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for Sale.
This video shows a Plecostomus Catfish about 7" long that's scouring the surface of a big rock for bits of algae. Plecostomus
Catfish are the best algae eaters.
Plecostomus Catfish are also called Plecos and Algae Eaters. But they are not a replacement for regular aquarium maintenance. Click
here
to buy Plecostomus Catfish from us.
This Plecostomus would work hard for a few minutes then relax and rest for a few minutes, and repeat this cycle of working and resting
all day long.
Scientific Names. Hypostomus plecostomus and other species also appear on this page.
The advertisement, shown below, links to
this advertiser's web site.
Comments
Plecostomus are funny looking and most people enjoy having one in their aquarium. There are many species of Plecostomus, and almost all species
tend to stay out of the light and many species of Plecostomus are nocturnal, which means they hide in a dark place when the lights are on and come out when the lights are off.
Plecostomus
catfish constantly clean algae off the surfaces of everything. They are very good aquarium fish, but they are not a substitute for cleaning your aquarium and
changing some of the water. Click
here for more about regular aquarium maintenance.
Click
here
to listen to
Tom and Nevin, The Bailey Brothers, interview Chris from
Australia about Breeding Ancistrus Catfish.
Most Plecostomus species are rather fragile when small. By the time they have grown to 2" they are stronger; at 2.5" they are tough, and at
3.5" they are very tough. It's probably best to buy one that is at least 2.5" long.
Here is a picture of a Bushy Nose Plecostomus that Wally Billingham gave us permission to use. Thanks Wally. I think this is a picture of one fish and its reflection in the glass of the
aquarium. This fish is a member of the Ancistrus genus, and Wally's picture shows lots of bushy "whiskers".
Appropriate Home
An aquarium with an
exterior power filter with a BIO-Wheel, a
maximum of 1/4 inch of
gravel, and an
aquarium heater
adjusted to between 72 and 80 degrees. Plecostomus Catfish can tolerate cooler water, perhaps down to 65 degrees F., provided the water temperature decreases gradually over a period of days. Click
here
for more about warm water aquariums.
Plecostomus
Catfish
enjoy Cichlid
Stones, which
are hollow
ceramic aquarium
caves that make
ideal homes for
Plecostomus. Click
here for
more about
Cichlid Stones.
Here is another picture of a Bushy Nose Plecostomus that was contributed by Wally Billingham, who gave us permission to use it. In this
picture you can see in detail the mouth that this fish uses to suck onto the glass of aquariums.
Bushy Nose Plecos., like the one shown above, rarely grow longer than 5", and they are very good aquarium fish. We recommend them for most aquariums. Whereas, the
regular Plecostomus, which is shown in the video at the top of this page, can grow to be over 30" long and become too big for most aquariums.
Recommended Diet
Floating Flake Food for Tropical Fish. Plecostomus will actually swim upside down at the surface of the water to eat floating
flake food, which is
available in most stores
that sell pet fish. Hikari makes sinking foods specifically for bottom feeding catfish.
This food is very good
for Plecostomus and is available in most stores
that sell pet fish.
Always be very careful
not to feed more than
your fish can eat
quickly, because uneaten
food will spoil and pollute the aquarium water. Click
here
for more about feeding fish. Plecostomus Catfish do not seem to eat worms such as Black Worms. Click
here for more about Black Worms.
Two pictures of a nice
Plecostomus species
about 8" long that was
gnawing on a piece of
driftwood, as these
pictures were taken.
The advertisement, shown below, links to
this advertiser's web site.
Here is a 2" Spotted Sail Fin Plecostomus (L-001). From time to time we have rare Plecos. like this one for sale. Click
here
to see the list of Plecos. we now have for sale.
Picture taken in our
facility by TBK.
Compatibility
One Plecostomus Catfish in an aquarium is enough. They are the best algae eaters, but they'll eat almost anything else too. They will
not keep your aquarium clean. Click
here for more about regular aquarium maintenance. Plecostomus are good tank mates for
Bigger Tetras,
Angel
Fish,
Silver Dollars,
White Tip Sharks,
Pacus,
and Emerald Green Catfish. Plecostomus are seen in aquariums with all freshwater fish including large aggressive
Oscars
and other
Neotropical Cichlids. Plecostomus Catfish are also kept with
Goldfish. But the Goldfish can tolerate much cooler
water than the Plecos. can tolerate. Click
here to read more about several other groups of compatible fish.
The advertisement, shown below, links to
this advertiser's web site.
Size and Life Span
Regular Plecostomus can live 10 years and probably much longer and grow to be at least 24" long, but they rarely exceed 12" in
an aquarium.
Click
here to go to another page in this web site with a story, titled "Our Mother's
Burl", about Plecostomus Catfish.
The wonderful Bushymouth
Plecostomus, shown just
above, lives in a
55-gallon aquarium with
lots of mature
Angelfish. But this fish
is difficult to find,
because it's usually
hiding underneath or
inside an ornament.
Still when it does
appear, it's a real
treat to see !!
Books about Catfish
The book shown below is listed on Amazon.com. You can click on the title or the image of the book to go to the page at Amazon.com,
where the book is listed and discussed. In some cases you can preview several of the pages in the book.
Click
here for a
complete list of books about Freshwater Catfish at Amazon.com.
Click
here to continue on to another page in this web site that contains Customer Comments
and our Replies about keeping and caring for Plecostomus Catfish.
The advertisement, shown below, links to
this advertiser's web site.
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