Rubber Lip Pleco

[Birdman]

The Rubber Lip Pleco, is that a Parancistrus aurantiacus? Is this a good choice for brown alge, and will it scratch my acrylic tank?

[mistergreen]

I believeit's Chaetostoma `rio_zuata(orinoco)` or something close.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...?species_id=57

They are aggressive cleaners, I see marks on my plants all the time. But if you don't have algae covered plants you're fine...


You might want to look into bristle nose.. They stay small too and pretty good cleaners so I hear.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...?species_id=49

Plecos & goldfish are an iffy mix though.. I've seen plecos attack goldfish once in a while.

You might want to try otos.. They're really small.. Not sure if they a great mix but they're completely non aggressive.

[Birdman]

Originally Posted by mistergreen

I believeit's Chaetostoma `rio_zuata(orinoco)` or something close.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...?species_id=57

They are aggressive cleaners, I see marks on my plants all the time. But if you don't have algae covered plants you're fine...


You might want to look into bristle nose.. They stay small too and pretty good cleaners so I hear.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...?species_id=49

Plecos & goldfish are an iffy mix though.. I've seen plecos attack goldfish once in a while.

You might want to try otos.. They're really small.. Not sure if they a great mix but they're completely non aggressive.

I tried Otos, goldfish ate them with in a day. They thought it was Thanksgiving!

[Birdman]

[quote

You might want to look into bristle nose.. They stay small too and pretty good cleaners so I hear.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...?species_id=49

.[/quote]
From reading this it looks like the bristle nose would be a good choice.

[Birdman]

Just talked with Petsmart and they have 2" rubber lips so when I see a trip to Bend this afternoon. How many should I get?

[fshfanatic]

How big is your tank? When my 125 was heavily planted I had 4 Bulldogs (rubber lip Plecos) and 18 ottos.

[mistergreen]

Originally Posted by Birdman

I tried Otos, goldfish ate them with in a day. They thought it was Thanksgiving!

ha... that's what I though would happen.. I'm surprised the super slow goldies and catch an oto.

One or 2 rubber lip or bristle nose is fine.

[Birdman]

Rubber Lips were on sale at Pets Mart, so I just got home with 5, 2 inchers.

[valerietheangel]

Parancistrus aurantiacus is usually called a "rubber" or "chubby" pleco as a common name. We have one and he's much more interested in shrimp pellets and algae wafers, he is rarely out during the day and never cleans the glass (but that's not why we got him anyway). If you have brown (diatom) algae you might try farlowellas, they are a little more delicate though.

All plecos are tropical fish while goldfish are coldwater so I wouldn't mix the two.

ETA: If you ARE interested in Parancistrus aurantiacus, it is interesting to note that they can change colors from grey to a yellow/orange. Yellow/orange specimens are referred to as a Xanto variety. You can see a very cool pic here: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...?image_id=3167

[lauraleellbp]

x2 Planet catfish is the best place to try and ID catfish.

www.FishBase.org is also one of the best overall online fish ID/basic info sites, IMO.

[jphan]

lol i bought one and all he does is hides in my vals and comes out at night until today i actually cuaght him comming out with the lights on today for once since 2 months ago when i got him!.

[jlroar]

As a note on Goldfish and Pleco's and Otto Cats. I have had Goldfish for over 4 years now.

Otto cats if they get slow (sick) and your Goldfish's mouth is large enough they will eat them. If your Goldfish gets sick the Otto's will attach themselves to your Goldfish and suck their slime coat off. So it's a double edge sword their. I have caught Otto's chasing my Goldfish to suck on their slime coat so I suggest NOT mixing them with Goldfish.

I have had a regular pleco mixed with my Goldfish for the past 4 years. They tend to be more interested in the algae than the Goldfish but after time and as they grow they become aggressive and will ram the Goldfish if it comes close to it's food or it's territory. I have never had a regular Pleco suck on a Goldfish but don't doubt that if the Goldfish is ill that it wouldn't try. I do currently have a regular Pleco in my tank with Goldfish and still have had no issues.

I have a female bristle-nose Pleco in my tank as of now. He is NOT the best algae eater at all. He is however a GREAT clean up crew for un-eaten foods. It is rather cute watching him hop? crawl? instead of swimming. A really unique fish none the less.

As far as the Pleco being a tropical fish if you are able to keep your water temp around 74 to 76 they both should be just fine in the long run.

If you plan to keep ANY pleco with your Goldfish make sure you have a HOSPITAL tank and PLENTY of places for the Pleco to hide.

James

[valerietheangel]

Goldfish really aren't great to keep in a tropical tank at all. In a tank by themselves you can control more of their massive waste output (they are far messier than most tropical fish, with the exception of probably large plecos) but they really belong in a very large tank with a huge filtration system.

As an aside, well fed plecos in my experience will not try to suck the slime coats of other fish. I've kept large plecos and large cichlids mixed (my poor filters!) and have never seen this occur. Generally the only time a pleco will bother another fish in that manner is if it is extremely hungry. You may try adding some additional food for your otos.

[lauraleellbp]

Valerie- you should see the killer DIY filtration system Birdman has on this tank; takes up just about the entire stand! (He's got it posted in the DIY forum.)

[Birdman]

Originally Posted by lauraleellbp

Valerie- you should see the killer DIY filtration system Birdman has on this tank; takes up just about the entire stand! (He's got it posted in the DIY forum.)

Thanks Laura. Well I haven't seen the rubber lips since i put them in. But now i have green water. So i took one of my Savio 50 watt pond UVs and DIY-ed it today, Wonder how long it will take 50 watts to clean up 125 gallons?