09 Dwarf Plecos
Description
This article is from the Aquaria: Good (and Bad) First Fish; Breeding FAQ, by Dean Hougen and Elaine Thompson
09 Dwarf Plecos
"Pleco" (a shortening of the now-unused genus name Plecostomus) is
the common term used for suckermouth catfish of the family
Loricariidae. As mentioned below in the Bad First Fish section, common
Plecos (Hypostomus species) are often sold to beginners as algae
cleaners. Unfortunately, these fish get too large for the relatively
small tanks of most beginners.
Some species of suckermouth catfish, however, do stay small enough for
most beginners to keep. The Clown Plecos of the genus Peckoltia have
alternating transverse bands of darker and lighter brown, tan, or
yellow and generally stay under 4" long. The Bristlenose or Bushynose
Plecos of the genus Ancistrus possess, as their common names imply,
numerous projections from the area between their eyes and mouth.
Within each species the bristles are larger on the male, especially
near breeding. In fact, Bristlenose Plecos are among the few
Loricariids to be successfully spawned in the home aquarium.
Otocinclus Cats, often just called Otos, are the smallest Loricariids
and will clean algae from live plants without hurting any but the most
delicate of them. Otos sometimes die shortly after purchase for no
apparent reason, but if they make it past this critical time they make
very good community tank residents.
While the various suckermouth catfish will indeed help to keep the
aquarium free from many common algae types, the beginner should not
make the mistake of thinking of these fish as simply algae eaters or
scavengers. They should be given foods intended just for them, such as
zucchini which can be blanched or weighted down to sink it to the
Pleco's level. Some fish food manufacturers have recently realized
that there is a market for specialized Pleco foods and now sell
products such as sinking algae wafers which fit this bill nicely.
These foods should be fed in the evening when the light reaching the
tank is low, as most Plecos are more active at this time and most
other fish which might compete for the food are less active. Pieces of
(uncoated) driftwood in the tank are also important for many Pleco
species, which rasp at the wood and ingest the scrapings. By the same
token, Plecos should *not* be kept in wooden tanks, or even acrylic
ones for that matter, as they may chew into the tank material damaging
it and/or themselves (by ingesting toxins or undigestible matter).
Pleco species can be quarrelsome amongst themselves and may be picked
on by other fish due to their generally slow-moving nature. Provide a
hiding cave for each Pleco and give them territories proportional to
their size (e.g. 10 gallons for a 3" fish.)
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