can i get only 1 pleco for a tank?

[seraph]

I want to set up a 20 gallon with ONE small pleco in it... would it be ok to have a gold nugget pleco or a starlight or a big white spot pleco???

(I would also have a dwarf frog, a male betta, and maybe a few tetras.)

[Scuba Kid]

gold nuggets get too big for a 20 gallon. a starlight would be fine but i dont know about a big white spot. and yes, it is okay to keep only 1 pleco.

[Osiris]

The kid is right, BUT you can easily keep them in there as long as their decent size like you said, but if they get u know 5-6" time to get a new home, but to get that size tanks quite some time.

[fishfreaks]

I'd say your better off going with the rubbernose or bushynose pleco. They stay fairly small.

[Jonno]

bristlenoses are good but would the frog try to kill it

[cucci67]

I don't think a dwarf frog will try to kill a pleco. Unless there is some sort of hidden aggression in dwarf frogs that I don't know about, you should be fine.

[garfieldnfish]

A bristlenose can get too rowdy for the frogs, rather then the other way around. But what works well is African Dwarf Frogs and clown plecos. Clowns also stay small, eat primarily wood (needs driftwood), algae, veggies and ripe mangos, so there is no competition over the frog food (bloodworms and frog bites). Frogs are slow in finding their food so this is important. Both clown plecos and frogs like a pondlike setting with slow moving water, driftwood and live plants. I have lucky bamboo in my tank with some crypts, valisneria and a sword plant and some java moss (but that does not seem to do so well in this tank compared to the stuff in my other ones.)
If you want to add a beta be careful. This may work if the beta is a friendly one, but he could just as well turn out to take the frogs limps off one by one. A female beta would be a better choice. In a 20 gal you can also add Singapore wood shrimp or amano shrimp with great success. Small tetras (glolights, von rios, lampeyes, rummy nose etc.) instead of the beta may be a better choice. While they will eat some of the frogs bloodworms, this will not hurt them and once the bloodworms hit the gravel they tend to ignore them and this gives the frogs a chance to get their food.

20 gal my recommendation:

2 clown plecos 6"
3 ADFs 4.5"
2 wood shrimp 1" (some pleople don't count shrimp at all since they reduce the waste rather then contribute to it)
6 small tetras 9"
(or just one clown pleco and 8 tetras, but I always think unless they are likely to kill each other in close confines any animal will do better if it has another of it's kind with it. Clown plecos are totally non-aggressive and tolerate each other very well even in a small tank)
= 20.5"

[cucci67]

The plecos' bioload seems a little high for that tank, but then again, maybe I am wrong.

[Scuba Kid]

a fancy pleco would be fine in a 20 gallon. as long as they keep up with regular maintenance, it should be fine.

[pureplecs]

I do not believe the pleco's bioload to be too much for a 20g as long as you keep up with regular water changes. Some plecs are worse than others as far as that goes but in regards to a bristle nose or one or two clowns it will be fine.

[hanunxx]

if you want a small pleco, probably try L134 (leopard frog pleco), it only grows to 8 cm ish, and they're pretty hardy, as long you have driftwood i think it should be okay, but the thing is, I'm not too sure about the price there 'coz where I come from (Indonesia), it cost me quite a lot of cash tho...

[PlecoMan1234]

Originally Posted by fishfreaks

I'd say your better off going with the rubbernose or bushynose pleco. They stay fairly small.

You got that right. Rubber nose Plecos are really cool and stay to like 5 inches.


http://www.tinytanks.net/pix/RL_pleco2_Mols_t.jpg

[JustOneMore20]

Pleco, this thread is from 2006, so its pretty old. We just ask that you look at dates on threads before responding so that you aren't bringing back old threads.