new to the fish world

[vmkpie]

Hi everyone im pretty new to all of this but im on my 2 tank a 29 gal freshwater tank im hooked on the hobby my tank is pretty much maxed out the local petstore has said I could do one pleco and my tank would be maxed they seem really knowlagable havent steered me wrong or pushed me to buy fish that wouldnt make it when I had ph problems but I was wondering what kind of pleco I should get I have a rainbow shark a swordtail an anglefish and 3 dwaf gourmis any suggestions?

[vmkpie]

My name is brian btw

[dennysfishroom]

Depends on what you want it to do. If it's for the algae, the bushy nose plecos are probably the best. They do a good job of cleaning the tank, and they stay relatively small (4-6 inches). Hope we can meet you at one of our meetings. Denny

[vmkpie]

Thank you Denny I have cosidered the bushy nose plecos but ive also been trying to find as many as I can online to increase my choice but with out knowing even half the names of them ill probably have to stick with it I did find a zebra pleco that was very beautiful that only get to 3" but some1 is very proud of that fish lol 499.99 before taxes is a bit much for me

[dennysfishroom]

It's a very rare fish (even in the wild). There are a few people breeding them, but not many which accounts for the high price. The other thing is that not all plecos are good algae eaters. Plecos are really hot in the hobby right now, so there are a lot of species available, but you need to know what you want to accomplish before buying one. Denny

[Nevoy]

If you are serious about some of the more rare plecos you might want to wait until the auction which is next month. I know there will be a few different species of hem available along with the ever present bristlenose in several variations. Also welcome to the forum.

[mewickham]

Some good choices are bushynose plecos (Ancistrus spp.), rubber nose plecos (Chaetostoma spp.), and clown plecos (Peckoltia spp.). These are species that stay small enough for your tank and eat some algae.

Zebra plecos, besides being expensive, are not algae eaters. Plus, this fish is currently so rare, and not legal for export from its native country. So only those intending to breed them should buy them.

[vmkpie]

Thanks for all the info I hope to beable to make it to a meeting one day its a bit far for me but maybe one day Ive been considering a orange bushy nose ill habe to look the other 2 up they dont have to be the best at tank cleaning I do reagular water changes hoping to find something that looks different and posibly colorful thanks again guys