# More than one Pleco



## Donald Hansen

I've been thinking of adding a bristlenose pleco, around 2 to 3 inches, to my 55g. I already have a large common Pleco as you can see in the picture. Is there going to be a territorial problem? Does a bristlenose pleco need a day time hiding place like the common does? I think I understand what's needed to keep them happy as far as feed goes so that should not be a problem.

DLH


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## plecosrawesome

they should be ok if they both have spots to hide, and they both have plenty of food..i used to have 2 commons in a 10 gallon temporarily and they were never aggressive toward each other


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## phil_pl

I have always hard more than one pleco in my FW tanks without any problems but i have never mixed species so i can't say for sure.


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## majerah1

I wouldnt just because of size restraints.That common will get huge,just ask Susankat.She has a pic here that shows how big one of hers is.


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## phil_pl

majerah1 said:


> I wouldnt just because of size restraints.That common will get huge,just ask Susankat.She has a pic here that shows how big one of hers is.


very good point!!! i forgot to mention i did not keep full grown adult plecos, i had a deal with my LFS where i would trade in my big plecos for smaller ones when the time came


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## Donald Hansen

Thanks for the replies.

Found the picture of susankat's Pleco. That is one big fish.

I bought my Pleco when he was about 3 inches. He has been the size he is now for a least a year so I don't think he's going to get any bigger. He's also about the same size as the one I had before him. But if he does get too big for the tank, I have a nephew who has more than one 150g tank and I'm sure he would be more than happy to give it a good home. Same thing if they don't get along with each other except the bristlenose would go because the common has seniority. So I think I'm going to take a chance and get me a bristlenose.

DLH


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## susankat

I have a full grown bn in the tank with my common and no problems. Once the pleco reaches a certain size its hard to find something big enough for a cave for them. Right now I am using 4 inch x 12 pvc pipe. But mine is in a 90 gal. And when I redo the 220 he will be going into that tank.


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## Donald Hansen

susankat said:


> I have a full grown bn in the tank with my common and no problems. Once the pleco reaches a certain size its hard to find something big enough for a cave for them. Right now I am using 4 inch x 12 pvc pipe. But mine is in a 90 gal. And when I redo the 220 he will be going into that tank.


How big is your common? I'm not a fan of PVC pipe but you can't beat the price. If you look at my picture you can see the artificial log in the back of the tank. It's home to my common. It's plenty big for both width and height but is just barely long enough. I paid $65 for it and since then have found it for a lot lot cheaper on the Internet. Because my common likes to dig I used silicone to add a piece of Plexiglas to the open bottom. I believe a bristlenose does not get anywhere the size of a common so maybe you and I can find something smaller for our bristlenoses.

One interesting thing about my common and his house is that he spends a lot of his time in it hanging from the roof.


DLH


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## susankat

My common is about 15 inchs long, the big bn is about 6 inches full grown. What I have done with pvc is to take natural gravel and use silcone to attach to pipe so it looks natural.


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## Kevostradamus

We have 2 plecos in our tank... One is a bristle nose the other IM unsure what it is but they have never appeared to be aggressive. The bristle nose actually cause the other pleco to be more active. It was just hiding all the time. Just my personal experience...


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## automatic-hydromatic

my two albino BN almost always stay hidden, stuck to the bottom of the driftwood somewhere, when the lights are on. but they're very active at night

they typically leave each other alone, but if one backs the other into a corner or a tight spot for whatever reason, they'll display their little barbs by their gills and then swim away; I've never seen them get physical


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## susankat

Travis sounds like you have 2 males. They will spar over a cave or a certain spot that they both want. I have a video of a couple of mine sparing for a hole in a log. Males tend to hide more than females. My females are all over the tank and walls all the time.

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## Donald Hansen

susankat said:


> My common is about 15 inchs long, the big bn is about 6 inches full grown. What I have done with pvc is to take natural gravel and use silcone to attach to pipe so it looks natural.



You 15 inch common has got mine beat by about 4 inches.

You've given me an idea. I wasn't keen on adding another artificial log, to much of the same thing, but I was always afraid of building a cave out of large flat rocks because they may fall on the fish. If I were to use silicone to attach the rocks to the PVC, the problem would be solved. I think I remember seeing gray PVC, probably at ACE, somewhere. That would blend in a little better if some were to show.

Saw your video and a bunch of the others with it. No wonder this site is the first one I visit everyday. Thanks to you and all the great people here.

DLH


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## Rohkey

When I was younger I had a 10G tank with 3 Plecos for over a year (I now realize this was not good at all for them, but when I was 10-11 I didn't know any better). Two were probably 4-6 inches and the other was around 2 inches. They got along just well in an overcrowded tank of 2 Gouramis, a shark, and 6-8 community fish. They were never aggressive towards each other or other fish and outlasted all the other fish a couple times over. The little one would even feed off the back of the two larger ones sometimes (probably a sign of hunger) with no problem. This is just one example of my only experience with the fish, but it shows that they aren't always aggressive.

If you decide to get another pleco, Bristlenose ones would be the perfect size, but I don't know how they would mix with the other one...all of mine were the common variety. I'd also suggest trading in your current pleco for a younger (and smaller) one or another Bristlenose due to his inevitable increasing size.


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## Donald Hansen

"If you decide to get another pleco, Bristlenose ones would be the perfect size, but I don't know how they would mix with the other one...all of mine were the common variety. I'd also suggest trading in your current pleco for a younger (and smaller) one or another Bristlenose due to his inevitable increasing size."

Rohkey

I've had my common for so long it would be hard to get rid of him. To ease the pain, I would ask my nephew if he would like to take it for one of his 150g tanks. Rather do that than let some stranger have him. I think I'm among people who understand that.

DLH


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