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are pleco a type of catfish? i didn't realize. just thought they would help keep the tank clean. i picked up a pair on sunday (planning on getting algae wafers on friday)

the main question: i have a pair of green cory catfish and now a pair of pleco. is it normal for the cories to be semi-aggressive with the pleco?

oh.. they are all in my turtle tank. the turtle leaves them alone pretty much although i got the feeling that he was "eyeing" the cories the other night.

thanks in advance

They're in a family of catfish called 'armored catfish', because of the bony plates under their skin. They're some of my favorite fish so I like people to see them as more than the resident tank herbivore. One thing you have to remember about common plecos is that they get enormous and you have to figure in tank space for them, I've seen specimens that were deformed from being in small tanks. And of course they add 'bioload' to your tank. I don't think cories would actually be able to hurt a pleco, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
(I'm sort of between plecos right now, since the one I want costs 80$, gets 2 feet long, and would probably attack my other fish. But it's so PRETTY.)
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

That's cool. I was worried when I saw the cories picking on the little pleco (pleco is only 1" long). I wasn't able to pick up the wafers at the same time as I picked the pleco up and didn't think it would matter for a few days considering how much algae was (and I mean WAS because the suckers cleaned most of my tank in 2 days). The cories get tropical fish granules and also like to clean up after the turtle (I feed my turtle in the tank).

Thanks for answering my question I hope you get your pricey pleco LOL... if you aren't in a hurry just put aside 20$ a paycheck for next couple of months then the expense doesn't shock you (psychological trick I like to use on myself)

>>They're in a family of catfish called 'armored catfish', because of the bony plates under their skin. They're some of my favorite fish so I like people to see them as more than the resident tank herbivore. One thing you have to remember about common plecos is that they get enormous and you have to figure in tank space for them, I've seen specimens that were deformed from being in small tanks. And of course they add 'bioload' to your tank. I don't think cories would actually be able to hurt a pleco, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
>>I'm sort of between plecos right now, since the one I want costs 80$, gets 2 feet long, and would probably attack my other fish. But it's so PRETTY.)
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>>"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
>>Alexander Skutch

That would be great... but... the biggest thing holding me up is, I've had the same Synodontis eupteris, Astaroth, for 4 years... and if the Acanthicus adonis (that's the pleco I want) hurt Astaroth, there would be trouble. Besides the fact that my tank would be maxed out and I'd need a bigger one.
I wonder if the adonis could live with my giant musk turtle?
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

I am not sure how old my Pelco is, but if it is only about 4 inches how long do you think it will be full size? In 5 years my husband is retiring from Air Force and we are going to buy a house and land. I was going to build a pond then. Will the Pelco be ok in a 55 long tank till then?

That's a hard one to call. If the pleco grows more than 12 inches in that time, which it has the potential to, then it won't be able to turn around in a 55. I've heard their max size as 18 inches and I've seen them as long as my forearm. Fish don't always reach their potential sizes in home aquaria, though, so you might be ok. The only other issue will be keeping the tank clean enough.
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

I dont agree. Fish much larger than 12 inches can turn around in a 55 gallon. All they have to do is diagonal. Now if youre suggesting that 55 gallons isnt enough water for a fish that size, I wouldnt know. I kept an 18" longnose gar in a 55 gallon for over a year and he had no problems turning around. The gar was the only predator in the tank. Just had to keep a lid on, since they can jump really high.
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Plecos are pretty stiff... maybe they'd have to be over 12" but eventually they'd have to hit their tail on the side to turn and it would mess them up. I've seen a couple pretty deformed plecos but I can't say if it was from them physically hitting the glass or not. Anyway, I have to stop posting, I have a spacebar blister.
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch