What pleco can live with african cichlids?

Fish

Brandon C asked:


if not pleco another fish that will eat the algae and wont get killed by the african cichlids

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7 Comments For This Post

  1. snakeyez82 Says:
    May 17th, 2009 at 11:50 pm

    sinodontus euruptus (i think thats how its spelt), hubby & i have two of those with our ciclids, they’re pretty much like sailfin plecos, they have a long top fin & tails & whiskers, & they eat mainly algae, & are also nocturnal, so make sure they have somewhere they can hide during the day. We got ours when they were small (maybe 5cm/2″ long) & now they’re at least twice the size after about 6-12 months, they’re very placid & get along with any fish. We also have a bunch of about 5 clown loaches, which are funny to watch & get along with ANY fish you put in there, they also eat algae & those sinking pellets (sailfins eat them too), hope that gives u some ideas. :-)

  2. -hErMiT:bOy- Says:
    May 19th, 2009 at 10:34 pm

    GOOD QUESTION. IDK. BUT I WOULD WANT TO SAY ANY PLECO. JUST GO TO UR LOCAL PET STORE AND SEE WHAT THEY SAY! GOOD LUCK.
    PLZ. VOTE ME AS BEST ANSWER! PLZ…LOL. :P

  3. Draigess Says:
    May 21st, 2009 at 12:03 am

    How big are the cichlids? Not too big i assume if they are africans. Any pleco that is about 5 to 6 inches long should be ok with them. Make sure you have a cave for the pleco. Algae wafers to eat (there probably wont be enough natural algae to keep it well fed and alive) and a piece of sinking driftwood (required for long term digestive health of plecos). They can be a bit pricey at that size. Maybe $20 to $30 but its worth it. If your tank is smaller than 55gal it wont be big enough for a pleco in the long run.

  4. John Manyjohns Says:
    May 21st, 2009 at 8:18 pm

    Well which ciclids? Rift valley ciclids? They tend to like harder water than plecks can tolerate. However if you are worried about nipping plecks are more or less armored. Ask your aquarium store “associate” please.

  5. I am Legend Says:
    May 22nd, 2009 at 2:21 pm

    Brandon, the first thing I’d like to point out here is that a pleco is an armored catfish and bottom feeder, it’s not a true algae eater. It can consume algae yes, but it’s generally not the first choice of food it goes after. It is much like cories or loaches in that it will consume whatever leftovers are in the tank. If algae is an issue, you’d do yourself better by controlling the factors that promote algae first, not try to get a fish to deal with the issue.

    To directly answer the question is that yes, many species of pleco can easily live with multiple types of Africans. I think you’ll find a pleco to be quite adaptable even to rift lake conditions. I’ve kept sailfin and a couple other common pleco’s, Asian Red Tailed Cats, Albino Channel cats, even cories and clown loaches in with my mixed African tanks, and never had a big issue. Every few months, I’d find a single dead cory, but that’s not unusual. However, I do tend to keep larger tanks, 180, 100, and 75, as well as all sorts of types of Africans, such as Mbuna, Peacocks, and Haps from Lake Malawi, and a few Victorians and Tangyangikans. Never had an issue really with any bottom feeders. In smaller tanks, more likely you’d see it be an issue.

    Keep in mind as well, plecos do output a large amount of waste, especially in the common types. Some of what you will want to consider should be balanced against your tank footprint either. I would not even think to opt for a common pleco of any type in a tank under 55 gallons since most commons will reach a size of 18 inches and up. Smaller plecos if kept with Mbuna, and in tanks under 55 gallons are also at higher risk of aggression from Mbuna too. In a larger tank, it’s generally little issue.

    I think you might want to specifiy which types of African you have, your tank footprint too. It might be that you’ll be better off going with Loaches and Botia’s. The pleco’s when I did keep them, certainly never had any eyeballs going missing or anything near that. Given African cichlids comprise about 2500 species, articles talking about pleco’s being eaten by Africans, which a large marjority of them are herbivores on top of it, probably should list the species seen doing it, because by far, it’s not a common trait.

  6. Ashley Says:
    May 24th, 2009 at 1:35 am

    African Cichilds or at lest iv read kill plecos they eat there un-armed eyes
    try the chines algae eater
    “Their heavily armored body protects them from all but the fiercest aggressors. African cichlids will eat their eyeballs. Piranhas learn to flip them over and eat their soft underbellies. Big oscars can whip them back and forth and “snap them.” But in general, not too many fishes can hurt a plecostomus.”

  7. Jimmy Says:
    May 26th, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    I tried to have a couple different kinds of plecos live with my african cichlids when the cichlids were small babies (1.5 inches). Even though my cichlids are relatively peaceful, they did not like the plecos for one reason or another. I tried the chinese algae eaters and the regular plecos, but they (the cichlids) would just murder them (Three 1.5″ cichlids versus a 6″ pleco… pleco dead within 2 days)

    If you try a pleco, be sure your tank doesn’t have any aquarium salt in it, Also, don’t spend too much on the pleco unless you can get a refund if the fish dies quickly.

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