# Why is pleco so popular?



## clock906

Excuse me if the question sounds dumb..i am kinda of fish noob and I've never kept pleco

I notice a lot of people seem to keep pleco of different kinds, and there are many large communities and websites dedicated specifically to pleco.
A lot of people seem almost addicted to them!

Why is that? What makes pleco so popular and different from thousands of other fishes people keep in the aquarium?


----------



## Jackson

I think it is because of how nice they are. they can be kept with most fish. There are small ones and big ones. They come in different shapes and colours. Some are hard to care for and other are not. 

There is a pleco out there for most peole to enjoy.


----------



## Hitch

It is a family of fish that is extremely diverse. Having many vivid patterns and colouration. So like Jackson said most people can find a pleco that appeals to them.

to add, their behaviour is beyond intriguing.


----------



## Gshock

I like plecs cuz they clean my tank real nice xD


----------



## KnaveTO

Plecos are not cleaning fish. Common misconception perpetrated by LFS. The popularity has to do with the diversity of the species.


----------



## Gshock

yes, obivously they dont really "clean" as in the crap from my rays, but they do a pretty good job getting rid of the algae around, so thats a pretty good deal to me xD


----------



## flanneryc

There is a pleco for everyone! My wife HATED every picture of every pleco i showed her.. She thought they were too big.. too ugly... too dark... too 'sucky'.. etc.

BUT.... One look at the 2 little L144 black eye that i bought home from Tobalman last month and she fell in love with them.. They were small, cute, yellow/white and just perfect for my tank!!


----------



## Hitch

Gshock said:


> yes, obivously they dont really "clean" as in the crap from my rays, but they do a pretty good job getting rid of the algae around, so thats a pretty good deal to me xD


but just make sure you feed it other things like sinking wafers for it also. Your plecos would need other stuff for their complete diet.


----------



## KnaveTO

Certain species need meat in their diet. There are three types of diets for plecos, Carnivore, Omnivore and Herbivore. Make sure you are giving it the correct diet.


----------



## Hitch

a good combo of: Hikari sinking wafer, Hikari carnivore sinking wafers, NLS H2O stable, wardley spirulina wafers, wardley shrimp pellets, earthworm sticks, Omega one spirulina wafers and the occasional frozen bloodworm. Makes a good balanced diet. Of course the listed contain both carnivore and herbivore foods, so adjust portions based on your pleco.

You should also feed fresh greens: I find boiled de-skinned peas and zuccinnies (spelling...?) are good.


----------



## breeze905

You know this is also a question i been wondering forever. I see what you mean how there's different varieties/coloration and so on but the facinaction for plecos is STILL beyond me. I have a bulldog pleco whom sure i like but... he hides all day. i don't get to see him much. But i figure it's all a matter of personal preference. my tank is stocked with a variety of lil fish. most people thought i'd get big fish when i got the 90 gallon. To each there own... and who knows... maybe one day i'll venture into the pleco world also.


----------



## KnaveTO

I have a tank of L66 King tiger Plecos and usually see at least one or two of them anytime I look into the tank. If you provide enough hiding spaces their comfort level will increase and thus will be out and about more often.

To get an idea of the diversity of the species take a look at www.planetcatfish.com


----------



## breeze905

KnaveTO said:


> I have a tank of L66 King tiger Plecos and usually see at least one or two of them anytime I look into the tank. If you provide enough hiding spaces their comfort level will increase and thus will be out and about more often.


Well maybe i have too many hiding spots... so i can't see him. but i know where he's hiding out all the time... if i really want to i can find an angle to see him. The only thing making him maybe not so comfortable would be the red tailed shark i would assume. none of the other fish pay him any attention. the shark tries to bully him but the bulldog seems to hold his own quite well.


----------



## Riceburner

I try to keep a mix of stratus dwellers in most tanks.


----------



## Hitch

blossom112 said:


> I am going to make my own food ,am just looking for a dehydrator and thinking up recipies and collecting ingredients .
> gonna be fun to do !
> 
> the only thing I dont like is the POOP lmao
> 
> I am trying to like other fish but........nothing will top plecs!
> 
> I dont like the word cichlids


plecos RULE!!!

as for your own foods...what are you using as a binding agent for the ground up foods?


----------



## Sunstar

I love them because they suck  their little mouthes are cute!.


----------



## ameekplec.

Just because.


----------



## Sunstar

my dehydrator conked
I need to find out what went on it. no more head.


----------



## blossom112

no more heat ?
Next time we go there , hubby will lok at it ..... he is a fixer of all things electronic  ...i bet he can fix that !!!


----------



## bigfishy

I don't really like pleco...

