Mixing plecs

What is the genral consensus on mixing pleco's

i have 2 types 1 being a clown and the other being a rubber nose if i was to mix these whould they fight over teritory or would they tolerate each other ?

OK, these are not hard n fast rules, but most of the time it is ok, but its worth doing your own research as the average LFS only go by avaerage plecs and say xyz is fine.

Most of the time, its ok, but some as they grow will get VERY territorial, but usually only over their own particular cave/bigwood/slate etc

Clown plecs are only small and the Bristlenose (as you call rubbernose) will possible shove them off a chunk of cucumber or whatever, but that will be all. Most plecs aim agression at their own kind. I will say here n now that clown plecs do much much better when in groups of three or four or more.

I habe 2 Bristlenose plecs (male n female) a LDA33 'Snowball Plec' (sex unknown, quite chunky so thinks its female) and an as yet unidentified plec (think its a leopard frog Plec) and all are fine at the moment.

When I was looking after a common plec, he was no bother to other fish either. I would think the main worries would be with th more carnivorous plecs, especially if you have inverts like shrimp or crayfish in the tank.

But if your worried about your current stock, then there shouldnt be any trouble at all.

it is a rubbernose aka bulldog

cheers rich as i have just found out that the clowns need bog wood and i dont have any in the little tank so will go and swap them over now then cheers

it that true about the clowns as i have been told the other way arround my bulldogs need to be in groups but my clown was ok

well, if it s a bulldog, then it too would appreciate company, ud see them out n about in the day more often if kept in groups, same goes for clown plecs.

As for bogwood, well, here is my thoughts

Many plecs are confused/mis identified, but most need bogwood in the diet, so you cant go wrong by having some in there in any case.

Dont use mopani wood, at least if you do, have bogwood in there too, as mopani is significantly harder, and current pro plec keeper thinking is that mopani can wear down the plecs 'teeth' to a seriously bad degree.

Bog wood needs soaking before use, but you may be able to buy 'pre-soaked' bogwood for a little more money, in anycase, i adds a nice natural feature to any tank, and can help with pH stability if this is aproblem.

As I said, many/most plec species do fine when mixed, so long as there are plenty of caves etc for everyone, they will find their own 'homes'. Just be careful of known 'territorial' fish, not just plecs (red tailed sharks are a prime example, they will bully the hell outta a smaller plec)

i think the only one i have that are teritorial are the kribs

i have a few caves an a large peice of bog wood in the tank so thats fine

my buldog is always out and about but the clown is not so that might be y so i will look for some more of those

well i bit the bullit and added the clown and he went straight down and found a nice little spot under a bog wood branch so that was ok

so i will keep my eye on the pair just incase

The Bristlenose Plec is the main species for which bogwood is vital as specimens without any tend to be short-lived. However, when researching my new L205, I was told that all plecs. appreciate some wood in their diet and indeed, I have noticed that he likes to "rest" on the bogwood.

Re: mixing plecs, again it is species dependent. I suggest to get a definitive answer, you either search the back threads on Plecofanatics and Planet Catfish or post a new thread of your own because they're experts when it comes to all things to do with bottom dwellers.

Plecs dont appreciate a dirty bottom either

Gravel I mean :lol:

Mmmm , strange that!

Rich wrote:

Plecs dont appreciate a dirty bottom either

Don't talk me about dirty bottoms - my toddler was just running about nappy-less and lets just say, he didn't make the potty in time and it wasn't a pee...

One of the further advantages of keeping shrimp is that they tend to keep the surface layer of gravel quite clean as they always seem to be "hoovering" the substrate.