Pleco and Shrimp

[freshwaterfishlover]

Do shrimp get along with Pleco? How do four 4" max sized Pleco sound in a 20 gallon?

[Drumachine09]

I dont see why they wouldnt get along.

What breed of pleco are you refering to?

[Chrona]

Depends on the type of pleco. Some are actually carnivorous.

[Drumachine09]

Depends on the type of pleco. Some are actually carnivorous.


Learn something new every day!

[cocoa_pleco]

A small herbivorous pleco would be best. I remember i had a type of pleco that was carnivorous and i fed him frozen squid.

[GoldLenny]

Most plecos are omnivores and some are carnivores. You would need to do more research on which ones are strictly herbivores. Otherwise, since they are both bottom dwellers for the most part, the shrimp could become snacks.

I'm not sure which pleco's you are talking about that only get to 4". Most of the dwarf varieties still get to 6". I think four would be too many anyhow since they have lots of body mass and would be competing for limited space. Pleco's can be aggressive to conspecifics (same species).

[newt0524]

Hey

Ive got about a 10" Common and he eats shrimp like a fiend!

Ill drop in some shrimp and silversides for mt TSN and Walking catfish and the pleco will jump all over it.

[YaYgoldFish]

Well my common pleco (1 and a half inch) is always under my driftwood log with my shrimp, seems like i only see my shrimp in the day when hes hanging out with my pleco. If my pleco isnt under the log, i can't the shrimp at all, im guessing the shrimp just comes out to see him. They are great freinds.

[Algenco]

If it's your bristlenose, I don't think it would bother the shrimp

[gm72]

the P, you do know that your small common pleco can (and should if he/she is healthy) get over a foot long, yes? Just checking. Fish stores don't always give people all of the information and they then end up with a fish that is FAR too large for their aquarium. Red belly pacu's are also notorious. They can get upwards of 4 FEET in length in the wild, yet some fish stores sell them as pets. Unreal and inappropriate for the most part.

[YaYgoldFish]

yeah but im guessing its going to take atleast a year (???) and I can sell it or trade it for a smaller one.

[gm72]

Depends on the pleco. Just watch it carefully and be ready to trade down. Why not just go with a pleco that doesn't get so large like a bristlenose?

[YaYgoldFish]

my lfs only keeps one kind..It's the only lfs that sells plecos that are less than 3 inches in the nearest 4 cities near mine.

[Mdsuave13]

my lfs has a few pacu's that are around a foot and a half long, they are practically trying to GIVE them to someone who has a tank big enough for them. They also have a dozen or so breeder plecos that are over 2 feet long...

I got my 4 clown loaches (of course the only fish i hadn't researched before i got them) and found out how big they can get...

At least i have a 500 gallon in wall tank in the works.. LOL.

[gm72]

IMO no LFS should sell red belly pacus. 4 feet plus in the wild. Ridiculous to sell them to the "average" aquarist. Irresponsible and unprofessional.

[freshwaterfishlover]

a guy at work told me he has a Pacu in a 55g tank.

[gm72]

Sorry to hear that. Hope he realizes that the Pacu will surely outgrow the 55 and any other tank that he is likely to get. Either that or stunt its growth. Either way, BAD CALL.