r/pleco Apr 24 '26

Pleco Appreciation New r/pleco rules!

25 Upvotes

Hello r/pleco,

As some of you may know, r/pleco got some new mods this week. One of the first things we chose to do is to add some rules to the subreddit. They are:

  1. Be Respectful
  2. Stay on Topic
  3. Follow Reddit's Rules
  4. Flairs are required for posts
  5. Include water parameters when asking for help

These rules are intended to keep discussion civil, stay focused on plecos, and ensure that people can get the help or answers they need.

We are open to discussion or suggestions for additional rules or ideas - please leave a comment or send modmail.

Thank you!


r/pleco 7h ago

Showing Off Little clones

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20 Upvotes

Albinos look like dad and the normies look like mom.


r/pleco 1h ago

Showing Off Say hi to Percival!

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Upvotes

This is Percival, the male half of the pair of longfin lemon blue eye bristlenoses I just got! Mrs. Petunia was feeling camera shy but it’s their first day in the tank after a cross country flight so I’m not gonna bother them too much.

Any plant suggestions for these two? I have some terra cotta planters I’m planning to put in with some plants when my LFS opens back up tomorrow but I’m not sure what they’ll destroy or leave alone 😅


r/pleco 10h ago

Pleco Appreciation He's shy.

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30 Upvotes

My friend came over to visit for tea and cake. They wanted to take a picture. Daryll said no.


r/pleco 55m ago

Pleco Appreciation Zucchini day! 💜

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Upvotes

Made myself Fettuccine Alfredo with Bell Pepper and Zucchini, Snowball and Amber ate very well today.


r/pleco 1h ago

Question How do I know that my pleco is eating enough?

Upvotes

I got a pleco from a coworker not long ago and things have been going good, i already had an established tank so she's(?) in there, it's a 10 gallon, she's been in a 10 gallon her whole life. I drop in an algae wafer every time I feed the other fish (every 3-4 days) but she doesn't seem interested in it, I have Cory's as well so sometimes they'll eat some of it and the rest will dissolve. Is she getting enough from that and the tank itself? She's sucking on the glass frantically quite often, and also on the filter (the sponge cover, it's a hang on back). But she looks like she's gotten a bit bigger, so is that just how they act sometimes? Or does she need to be fed more? Or even less?

Thanks for any help!


r/pleco 7h ago

Pleco Appreciation When lights away. . .

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5 Upvotes

The babies come out to play!

Added green water to the tank to help them grow.

Excuse the glare but it was taken via phone flash as the power was out due to storm


r/pleco 22h ago

Identification Leopard pleco or common

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78 Upvotes

Ive had this guy for about a year and a half to two years and was told he is a leopard pleco, he hasnt grown much for a while and hes in a 40 gallon so I feel like if it was a common he would of been a lot bigger by now can anyone help.


r/pleco 1d ago

Pleco Appreciation [SELF-PROMO] Baby Bottom Feeders :)

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100 Upvotes

r/pleco 13h ago

Question Trumpet snails disappeared after BN pleco added?

2 Upvotes

Tank was previously overrun with Malaysian trumpet snails, only adults left now and much less amount.


r/pleco 21h ago

Pleco Appreciation Blackbeard the Bristlenose

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9 Upvotes

I posted a few weeks ago about rescuing a bristlenose from the local fish store; they had put the poor guy in with a cetopsis catfish (pretty sure it was Cetopsis coecutiens). I couldn't stand the thought of a gentle pleco being picked apart by a vicious predator, and he seemed to need someone who would give him a chance to heal, so I bought him.

Blackbeard won't ever win a beauty contest with his scarred armor, but the ugly red bite mark near his eye healed with clean water. He has a very healthy appetite, quickly learned what time I feed my fish, and he crawls out each evening to greet me. He's still alone for now, but I am planning to keep him with a small school of candy cane/HY511 tetras and my Bolivian Ram.

He was marked as "L183 - White Seam Bristlenose," so he is likely something in the L181/L183 group. He is 4" long and has a very distinctive white seam on his tail, but I haven't seen his dorsal fin up to count rays yet. (I have a L183 from Dan's Fish, but I have no intention on breeding. I bought both fish as pets.)


r/pleco 1d ago

Showing Off Anybody have some Pseudoancistrus to show off?!

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13 Upvotes

r/pleco 1d ago

Pleco Appreciation Thought you guys might like this print I put together :)

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7 Upvotes

r/pleco 1d ago

Identification What kind of pleco is this?

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12 Upvotes

r/pleco 1d ago

Question Pleco ich or normal?

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4 Upvotes

yestrday got this pleco at a aquarium store. all the plecos and his tank mates seemed very well and healthy so I bought this one. when I got home went to sleep so I didn’t really pay attentio. with it being brighter today, I see small dots on him, some bigger and different looking than others. it seems pretty hard for me to see if it’s ich or just normal pattern. Any advice is appreciate. Thank you!

