Quote:
Originally Posted by Stumptown
The common Plecostomus that you see at most pet stores are the ones that can get huge. I've got one who's about 8 inches long (55 gallon) and hides all day. If you go to an aquarium store, they should be able to point you to more social, and smaller varieties. There are some really weird and cool, and just plain bizarre looking ones out there.
Cory cats are a must in just about any tank. They really help balance the ecosystem, and they're cheap and very easy to care for.
If you have live plants (I agree with JKK there) make sure you have the right wattage light for the height of the tank. Plants at the bottom of a deep tank won't get enough light with the default flourescents that come with package setups. Like my tank, full of stunted sickly looking plants because one of my tubes went out like a month ago and I haven't had a chance to replace it. Also, there's a special kind of substrate (gravel) that you can get that will help plants root. You can mix that in with gravel you have, you wouldn't need to replace it.
Good luck and enjoy! |
Cory's are fantastic, they're awkward and kinda cute looking at the same time.
Clown loaches are also really good bottom feeders, unfortunately they aren't the friendliest beginner fish, they do have attitudes of their own though. I had a clown loach that would constantly play dead, he'd bait you until you almost got the net to him and suddenly he'd shoot off and go swim with his crew. They are buggers.