I have them as replacement for the fish that I can't afford

L52 - replace the fish as Tirginus ^^

L007 - replace the fish as Leop Stingray ^^

marble sailfin pleco - replace as marble catfish (they grow HUGE)

brevis pleco - replace as oil catfish (too small to keep with large fish)

I know they don't look alike, but the pattern is similar, which makes me want to buy them

The pleco also help me clean off algae in the tank


----------



## Jackson

Hitch~
Why boil the veggies? It only takes away from them. Just sink them with some forks or knifes. 
Instead of using green beans try frozen green peas. The shell or husk ( I dont know what they call it ) comes off real easily and they sink.


----------



## Hitch

sorry, when I said boil...i dont mean like hardcore boil them. Its more like a 30 second dip to soften the surface a little (I find my smaller ancistrus digs in better when I soften them a little).

and yes I do use peas. And I think its called husk..lol, though I dont find my L260s enjoying them as much as the ancistrus L144 or calicos, but then again, ancitrus eats everything I throw in..lol

oh, sweat potatoes, another good veggie for the plecs.


----------



## KnaveTO

Hitch said:


> sorry, when I said boil...i dont mean like hardcore boil them. Its more like a 30 second dip to soften the surface a little (I find my smaller ancistrus digs in better when I soften them a little).
> 
> and yes I do use peas. And I think its called husk..lol, though I dont find my L260s enjoying them as much as the ancistrus L144 or calicos, but then again, ancitrus eats everything I throw in..lol
> 
> oh, sweat potatoes, another good veggie for the plecs.


Light 30 second dips is called blanching.


----------



## Hitch

KnaveTO said:


> Light 30 second dips is called blanching.


yes...thank you, forgot the term...lol


----------



## Jackson

Hitch said:


> sorry, when I said boil...i dont mean like hardcore boil them. Its more like a 30 second dip to soften the surface a little (I find my smaller ancistrus digs in better when I soften them a little).
> 
> and yes I do use peas. And I think its called husk..lol, though I dont find my L260s enjoying them as much as the ancistrus L144 or calicos, but then again, ancitrus eats everything I throw in..lol
> 
> oh, sweat potatoes, another good veggie for the plecs.


OOPs sorry I thought I saw beans LOL


----------



## bluekrissyspikes

breeze905 said:


> Well maybe i have too many hiding spots... so i can't see him. but i know where he's hiding out all the time... if i really want to i can find an angle to see him. The only thing making him maybe not so comfortable would be the red tailed shark i would assume. none of the other fish pay him any attention. the shark tries to bully him but the bulldog seems to hold his own quite well.


he is probably nocturnal so hides during the day



blossom112 said:


> I am going to make my own food ,am just looking for a dehydrator and thinking up recipies and collecting ingredients .
> gonna be fun to do !
> 
> :


you can make them food using gelatin powder and vedge/shrimp squished up in a food processor or grinder type thing.


----------



## KnaveTO

When making your own food for any fish, a binding agent is required, otherwise the food will make a mess and the fish will not get all of the benefit of what you are trying to accomplish, this is especially required for food for bottom feeders.


----------



## Jackson

KnaveTO said:


> When making your own food for any fish, a binding agent is required, otherwise the food will make a mess and the fish will not get all of the benefit of what you are trying to accomplish, this is especially required for food for bottom feeders.


Can you suggest a binding agent then?


----------



## KnaveTO

Gelatin is one and another is Agar Agar is another. Gelatin you can pretty much get anywhere, and Agar Agar can usually be found in Vegetarian/Health Food Stores. Gelatin is protein based and will add protein to the food, Agar Agar is carb extracted from seaweed and provides no real nutritional value to the food you are making. The other difference between both of them is that Agar Agar will disolve at higher temperatures than Gelatin, which means that Agar Agar based foods will last longer in the tank and will be easier to remove uneaten portions, whereas gelatin based foods can dissolve after a few minutes depending on the temperature of your tank.


----------



## Jackson

KnaveTO said:


> Gelatin is one and another is Agar Agar is another. Gelatin you can pretty much get anywhere, and Agar Agar can usually be found in Vegetarian/Health Food Stores. Gelatin is protein based and will add protein to the food, Agar Agar is carb extracted from seaweed and provides no real nutritional value to the food you are making. The other difference between both of them is that Agar Agar will disolve at higher temperatures than Gelatin, which means that Agar Agar based foods will last longer in the tank and will be easier to remove uneaten portions, whereas gelatin based foods can dissolve after a few minutes depending on the temperature of your tank.


Thank you sir for the great info


----------



## blossom112

I was going to use a vegtable flour as a binding agent ...
Am hoping this will work.
I will test a few things

what you think knave?


----------



## KnaveTO

I have never seen flour recomended as a binding agent anywhere. Remember the purpose of a binding agent is to... well... bind stuff together. Flour isn't, on its own, considered a binding agent and probably wouldn't last very long in the tank. The only thing you would probably be feeding would be your filtration system.


