Rubbernose Or Brissle Nose?

[Dellop5 0]

hey guys i was wondering what is the better fish to get with my oranda, a bn or rb? im thinking about the rubber because it doesnt get as big as the brissle, but what is better to go along with the fish? is there much a diffrence? and what would i need to add to my tank to take care of it? i know i may need algae waffers n stuff but anything else? like rocks, etc. thanks =)

[devilduck 49]

A big factor is going to be do you have enough space in your tank? Plecos are seriously messy so your tank size will be a clincher in whether you get either. Saying 10 gallons each I don't think would be a massive over-estimation, but get someone else to confirm that

Personally I don't like to keep any other fish with my goldies, and if you want to get a pleco it has to be for the plecos sake not to fill a space in the tank. They don't tend to clear algae and they produce a lot more waste than they save. Sorry if you already know this but some people want to get plecos to help keep the tank 'clean', and they definitely won't, so I just wanted to get it out there

I'm not sure it really matters which you get, assuming you have room for one, but I have noticed most people seem to keep bristlenoses, I don't know if this is because they're more readily available or better tempered as tank mates. They need to be fed vegetables, pretty much anything you'd feed your goldies, and I think they also eat goldie pellets assuming there's any left in the gravel that the goldies missed (which, lets face it, is highly unlikely!!!). If you feed them in the evening when the goldies are asleep they're more likely to get the food (they're often nocturnal) but this isn't guarenteed, my goldies wake up straight away if there's food in the tank. I think I read somewhere that plecos like to chew driftwood but I'm not sure how accurate that is so don't quote me on that!

Hopefully someone with more experience with these fish can help you out some more

[Hidr 4,961]

Driftwood. Pleco's like to chew on it. Also some hiding places. And for a BN you need to figure on 5 gallons each beyond what you have for your goldfish.

They do like other foods too. So other sinking foods is good. Mine well also eat on zucchini and cucumbers.

[johann_pond 39]

I have to disagree with devilduck in on aspect. I have a couple of BN in my goldie tank, I have had them since they were 2 weeks old. They do an incredible job on the algae. I have not had to clean the sides or front of my tank in over a month. They are also doing a good jod on the ornaments and the Anubis leaves. They also seem to eat the leftover pellet food if there is any.

[Shamu23 8]

I keep albino bristlenose plecos with my goldfish and i have never had any problems with them until today, when they killed my already weak oranda Hershey. Looks llike they just chewed him up till he was dead, so b careful with any kind of pleco they can always surprise u. They surely surprised me cuz i've never seen them do anything mean to any other fish

And i also would disagree about the algae, i think they do a pretty good job cleaning the tank. My 125 gallon where I keep the plecos NEVER has algae anymore

Edited May 24, 2010 by Shamu23

[Dellop5 0]

thanks guys! yeah its definitly for the sake of the pleco i just really want one it has nothing to do with the tank being dirty or anything. so what im getting is Bn from u guys but im still not sure im gonna go to the store and look at both and see whats going on hmm.