Originally Posted By: Todd3138
 Originally Posted By: Omaha


Was it here or another place that someone suggested AGAINST adding a large pleco?


I think it was here. I've been looking at plecos at the local stores and biggest one I can find is probably only 5 inches long. I wanted a bigger one, but got to thinking that my BG are probably no more than 6 inches, so it may well work out as he'd be too big for them to eat. And, at $12, it's not too expensive if he turns out to be food!

It might be a different story in your tank, given the predatorial nature of some of your guys! You may want to track down a pleco that's no less than 10 - 12 inches to give him a fighting chance! The kid at one store here said that they regularly keep plecos in their oscar and cichlid tanks without any trouble and I have to think that BG are sufficiently similar to cichlids that it could make a good pairing. I'm not so sure about the other predators in your tank, though. Might be a whole different story. Let us know what you choose to do.


We had an opportunity at a big one, in the range you mentioned, last week, but I got busy and missed out. I don't think a BG will bother a pleco if he's got any size on him. They're not shaped for easy eating from a fish with a little mouth.

Someone strongly suggested I not put a pleco in the tank because of the waste (poop) they leave around.