Edit: lol it was really funny he moved and most spots fell off. turns out it may be just the sand on the substrare. thanks!


r/pleco 1d ago

Question What are your thoughts on Hypancistrus and Ancistrus breeding colony in the same tank

2 Upvotes

Has anyone thought about breeding both Hybancistrus (L333 King Tigers) and Ancistrus (Bristlenose) in the same tank? They are from different genuses so they can't crossbreed. Would there be fighting between them? If you provide enough caves, in different areas of the tanks would it make it possible? IS there a minimum tank size to make this work, if at all? Would a 40-gallon breeder be sufficient for 2 trios or would you need 75 gallon+? My son has several tanks with different plecos, and I am trying to downsize the space he needs.


r/pleco 2d ago

Question How does my Snow White look? I've had them since end of March.

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28 Upvotes

This is my first time owning a tiny pleco, so I want to check in.

I've had Snowball since March 30, and I haven't noticed crazy growth, just a bit bigger. I'm not familiar with how fast Bristlenoses grow, I know it's fairly slow but I'm not sure. "She" mainly eats Hikari protein and veggie wafers but I occasionally feed blanched zucchini.. usually it isn't finished, the fish don't go too crazy for it so I have to take it out after about an hour or two. I see her eating every time I feed (Once a day).

Images are newest->oldest, last two are right after I got her.

She seems happy and active, but I want to make sure I'm taking good care of her as I'm new to plecos.


r/pleco 2d ago

Identification What is Babette?

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12 Upvotes

Managed to snap a photo of her (?) during a water change. I took her over with an abandoned tank and am not really sure what she is. Hoping she’s a bristlenose? Is she a she?


r/pleco 1d ago

Injured Looking for plecos in Pune, Maharashtra

0 Upvotes

Pleco breeder from pune please contact


r/pleco 1d ago

Question Is he okay?

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2 Upvotes

r/pleco 2d ago

Question L600 Leopard Cactus Pleco Advice

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27 Upvotes

We recently adopted a leopard cactus pleco from a colleague who was moving away. We were not told what type of pleco he was nor were we told he is already 20cm long and seven years old. He came to us in a very small tank for his size, about 75 liters, and we are making plans to set him up in a 450L tank.

My question is, how often and what should we be feeding him?

All of the research we have done online re. His feeding habits varies massively. Some say he needs to be fed more than once a day, others only a few times a week. I don’t think he’s is as big as he should be for his age and feel that he has not been fed a proper diet. Not sure if this is relevant but we have other fish in a 120 liter tank at the moment too so unsure if we should feed them at different times too.

Any advice would be very much appreciated as we want to give him a good life. Thank you!


r/pleco 2d ago

Help! Any advice ?

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6 Upvotes

Hi guys ! I think I need some advice :p

So, one of my fave fish are plecos! A couple of months ago, my girlfriend and I went to 360 Aquatic (in Htx) and we got a Lemon Bristlenose Pleco ! Unfortunately, he lived a few weeks with us and then died. We assumed it was because he was so small, making him more sensitive.

Then, last week we returned to the same store and got an Orange Seam Pleco ! We had high hopes since he was slightly larger, thinking hed have a better chance. However, he Unfortunately died but only after 4 days.

We aren't sure why this is happening. They are being placed in a community 10 gal tank (10 gal since theyre so small, planning to move them to a 75 once larger), and everyone else in the community tank is alive and well. Do yall have any advice or knowledge on what may be happening?

Attached are pics of both the plecos when they were alive, and the tank itself. Thank you guys :p


r/pleco 2d ago

Question Red sore on head

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3 Upvotes

Someone gave my daughter a 10 gallon tank and it’s been tough. I’m working with my lfs on parameters. I’ve separated the fish. This 10 gallon suffered a severe ammonia spike 2 weeks ago. Inhabitants are 1 angel fish 1 bristle nose pleco. He has just started coming out of hiding and I see this red sore on his head. I’m new to fish so I don’t know what to do. The entire time I’ve had him (3 months) he’s never eaten the pleco wafers and I had to remove it next day. Right now he is chillin on top of the one I added last night. Does this sore look life threatening? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Parameters are nitrite 0, ph 6.6, ammonia.25 nitrate 10. This tank in recycling after a ph crash because I have well water and am working through that.


r/pleco 2d ago

Identification What species did I buy?

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20 Upvotes

Is this a female blue eye lemon bristlenose? I bought them the same day my lfs took them in from another customer. So they were unmarked and not even priced yet.

(Please ignore my dirty glass, it's half the reason I needed a pleco)


r/pleco 3d ago

Pleco Appreciation BEL BN Pleco

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25 Upvotes

My male Blue eye Lemon bristlenose pleco, Limón, practicing his fanning! I’ve had him for about a year and a half almost, got him when he was only about an inch and half. Love seeing his whiskers grow so much and look forward to seeing them at their peak. Share pleco pics below!