Plecos recommendations for a community tank

[Tropicalfishkeeping201]

Hello everyone,

I want to add a Pleco to my 30 gallon community tank. What Plecos do you guys recommend me for this tank size and that it isn't shy and won't hide a lot?

Thank you in advance

Have a great day!

Edited March 15, 2023 by Tropicalfishkeeping201

[DiscusLover]

On 3/15/2023 at 10:13 AM, Tropicalfishkeeping201 said:

Hello everyone,

I want to add a Pleco to my 30 gallon community tank. What Plecos do you guys recommend me for this tank size and that it isn't shy and doesn't hide a lot?

Thank you in advance

Have a great day!

Dwarf snowball pleco or a clown pleco just any pleco that stays under 5 inches

Edited March 15, 2023 by DiscusLover

[Lennie]

On 3/15/2023 at 8:13 PM, Tropicalfishkeeping201 said:

What Plecos do you guys recommend me for this tank size and that it isn't shy and doesn't hide a lot?

That is the exact pleco behavior. So that's really the first thing you gotta accept sadly if you want plecos 😄 I have one L199 in my 29g, and yes, he always hide. They just don't feel safe, maybe unless your light is very very dim. They are nocturnal naturally 🙂

 

If you would consider them, Highly recommend whiptails. I have L010as (red lizard whiptails), and they never hide! Perfect size for a 30g. Get a group of 4-5, as they like to socialize.

They are not picky, eats literally everything I drop to the tank. Plays around plant leaves, sometimes on the glass, rocks, driftwood... they are always out.

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Lennie

[JettsPapa]

I had a few bristle nose plecos for a while, and they didn't seem particularly shy.

[NOLANANO]

I have 2 Bristlenose. One regular, one Albino.  The Albino one (Named Fancy Pants) is visible about 75% of the time. The regular one (Named Toothless) is only visible about 40% maybe 50% of the time.  I think the difference is that the Albino Pleco doesn't have great eye sight due to the whole being Albino thing. I don't think he is completely blind as he will scurry off to the back if I make sudden movements close to the glass but I do think it dulls his senses enough to make him come out more.

[Tropicalfishkeeping201]

Thank you guys! @DiscusLover, @Lennie, @JettsPapa, and @NOLANANO

[Colu]

Bristlenose plecos are great mine are out all the time 

[lefty o]

bristlenose is what you seek. clowns are cool, but they tend to hide like no other.

[Ninjoma]

I also wanted to chime in that bristelnose plecos are probably the ones that fit the bill the best. I will warn you though, that I have three, two of them are very active during the day. The other ones hides all day and only comes out at night. So your results may vary.

Another good option are reticulated hillstream loaches. They are not technically plecos, but they look somewhat similar, are also great at cleaning flat algae off of glass and plants, plus they are very active and peaceful. They are very consistently outgoing in my experience.

Edited March 15, 2023 by Ninjoma
spelling

[cavdad45]

in one tank, I have a calico bristlenose that spends a half the time out of view. My other tank has a pair of albino bristlenose, The female is always hanging in the front where the food is dropped. The male hides a lot and when he works eggs in his cave, you only see the tail.

But all in all, they are all peaceful and mind their own business and i see them frequently enough that I dont fret about their whereabouts everytime I look in.

[Tropicalfishkeeping201]

Thank you very much! @Colu, @lefty o, @Ninjoma, and @cavdad45 

 

[Guppysnail]

My lemon bristlenose plecos do not hide. I put food dishes out front and no food elsewhere. They want to eat mom gets to snoop. 

[Tropicalfishkeeping201]

On 3/15/2023 at 6:04 PM, Guppysnail said:

My lemon bristlenose plecos do not hide. I put food dishes out front and no food elsewhere. They want to eat mom gets to snoop. 

His a cute little guy, love the long-fins! Thank you @Guppysnail!

[anewbie]

With BN pleco my general experience has been that females are less likely to hide than males. The females are the one without the bristle (first picture in the above post). The male when fully mature will try to find a cave somewhere (or make one); he will hide in general and retreat quite quickly to his cave when you are around. The female will generally be out. I only have 4 species of pleco but generally speaking the male of all the species i have have been more inclined to hide; so while you might find the male bush or colouring (depending on species) more appealing the female is more likely to be visible in my experience - something to consider.

[Procrypsis]

Try whiptail cats. Lots of species to choose from, some are captive bred. They do not hide all day like most plecos.

[Tropicalfishkeeping201]

On 3/16/2023 at 3:38 AM, anewbie said:

With BN pleco my general experience has been that females are less likely to hide than males. The females are the one without the bristle (first picture in the above post). The male when fully mature will try to find a cave somewhere (or make one); he will hide in general and retreat quite quickly to his cave when you are around. The female will generally be out. I only have 4 species of pleco but generally speaking the male of all the species i have have been more inclined to hide; so while you might find the male bush or colouring (depending on species) more appealing the female is more likely to be visible in my experience - something to consider.

This is great to know! Thank you!🙂

On 3/16/2023 at 9:31 AM, Procrypsis said:

Try whiptail cats. Lots of species to choose from, some are captive bred. They do not hide all day like most plecos.

Thank you! I will look into these.

[BlueLineAquaticsSC]

I’ve had clown plecos and bristlenose in 30g and they did well, but I never saw them that often. The clown especially, I only saw him once every couple weeks. I’ve also had whiptails which were always out

[Tropicalfishkeeping201]

Thank you! @BlueLineAquaticsSC

[Kurt Brutting]

Mini Snowball Pleco’s all the way!

Dans Fish sells aquarium bred ones online.