

Post by Woodh »

fishguy1978 wrote: 10 Jun 2021, 00:20 The problem is that plecos are such waste producers. Even my 6 L104 produce a crazy amount of waste in a 29g(120l).
Maybe it's to small, I am not totally against corydoras either which might be more realistic? Saw pics of your newest addition earlier and I would say you actually have around 5.5 l104 in there haha ;)
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Re: Any plecos I could keep a small group of in a 15 gallon aquarium?

Post by bekateen »

I had a breeding group of 7 adult (plus often over 50 juvies growing out) in a 15gal tank (24" long) for years. Currently I'm using that same tank for a breeding group of 7 (and fry), which are much larger than clow plecos. Yes they are all poop machines, but just keep the water chemistry clean (detritus isn't that bad) and they'll be okay. Also consider , or .

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Re: Any plecos I could keep a small group of in a 15 gallon aquarium?

Post by Woodh »

That sounds hopeful, although I am pretty confident you know what you are doing and I dont! I am browsing some right now and l134 might be an option? I do know where I might be able to get them so that's a plus. On the other hand L260 is one of the plecos on my short list. Suppose ill have some time to think as I use it for quaranting fish and maybe look up what's available in the meantime.

Any input regarding l134 vs l260? Are any of them breedable for a beginner? Any thoughts on Ancistrus aguabonesis?
Last edited by Woodh on 10 Jun 2021, 01:44, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Any plecos I could keep a small group of in a 15 gallon aquarium?

Post by bekateen »

Woodh wrote: 10 Jun 2021, 00:59That sounds hopeful, although I am pretty confident you know what you are doing and I dont! I am browsing some right now and l134 might be an option? I do know where I might be able to get them so that's a plus. On the other hand L260 is one of the plecos on my short list. Suppose ill have some time to think as I use it for quaranting fish and maybe look up what's available in the meantime.

Any input regarding l134 vs l260? Are any of them breedable for a beginner? Any thoughts on Ancistrus aguabonesis?

Very off topic, but must ask, when is it time for your SA trip?
While (L134) could work, I wouldn't start with them mainly because of their price. They are more expensive than any of the fish listed above. If you consider yourself a beginner, start with clown plecos, or (or even ). Those are much cheaper, so if you lose them, then you haven't lost a ton of cash.

Just my 2 cents. :-)

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Re: Any plecos I could keep a small group of in a 15 gallon aquarium?

Post by Jools »

Cost has already been discussed, but in terms of size for the tank , and or similar smaller would all work well. Consider an external filter and you'll be fine. None of these are wood-eating plecos, so a decent filter and good water change regime coupled with well-fed fish and patient husbandry will produce results.

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Re: Any plecos I could keep a small group of in a 15 gallon aquarium?

Post by Shane »

Just a few other suggestions. If the 15 gallon will be a species tank you can focus on spp that either need special conditions or do not compete well in community set ups. Pretty much any species of hypoptopomatinae in a group would make for a fun tank. Any of the smaller spp of Chaetostoma would be another option as would a trio of Rineloricaria or 4-5 Farlowella.
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Re: Any plecos I could keep a small group of in a 15 gallon aquarium?

Post by fishguy1978 »

[quote Maybe it's to small, I am not totally against corydoras either which might be more realistic? Saw pics of your newest addition earlier and I would say you actually have around 5.5 l104 in there haha ;)
[/quote]

=))
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Re: Any plecos I could keep a small group of in a 15 gallon aquarium?

Post by Woodh »

Thanks for all the suggestions! Think that I have decided what to do and it's a species tank with Chaetostoma of some kind, would be fun trying to make a little stream with rocks etc, picked the tank up yesterday(no feeling like an empty tank!)..
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