# LDA33 snowball pleco question / advice



## vrodolfo (Apr 7, 2011)

Hi everyone...

Has anyone on this forum kept this species in a high pH environment (like 8.2 - 8.4)?

Does it get along well with cichlids (mbuna) and synodontis multipunctatus?

I assume it will be OK but I just don't want to stress / torture the little guy.

Any advice / comments are much appreciated...

Thanks,
Vic


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

Not a good mix

From the water to the fish

If you keep it in that tank with those perams you will only be doing what you don't want to do.


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## vrodolfo (Apr 7, 2011)

Thanks Jackson...

Yeah I've heard horror stories before about keeping plecos with mbuna...the mbuna have a nasty habit of removing pleco eyes. 

Others have had success but its always mixed results. Even in a tank with tons of hiding spots.

What about a planted tank with mbuna fry? I have a few of those...the fry are more docile, its just the water params...the pH is a little lower like ~ 8.0 due to the vegetation.

Your watermelon plecos are amazing BTW.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

NP 

Thanks 

I personally try to keep the PH at 7 or a bit lower. With Lda-33 who need lots of food and won't fight for food docile tank mates are a good idea. If it was my fish I would not keep it in a PH of 8. 
People do it and they say the fish do well. 

Do you have the fish already?


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## vrodolfo (Apr 7, 2011)

No, I was thinking of purchasing one from gen...just to try my luck at it. Never had pleco's before so I'm totally new to that. But since all my tanks are african cichlid tanks (Malawi) I wasn't sure if the pleco would thrive...gen couldn't answer any of my questions hence the post.

I guess I'll have to turn gen down...damn...really wanted one too.


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## fly4awhiteguy (Dec 27, 2011)

I have a tank of saulosi, which are smaller,and supposedly less agressive cichlids... I have tried on 3 seperate occasions to add cleaner fish in there tank. the 1st was a chinese algea eater (agressive one too) and after the 2nd day I never saw it again, the 2nd time I put in 2 spotted plecos that were slightly larger than the ciclids.. 1 week later they got moved to my community tank because the cichlids would not leave them alone.. the 3rd time I added a common pleco approx 5 " bigger than the cichlids... all went well for about 3 weeks, until 1 day I came home to find the pleco dead and half eaten. now to avoid brown algae on the rocks I simply changed to a brown coloured rock.. in my experience- cichlids are not a fish to be mixing with other fish.... IMHO


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