2 Questions About Plecos

[ltb11uk]

I recently bought 4 new 1" plecos . I think they are common plecos due to their price being only 2 british pounds. 3 Look common but one is black with white tipped fins. I have a 3" bristlenose too and another 6" common pleco.

Will they all go happily together in a sand substrate 100gallon tank?

 

[Haych]

people will tell you your tank is overstocked as plecs can grow to a considerable size

 

[ltb11uk]

people will tell you your tank is overstocked as plecs can grow to a considerable size

I know but people never look into the fact that plecos live for 10 years or so, when in 10 years i will have moved out and have bought a much much larger tank

 

[JenCliBee]

people will tell you your tank is overstocked as plecs can grow to a considerable size

I know but people never look into the fact that plecos live for 10 years or so, when in 10 years i will have moved out and have bought a much much larger tank

Commons can quite easily reach 25 years but basically the size they should reach within the first 12mnths is 9-11 inches so basically you havent got 10 years at all, your tank can barely manage 2 commons never mind 5 plus which other plecs you currently have.

Why on earth would you want to overstock your tank like that would commons anyways?

Not to mention the aggression that will be apparent with having so many large species in there.

 

[ltb11uk]

people will tell you your tank is overstocked as plecs can grow to a considerable size

I know but people never look into the fact that plecos live for 10 years or so, when in 10 years i will have moved out and have bought a much much larger tank

Commons can quite easily reach 25 years but basically the size they should reach within the first 12mnths is 9-11 inches so basically you havent got 10 years at all, your tank can barely manage 2 commons never mind 5 plus which other plecs you currently have.

Why on earth would you want to overstock your tank like that would commons anyways?

Not to mention the aggression that will be apparent with having so many large species in there.

Can barely manage 2 commons?? Going by the inch per gallon rule thats clearly wrong. Can plecos reach 50" now? .

And in about 6 months im getting a 8x4x4 tank so im pretty sure theyll do fine.

 

[JenCliBee]

people will tell you your tank is overstocked as plecs can grow to a considerable size

I know but people never look into the fact that plecos live for 10 years or so, when in 10 years i will have moved out and have bought a much much larger tank

Commons can quite easily reach 25 years but basically the size they should reach within the first 12mnths is 9-11 inches so basically you havent got 10 years at all, your tank can barely manage 2 commons never mind 5 plus which other plecs you currently have.

Why on earth would you want to overstock your tank like that would commons anyways?

Not to mention the aggression that will be apparent with having so many large species in there.

Can barely manage 2 commons?? Going by the inch per gallon rule thats clearly wrong. Can plecos reach 50" now? .

And in about 6 months im getting a 8x4x4 tank so im pretty sure theyll do fine.

lol, i think you will find a common plec at 10 inch will make a hell of alot more waste than say 10 inch of platies lol, making the 1inch per gallon rule pretty dormant when large fish are involved, you obviously know nothing about how the actual rule works so i suggest you listen to other peoples comment.

The fact that a common plec can reach 2 foot and the fact your tank probably isn't 2 foot back makes it a very silly idea to assume all the plecs will be suitable. The suggested size tank for ONE common plec is 4x2x2 and that really is bare minimum with 5x2x2 been much better for the plecs long term health. You think you tank can support the plecs you have going by this sort of reasoning?

You say your getting a 8x4x4 tank?, just when mentioning the 10 years people don't take into account, it was never mentioned, or should i say and i quote "when in 10 years i will have moved out and have bought a much much larger tank" implying that you wouldn't be having a larger tank within anytime in the near future, but yet your getting a 8x4x4 tank 6 months lol... ok

 

[ltb11uk]

people will tell you your tank is overstocked as plecs can grow to a considerable size

I know but people never look into the fact that plecos live for 10 years or so, when in 10 years i will have moved out and have bought a much much larger tank

Commons can quite easily reach 25 years but basically the size they should reach within the first 12mnths is 9-11 inches so basically you havent got 10 years at all, your tank can barely manage 2 commons never mind 5 plus which other plecs you currently have.

