Years ago, I thought plecos were a good way to help clean the tank. Some of them do help clean the glass, but they produce a lot of waste...
So why do people keep plecos? Is it because they just look cool?
One benefit seems to be that they will help keep your driftwood clean, but are there other reasons? Is it a myth that some of them actually eat algae?
Let me ask you this, why do you keep the fish that you keep? Do you keep them because they clean the algae, or is it because they they clean the wood, or because they offer a benefit, etc??? I ask because Plecos (Loricariidae) are fish just like an Angel, a catfish, a neon. We keep them because they are a cool fish and they add something to an aquarium.
There are thousands of species in the Loricariidae out there and only a handful will eat algae. Some algae eaters stop eating algae at a certain age/size, some are omnivorous and some are carnivorous. Some feed on soft wood and some eat it to only aid in digestion. Some Plecos, live as long as 35+ years.
There are white ones, yellow ones, green ones and blue ones, some are striped like a zebra others spotted like a leopard. Some are multi-colored, some max out at 2.5" while some max out at 40".
I personally own around 30 different Loricariidae species and I own them because the are different and they add a unique look to my fish room. When people visit my fish room the first thing they comment on are my active, large cichlids, then the see all of my Bichirs, soon they come across my Loach tank, but the tank that most of them stop and watch the most is my Pleco tank with all the different shapes and sizes and colors.
Really?? 
