# Clown Plecos



## BS87 (Apr 9, 2012)

I have 1 in my 29g. He eats driftwood constantly, but leaves all my plants alone ( A sword, rotalas, a narrow leaf ludwiga, and some crypt parva). However i was attemtping a glosso carpet and he destroyed that in a matter of days. Thats the only thing he bothered.


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

I have had a clown Pleco for 5 years. They like to dig out places under wood and rocks. They don't swim much or ever they scoot around climb on plants but really love wood. They hide a lot I never see mine unless food is out. 

They are pretty but you don't see them. I would not get another again. They are really hardy fish. Mine has been threw a lot. Go with a Bristel nose Pleco they are better for planted tanks and more entertaining.


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## Patrunkenphat7 (May 11, 2012)

They are definitely more shy than the bold bristlenose. I enjoy housing both currently; I prefer the look of the clown pleco much more, but I like both. I love shy fish. My banjo cats might be my favorites


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## [email protected] (Mar 4, 2012)

I have three in my 75 gal. I use to be able to catch glimpses of them once in awhile,but now that all of my plants have grown in I absolutely never see them. I really don't know if I'd get them again. Whats the point,I don't get to enjoy seeing them and I think that they are making it hard for my java moss to cover my drift wood.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I would not think they would eat plants that much. Maybe if there was algae on a leaf the leaf might get rasped, but not in my experience. They are more wood eaters than plant/alage eaters. 
Maybe you have a different species? There are a lot of Loricariads!

What other fish are in the tank? 

Could it be potassium deficiency? That starts with small holes in the leaves.


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## Patrunkenphat7 (May 11, 2012)

Here is my stocking list:

25 Cardinal Tetras, 18 Rummynose Tetras, 13 Penguin Tetras, 6 Zebra Danios, 2 German Blue Rams, 2 Bolivian Rams, 5 Angelicus Botia Loaches, 6 Banded Khuli Loaches, 12 Otocinclus, 11 Corydoras, 5 Banjo Catfish, 4 Bristlenose Plecos, 2 Clown Plecos, ~30 Ghost Shrimp.

In the attached picture, you can see a 'bite' taken out of one of the leaves. This is happening occasionally on my plants with broad, softer leaves. Hopefully attaching this picture works. I have never done this before.


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## kalawai2000 (Jan 15, 2011)

I have two Clown Plecos and I hardly see these guys in my fully planted tank. I hate to blame them for any damage to plants in my tank as I have not really seen them do anything. I suspect them and my BN Pleco for taking little nibbles...on occasion. I'm not getting rid of them for slight damage.


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## BS87 (Apr 9, 2012)

My clown used to be a ghost in the tank. I would never see him. A few days after i added my spotted raphael, they became best buds. Now they both come out a lot more often and swim around. Still not out as much as a BN though.


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## Patrunkenphat7 (May 11, 2012)

Does anyone know about their territorial nature? Like if you were to have a male and female, would they pair? My 2 clowns split the 135 in half as their territories and get very possessive over their zucchini and algae pellets. I'm just wondering if anyone has a couple or more of these guys that get along. I'm thinking that I may have 2 males, but I know very little about how sex affects their behavior.


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

Clown plecos are easy to sex. The males have a hairy rear end (1/2 of their body), the females do not. If you shine a flashlight at them in the dark it is very easy to see. Also males tend to sit in a cave face in, the females either do not live in caves but rather under driftwood and if they go into a cave they are more likely to be facing out of the cave. Clown plecos have been bred in captivity before but it is hard to get them to breed. I used to have 3 of them together in a 15 gal (1M/2F)and they got along well. Over the years, 2 of them died and I have not replaced them. I only have the male left and he is housed with 3 juvenile L134s in a heavily planted tank with lots of wood (Malaysian, oaks, manzanita and mopani). Neither my L134s nor the clown plecos have bothered the plants. I have swords, lucky bamboo and crypts in the tank. Clown plecos like a pond like setting and get along great with African dwarf frogs.
Is there any chance you might have overlooked a snail in your tank? If a wood eating pleco eats a plant I would imagine the damage to be more like thinning of a leaf with a number of small holes in it rather then a "bite" taken out of the side of a leaf.


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## isellcars (Mar 4, 2012)

I have a clown and he just hangs around one end of the driftwood. If anything else gets near his part he just pushes them away. I have never seen him even go near my plants and I have lots in my tank. Now my bn and my 2 pitbull pleco's are very active and all over the tank and they also leave my plants alone.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

If I had to blame on of your fish, I might blame the Botia. Some Loaches seem to like attacking plants, but that does not even look like what I have seen (other species) do. And I have never had a problem with my B. kuboitais and plants. 
Maybe some of the more playful fish are just charging around the tank and crash into the plants now and then? Though that specific picture does look more like a big bite. 

Keep on feeding the assorted vegies, maybe whoever it is will avoid the plants.


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## Patrunkenphat7 (May 11, 2012)

Thanks for the input, everyone. I will say that it is not snails, as my loaches devour any snail they come in contact with immediately, and I haven't seen snails for weeks. Maybe it's the loaches munching? I don't know. At the end of the day, it's not enough damage to get rid of fish over. Thanks for the info on clowns, garfieldnfish.


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

One of your fish got a little fresh and bit your plant. No big deal it still looks awesome. I would not blame the Pleco. 

I think it was the rams. When cichlids are getting ready to spawn they become crazy and attach plants pulling them and biting them. I think that's what happened. 

As for sexing clown plecos the females get FAT! I have a female and she is huge I thought the was something wrong with her at first. But years later she is still doing great and still big. If she ever came out I will get a photo. But the female get very round in the torso once mature at about a year old.


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