Why on earth would you want to overstock your tank like that would commons anyways?

Not to mention the aggression that will be apparent with having so many large species in there.

Can barely manage 2 commons?? Going by the inch per gallon rule thats clearly wrong. Can plecos reach 50" now? .

And in about 6 months im getting a 8x4x4 tank so im pretty sure theyll do fine.

lol, i think you will find a common plec at 10 inch will make a hell of alot more waste than say 10 inch of platies lol, making the 1inch per gallon rule pretty dormant when large fish are involved, you obviously know nothing about how the actual rule works so i suggest you listen to other peoples comment.

The fact that a common plec can reach 2 foot and the fact your tank probably isn't 2 foot back makes it a very silly idea to assume all the plecs will be suitable. The suggested size tank for ONE common plec is 4x2x2 and that really is bare minimum with 5x2x2 been much better for the plecs long term health. You think you tank can support the plecs you have going by this sort of reasoning?

You say your getting a 8x4x4 tank?, just when mentioning the 10 years people don't take into account, it was never mentioned, or should i say and i quote "when in 10 years i will have moved out and have bought a much much larger tank" implying that you wouldn't be having a larger tank within anytime in the near future, but yet your getting a 8x4x4 tank 6 months lol... ok

When i move out ill have multiple tanks. I wont let you in on that as im still planning and youll probably say something about the idea or my house or that it will cost too much, when im quite confident in my job wage at this moment in time.
So tell me, being allmighty as you seem to be, will a 800g be enough?

 

[JenCliBee]

When i move out ill have multiple tanks. I wont let you in on that as im still planning and youll probably say something about the idea or my house or that it will cost too much, when im quite confident in my job wage at this moment in time.
So tell me, being allmighty as you seem to be, will a 800g be enough?

Hang on a minute, you asked the question on if the tank would be suitable for the amount of plecs you have. You were given the answer which you obviously didn't like and wasn't going to accept either way so basically why ask the question?

It makes no difference to how many tanks you plan on getting, fact is... you need really minimum of 4x2x2 tanks for each common housed, with very very good filtration.

You ask is a 800gallon tank big enough?, what do you mean?. In the fact could you keep that many plecs, answer is yes in theory but volume of water isn't going to do anything about aggression between some potentially very large territorial plecs.

I think you in your head you have a few things cloudy in the way of truly housing these plecs suitably.

So tell me, being allmighty as you seem to be, will a 800g be enough?

Now your really just be quite arrogant, being that i keep plecs and usually plecs only, yes i am quite knowledgeable on the subject, clearly your not, so i would keep your cockiness to yourself and actually listen to answers given to a question YOU YOURSELF ASKED!!!!

 

[pirate monkey]

Ok, things seem to have got a little heated here

FishyJake isn't having a go for the sheer hell of it he is giving you some good advice, that is in the best interests of your fish. You have bought some animals, and it is now up to you to provide adequate care and housing for them as you would a dog or cat or any other animal

I know it is hard to hear people saying stuff you don't wanna hear, but believe me you aren't the first person to have a common pleco in inadequate accommodation and you won't be the last. We see it day in day out on the forum, usually it is the fault of the LFS, I hasten to add.

It is advisable when buying fish to only get what will fit in the tank NOW as adult sizes, and not rely on the future upgrade that may never happen for whatever reason

Your original question was will they live happily in a 100g tank? No - commons must be kept with non-conspecific tankmates, that means with tank mates that aren't the same species. They just don't tolerate their own species. Not sure how they tolerate other plecos, but I am pretty sure they are territorial, and would have a problem with the other pleco being there, and it wouldn't get a look in at feeding time (FishyJake please correct me if I am wrong here!)

some fish can become stunted, not by the size of the tank per se, but because they release a chemical into the water, it might even be a hormone. In a large tank the concentration of this chemical is extremely low. However, put that same fish in a smaller tank, and the concentration is much increased. This chemical tells the fish how big to grow, and as such if the concentrations of the chemical is too high, the fish will be stunted. This helps to explain how water changes can make young fish grow quicker.

