# NEW To PLECO'S



## jeppun21 (May 2, 2011)

So im new to owning a Clown pleco and was wondering do clown plecos or plecos in general have a large bio load?

Thanks 
Jep


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## ElectricBlueJackDempsey (Aug 4, 2010)

Yes, plecos are notorious for having a very large bio load. With a clown pleco, you should have much problems because they stay small.


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## jeppun21 (May 2, 2011)

Oh ok.. cause i feed my clown pleco algea wafers and shrimp pellets.. and wow is der a lot of black string of stool everywhere...lol but it isnt bad...

Thanks jep


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## SeaHorse (Dec 27, 2010)

Pleco's and Goldfish are the biggest poopers. Yes big bio load and that dictates how many fish you can put in your tank. 
They also like it when you boil/blanch zucinni and broccoli and after cooling it, drop it in the tank. yummy veggies. Which means mine eats all of the live plaints I try to put in the tank... even the floating ones, she swam upside down on the surface to steal those too!! (I was told the females have less wiskers, mine has none)


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## jeppun21 (May 2, 2011)

what would u thnk an alternative bottom feeder would be with less bio load.. a whiptail catfish or oto?


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## SeaHorse (Dec 27, 2010)

I've only ever had one Pleco in the tank. I love my Cory's. I've heard that Otto's are hard to raise/keep alive. Algae eater or large snail? I have one snail in my 10 gallon Betta tank and man can that little thing clean up!!


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Jep, assuming you are looking for some interest on the substrate (as opposed to fish eating leftovers), the Whiptail Catfish is a good fish. Check the info in the profile (click on the shaded name). Corys as Jackiebaby mentioned are certainly interesting. Oto catfish tend not to be on the substrate except when feeding from sinking foods, they spend their time on plant leaves, wood, even the tank walls, grazing algae. They need a group (as do corys). Loaches are interesting substrate fish, but they tend to need large tanks as most are 4-5 inches for smaller species and the others are much larger, and they need a group.


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## sik80 (Mar 16, 2010)

jeppun21 said:


> what would u thnk an alternative bottom feeder would be with less bio load.. a whiptail catfish or oto?


I have panda corys, a whiptail and ottos. all lovely fish with less bioload than a plec (though corys and ottos need to be in groups of 4+, which increases your total tank bioload (but you have a nice shoal of fish to look at). I wouldn't really class ottos as bottom feeders as they spend most of there time resting and feeding on surfaces in the mid-level


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## jeppun21 (May 2, 2011)

thanks byron.. Yeah my single pleco just has a big bioload.. Im maybe thnking of putting him in a 40 gallon i just bought so he has more room... Probably gonna get that whiptail catfish... Are they hard to take care of and do they produce less bio load then the plecos

thanks 
jep


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

jeppun21 said:


> thanks byron.. Yeah my single pleco just has a big bioload.. Im maybe thnking of putting him in a 40 gallon i just bought so he has more room... Probably gonna get that whiptail catfish... Are they hard to take care of and do they produce less bio load then the plecos
> 
> thanks
> jep


Check the profile for care needs. No, they are pretty easy going, and can live for many years. They like algae/spirulina/kelp based sinking foods, and will eat any common green algae they find. They are actually very thin for their length, so they have a very small impact on the bio load (and produce very little waste).


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