About A Common Plec

[roseykat5]

i was wondering about how fast it will grow to a full sized.... right now its about inch a half to two inches .. it is in my 90 gallon tank with 8 paradise fish and 2 sunset platty and a rain bow fish and 3 different types of cories (swarti,leopard, and gold emerald cory)
i was just curious ...i will be getting a bn plec for my 25 gal tank later on when i get it it will only house 6 pepper cory and 2 sunset platty females that was raised as baby fry from my other 2 platty that is in my 90g tank both females in there

 

[karmagl]

I got one about 2 inch long and within5 months it was 7 inch long

 

[Danno]

It also grows depending on how much space you give it.

 

[*Fishkies*]

It all depends on how much you feed it and what kind of food you give it. Also how much room he has to expand in.

 

[raptorrex]

how does the amount of space affect its growth? surly this grow to the size of the tank thing has been kicked into touch? true the fish may stunt, but it would need to have a really small tank to cause that, would it not?

given the right food all common plecos would reach 24 or so inches. whatever size tank you keep them in, within reason. ask any LFS, they get offered them all the time as they grow too big for their owners tank.


on topic i have seen growth from 1 and 1/2 inches to six inches in 9 months in a 4 foot 50ukg tank.

 

[roseykat5]

my tank is 90 gallon so prob wont take too long to get to 7 inches by summers end cool... and i feed shrimp pellets , veggie tabs , and algue tabs along with flakes im sure he eats some off hte bottom of the tank ....

im not too sure about how to go about putting a real veggies in the tank

 

[paul_219]

I have a common pleco he is growing slowly i am feeding him algea and slices of cucumbers.

 

[dwarfgourami]

how does the amount of space affect its growth? surly this grow to the size of the tank thing has been kicked into touch? true the fish may stunt, but it would need to have a really small tank to cause that, would it not?

Not necessarily. Some fish are quite sensitive to the slightly deteriorating water quality of a tank that is too small- as witness those goldfish that lived for years in small bowls. Depends partly on species I believe. So it wouldn't need to physically be touching the sides of the tank.

Slightly off topic, it is also the case that some species may stunt if raised with very dominant conspecifics, and then have a growth spurt if Mr Muscle is removed.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

you know i've found them to be relativley slow growers, we've had ours over a year now, and he's in a 92g tank so can't be stunted cos of the size of it, he's barely 7" long. perfectly healthy and happy so i don't know why he grows so slow, SamUK said he'd found the same with his common plec and that's in a 6'x2'x2'

 

[roseykat5]

interesting my sister has one in a 65 gal and hes i think about 15 inches give or take hes big not full sized but that only counting hte body not the tail fins that alone is about 2 inches

 

[cheesy feet]

you know i've found them to be relativley slow growers, we've had ours over a year now, and he's in a 92g tank so can't be stunted cos of the size of it, he's barely 7" long. perfectly healthy and happy so i don't know why he grows so slow, SamUK said he'd found the same with his common plec and that's in a 6'x2'x2'

I agree with that size i bought two commons year and a half back and i recently sold them.They were 9'

 

[dylema]

As dwarfgourami said water quality can play a part. If you keep the water pristine with lots of water changes you might find him growing quicker.

Temperature will also play a part but shoudn't be an issue if you keep it in the safe range. If your tank gets hot over summer this can slow the rate of growth significantly due to oxygen limitation in the water. (note reference is for marine fishes but the principle is the same).

Refference:
PORTNER, H. O. & KNUST, R. (2007) Climate Change Affects Marine Fishes Through the Oxygen Limitation of Thermal Tolerance. Science, 315, 95-97.

 

[LisaLQ]

given the right food all common plecos would reach 24 or so inches.

Commons wont reach 24" unless they're in a huge pond (heated or in warm country). It's highly unlikely any common would reach 2ft, even in a massive tank. 12-18" yes - usually around the 15" mark. It's gibbies which can reach 2ft, and even that isn't that common - so where "all commons will reach 24 inches" came from, I dunno lol. The biggest I've ever had was about 18", and even that was disputed by the experts - I've never seen a 2ft common plec other than in pics from a breeder where they were kept in ponds overseas. Even so - there's more to it than the "right food", tank size, water quality, companions - and then just plain genetics. As someone else said, some wont even reach the average size despite a big tank and plenty of good care. Food alone wont make a big plec - it's a combination of things, and even then - you could be stumped by genetics.

Incidentally, to the OP, my common was 2" when I got him in Nov/Dec. He's now about 7". I found that he grew quickly initially, then slowed down at about 4-5" up until the last couple of weeks, now he's having another growth spurt. Apparently 12" in the first 12-18 months is the norm.

 

[Mystix212]

Sounds like a great growth rate.

 

[weston adam]

Sounds like a great growth rate.

The point you made about putting real veg in the tank it's a must my plecs love corgette it has more nutrician than cucumber also spinich and green beans I put it in at night and remove whats left in the morning, my common grew to about 6 to 7 in in the first year then slowed and is now on the move again I also have an 18in Gibby as we speak he has just finished feasting on some veg and yes I know its not night time but it is the weekend and I went out last night and forgot also as they grow you may have to upgrade your filters as they produce a lot of waste good luck.