Now imagine you have 5 of the same fish releasing this chemical, you now have 5x the concentration, in a fairly small space. These fish WILL be stunted unless you can provide large and extremely frequent water changes, and in less than six months give them the proper homes they need.

You have to realise, it isn't all about size when it comes to larger fish, which is why the inch per gallon rule goes out the window. It is to do with bioload (and plecs have a huge bioload) but it is also to do with territories.

Just remember you came here for advice, and that's what you're getting. Please try to listen to what's being said It is in the best interests of your fish that you rehome most of the commons

 

[ltb11uk]

Im having a bad day, fair to say i took it out on you. Ok so my tank now is far too small for the plecos i have, But in a few months i will be hoping to get a 8ft tank like i said, then hopefully make it a pleco only or pleco + other catfish tank. then plan to keep getting bigger until eventually i have a sort of show room in my house of aquariums, thats the dream anyway.

Thanks for your advice, if you have anymore, could you please tell me as i am new to looking after plecos

 

[bae1994]

[/quote]

I asked if the fish would live togerther happily NOT for you to comment on my tank.
[/quote]

and they answered no they wont as the aggression will be a issue in a tank that will only suffice for two plecs

 

[ltb11uk]

Read my edit

 

[bae1994]

yeah faiir enough the problem with mixing alot of catfish is even in a massive tank they all ocupy the same space so there aggresion is still a issue

i know this as im having to be carful with my 9ftx3ftx3ft

 

[JenCliBee]

Your original question was will they live happily in a 100g tank? No - commons must be kept with non-conspecific tankmates, that means with tank mates that aren't the same species. They just don't tolerate their own species. Not sure how they tolerate other plecos, but I am pretty sure they are territorial, and would have a problem with the other pleco being there, and it wouldn't get a look in at feeding time (FishyJake please correct me if I am wrong here!)

In most cases pirate monkey, yes. Some commons will tolerate there own species and but all to often there is aggression within the tank due to more than 1 common been kept or the common been aggressive with other species. There is always a potential risk for feeding when two large aggressive fish are trying to compete for the same foods and alot of the aggression can been seen this way

Very hit and miss as weather certain species will happily co-exist and is always worth the try if adequate room can be made elsewhere if it doesn't work out.

Just the fact commons get so big the area needed to give them there own territories is just way to big for the average house aquarium.

 

[ltb11uk]

Your original question was will they live happily in a 100g tank? No - commons must be kept with non-conspecific tankmates, that means with tank mates that aren't the same species. They just don't tolerate their own species. Not sure how they tolerate other plecos, but I am pretty sure they are territorial, and would have a problem with the other pleco being there, and it wouldn't get a look in at feeding time (FishyJake please correct me if I am wrong here!)

In most cases pirate monkey, yes. Some commons will tolerate there own species and but all to often there is aggression within the tank due to more than 1 common been kept or the common been aggressive with other species. There is always a potential risk for feeding whn to large aggressive fish are trying to comete for the same foods and alot of the aggression can been seen this way

Very hit and miss as weather certain species will happily co-exist and is always worth the try if adequate room can be made elsewhere if it doesn't work out.

Just the fact commons get so big the area need to give them there own terorories is just way to big for the avergae house aquarium.

They seem to be doing fine atm, the larger and bristlenose have been together for about a month and they are fine the other 4 smaller ones stick to each corner or suck in 2's on the tank. I will be getting a new home for the fish that being the larger tank i mentioned and if failed will give them to friends with showroom aquariums etc. Thank you for your advice and sorry for my previous rudeness. I just love plecos and its a shame that they need that much room