timothym@tekigm2.MEN.TEK.COM (Timothy D Margeson) (01/18/90)
Hi, About plecos (plecostimi or some other spelling that is more correct), and trying to keep them alive... I have have two plecos growing like wild flowers for over two years... The requirement they seem to need is water over 60 degrees, and lots of food, far more than required by the other inhabitants. I keep them with my Koi in a 50 gallon (actually holds 42 gallons - but that's another story) tank. The koi and plecos get along so long as the koi are not too large - greater than 14". They seem to enjoy slime coats of fist less manuverable, and a 14" fish in a 12"x48" tank just can't move too fast without serious side effects. The plecos, after eating ALL the algae they can reach (except for some of the blue-green algae which they don't care for) eat the koi food pellets and compete quite well with the koi for them. Seems the koi don't like rubbing shoulders with the plecos spines. They plecos were purchased as 1.5" cheapies, but are now 4" plus (>2yrs). They seem to have settled on this size for the tank they are in. Anyway, they are easy to keep alive.... Now, I have killed plecos, but I did it through dumb mistakes.... 1) In a 10 gallon aquarium, with goldfish, I let the ammonia levels go rampant, and had little to no sunlight... the fish died.... 2) I put 2 plecos into water that was 45 degrees... one survived long enough to see the other die, and I moved the survivor to 70 degree water... #2 is alive and well... -- Tim Margeson (206)253-5240 PO Box 3500 d/s C1-022 @@ 'Who said that?' Vancouver, WA. 98668 e-mail replies to: timothym@tekigm2.MEN.TEK.COM