----------



## KnaveTO

I personally would not trust flour as a binding agent. I would want something that would be able to remain in the tank for more than a few minutes which I feel would be the issue with flour.


----------



## blossom112

this product is supposeed to be all natural and just ground green peas .

I would think it a healthier choice ...

I will have to do more reseach! thanks for the input!


----------



## KnaveTO

Both Agar Agar and Gelatin are also natural products. Agar Agar is from seaweed and Gelatin is extracted from bone marrow.


----------



## blossom112

gelatin and agar has no nutritional value ...yes all natural 

I was just looking for a better choice with a nutritional value to boot !

We should have a sticky as well for recipies and opinions !

Thanks knave!


----------



## bluekrissyspikes

flour + water = gluey sludge....

i've never heard of agar-agar(but will look into it now) but i know the gelatin doesn't melt too fast if you add lots of it. i don't have plecs, i use it for my snails and loaches


----------



## KnaveTO

bluekrissyspikes said:


> flour + water = gluey sludge....


The appropriate word is sludge. The binding ability will lessen with the addition of more water rapidly, which is exactly what you are doing when you add it to your tank.


----------



## matti2uude

Here's a pic of my leg


----------



## KnaveTO

One word... OW!


----------



## blossom112

Very NICE ... you are going to get it colored in white right ?
Good idea! i need one now lol smaller tho !


----------



## bluekrissyspikes

that's an incredibly sweet tat!!!


----------



## bluekrissyspikes

KnaveTO said:


> The appropriate word is sludge. The binding ability will lessen with the addition of more water rapidly, which is exactly what you are doing when you add it to your tank.


true enough. i was thinking the whole tank would get like 'gluey' but maybe not. just thicken up or something


----------



## ameekplec.

Unless you cook the flour/water/slurry then the flour is useless as a binding agent. And cooking will decrease the nutritional vlaue of food, as well, meaty foods shouldn't be cooked if you're feeding them to your plecs.

Go with Ross' suggestion and use Agar -once solidified, it will be easy to cut and handle and not fall apart. Gelatin will liquefy too easily and won't easily suspend particles without them settling out and making the gelatin crumble. Flour will make a mess either way - if it's uncooked, think a milky mess. If it's cooked, think of something like a thick gravy.

Also, agar agar is rich in soluble fiber which is great for digestion.


----------



## Hitch

Nice tattoo Matt.

And yes, I would trust agar agar more. But just wondering if you know any stores in particular that sells it? Knave, I know you said health/vegetarian food stores, but I have never heard of any of those stores, any store names in particular come to mind?


----------



## ameekplec.

Any asian grocery store will sell it. It looks like this:









It might also be in a powder form. It's definitely readily available.

Hitch, you can definitely find it at T&T.


----------



## Hitch

oh, serious? ill go visit T&T tmr...wow they just have everything...

lol..at first it looked like dried squid snacks....lol


----------



## matti2uude

Thanks for the compliments
They said a 260 would be hard to do lol


----------



## ameekplec.

lol - they just aren't trying hard enough. 

Actually agar is really available in most asian supermarkets, but you've probably walked past it a thousand times - it's rather unremarkable looking.


----------



## ameekplec.

Hitch said:


> lol..at first it looked like dried squid snacks....lol


mmmm squid snacks. You have to have the ones from Japan though - I find the taiwainese ones way too sweet.


----------



## KnaveTO

There are Vegetarin/Health Food stores all over the city. I know of one at the Carrot common on the danforth just past Broadview. Also there are Vegetarian stores in Kensington Market


----------



## Hitch

ameekplec. said:


> mmmm squid snacks. You have to have the ones from Japan though - I find the taiwainese ones way too sweet.


sweet? dont think I have ever had the taiwanese ones then...


----------



## Sunstar

I used Knox geletian for fish food.


----------



## gucci17

I'm just getting into plecos myself. I find that there are so many varients that there is bound to be one that you'll love. Ultimately, I would love to own some L46 and L134 but maybe later when I am more experienced.  

Thanks for the food tips with agar agar. Does it just melt or do you have to grind it all up first?


----------



## KnaveTO

I only know what I have read and studies. However I think it is pretty similiar to gelatin in that you have to add it to hot water and mix it till it is dissolved.


----------



## Hitch

Assuming its the same agar as the ones in the labs, yes it needs to be dissolved in hot water. Havent worked with the store bought kind, but in the labs, we just slowly heat the solution up until it completely dissolves.


----------



## ameekplec.

dissolve in hot water. pour into mold.

If you flavor it with a bit of sugar, it goes great with red bean paste and fruit salad with a bit of evaporated milk 

But only if you don't add in all the fish food first.


----------

