Plecos Under 6 inches

[BiGBlak]

I want a pleco for algae control in my new community tank that just got done fish-less cycling . Tanks not super huge for any pleco ( only a 40 breeder) so i would like to know are there any other plecos that stay 6 inches or under other that BNs. those are the only recommendations ive heard from here and im pretty curious to see what else is out there so far i seen king tiger, rubber lip, clown but is there anything else ?

[Pleco380]

There's zebras but they cost big bucks and are hard to find. I love my 2 clowns though. Great little plecos. There are also pitbull plecos which are quite small. Out of king tiger, clown, BN, rubberlip, zebra, and pitbull that's are fair amount of options. You could also go with an albino BN is you like the whire plecos.

[KingFisher]

Ancistrus claro are reported to be good algae eaters and stay under 3" ,

You would probably have to order them online though.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=152

[BiGBlak]

There's zebras but they cost big bucks and are hard to find. I love my 2 clowns though. Great little plecos. There are also pitbull plecos which are quite small. Out of king tiger, clown, BN, rubberlip, zebra, and pitbull that's are fair amount of options. You could also go with an albino BN is you like the whire plecos.
well doesnt hurt to try and see if there is something else out there . thanks. . . . do you know if the king tiger pleco are really expensive or average price ? i may go with them or BN since there is nothing else i can find that im interested in at the moment.

[BiGBlak]

Ancistrus claro are reported to be good algae eaters and stay under 3" ,

You would probably have to order them online though.
interesting may ask my lfs if they can get those for me but first going to have to do research on them. are they like other plecos ?

[Pleco380]

well doesnt hurt to try and see if there is something else out there . thanks. . . . do you know if the king tiger pleco are really expensive or average price ? i may go with them or BN since there is nothing else i can find that im interested in at the moment.
I believe the king tigers are a bit pricey, I've heard the can be 40-50 bucks canadian. Not sure about in the US. Zebras are crazy expensive (up to $300 at times!). But BN's, clowns, rubberlip are fairly cheap.

[BiGBlak]

I believe the king tigers are a bit pricey, I've heard the can be 40-50 bucks canadian. Not sure about in the US. Zebras are crazy expensive (up to $300 at times!). But BN's, clowns, rubberlip are fairly cheap.
if they are then im going wit BNs not gonna spend that much on him lol.

[Dave66]

interesting may ask my lfs if they can get those for me but first going to have to do research on them. are they like other plecos ?

I have eight A. claro in my 75. They act a lot like regular BN, just a good deal smaller and far more ornate. All they need is several cave-like hiding places and a LOT of softened (by holding into boiling water for a couple minutes) vegetation, like zucchini slices. They like cantaloupe a lot, and of course they love green algae. I culture it on stones for them, since my tanks are planted, and there's no algae to be found in them.

Cucumber, sliced in half, they'll eat, but aren't as avid for it as they are for cantaloupe and algae. The will gnaw at the al dente zucchini if there's nothing else to be had that night.

You'd put the vegetation in at night and leave it in for 24 hours, then remove it and replace it with something else. If you hunt around for threads by me, there's a piece on feeding otocinclus that applies to claro as well, and in my loricariad primer, there's an entry on claro you may find illuminating.

Dave