PLECOS and Plants - Which Catfish to Keep With Plants

They're both popular in aquariums and they can often live together in harmony. Plecos are a kind of catfish which belong to the Loricariidae family, but many will inflict serious damage on a planted aquarium, become extremely demanding or require high levels of algae to consume.

Photo by Michael Bentley

There are several different groups of catfish and it is recommendable for beginners and those keeping a fragile planted aquarium to stick with Hypoptopomatinaes. This group contains members of Otocinclus, Parotocinclus, Hypoptopoma and Microlepidogaster and the advantage of these species is that all of these fish stay small, normally within two or three inches. Although they love to eat algae, the bane of many an aquarium, they will largely leave your plants alone. However, this is not the case with all Plecos and additionally, some species will not only cause havoc in the aquarium but have extremely demanding needs to be kept successfully.

Worker catfish in the Ancistrinae, members of the genus Ancistrus are possible the best worker catfish you could keep, more commonly known as bushynose plecos. However, it is important to know that some species of Ancistrus will do a lot of damage to plants and this Plecos will require a lot of your time to keep successfully. This is due to the fact they generally need a strong current, very specific water temperatures and a high level of oxygen from the main body of the aquarium water. If you are planning a Dutch aquascape, it is advisable to keep to any of the species above.

Unless you are an advanced hobbyist, it is a good idea to attempt to stay clear of Farlowella, which are extremely efficient algae eaters. This may seem ideal to begin with, but they are so efficient at consuming algae it is possible for them to clean an aquarium in a few days and subsequently starve to death afterwards. In addition to these nearly all Hypostomus and Glytopterichthys, more commonly known as sailfin Plecos, will grow to extremely large sizes and love to eat plants.

Some Plecos are much easier on plants and are, by comparison, relatively simple to keep successfully. Research into the individual species should give a firm idea of what can be successfully kept with plants and what may need more attention from you to keep life in the aquarium harmonious. When choosing algae eaters, it is a good idea to wait for some algae to be present in the tank first, to ensure that they will always have enough to eat and do not become ill as the aquarium becomes clear.

With live aquarium plants you can overcome all the problems of a non-planted aquarium. You can improve the quality of your aeration, filtration, food and algae control. You can improve the lives of your fish. Find out how live aquarium plants can help you, help them.

By Sean Norman Sean Norman is an environmental science student and freelance writer with a deep love of ecology. Article Source: EzineArticles

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