Big Pleco

[carrera]

just something i was wondering about.. would a full size common pleco, like 10" eat small enough fish like tetras, danios etc? i know plecos are veggies but the size of a fully matured one, it could probably suck an entire shoal of neons in if it wanted

 

[Tolak]

I had foot long commons with breeding platys years ago. They didn't bother newborn platys at all.

 

[Leslie]

It doesn't happen often but it can happen. I have a BN that took out a bunch of shell dwellers. Had me really perplexed on who the culprit was until I saw him one day trying to nail one. Bad pleco, bad bad !!

 

[reddannyh]

As said it can happen, but very often plecs won't bother smaller fish at all. Keep it well fed and you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[carrera]

great, thanks a lot guys

 

[morgan]

Hi, I have a 12" Common Pleco in with 10 Cardinal Tetras and 7 Dalmation Mollies and their many, many fry of various sizes. He doesn't bother them at all. Not saying they never would but IME mine never has. Leslie, your comments on your Pleco made me laugh! You have to love them to keep them what with their destroying plants etc.

 

[Kevdogg852000]

as Al Gore would say...I Agree.....I have had plecos many times and I doubt they'd go after anything unless starving. Plecos love those algae pellets....and they don't really have the right mouth to nail a tetra unless they pinned them to the glass or to the gravel, so I wouldn't worry about it. but if you're worried, you can always buy cory cats, or a porthole catfish, or a hoplo catfish......all harmless members of the clean-up crew.

 

[Leslie]

Strangely enough he has never gone after plants and has never had a lack of food. I would have never believed it myself unless I had seen it.

 

[KathyM]

At 10" a common plec is nowhere near full size. Liposarcus pardalis (the species most commonly sold as "commons") reach up to 2-3ft.

 

[Ferris]

Sorry but commons do not get to 2-3 feet, 12" is normal and 18" would be an absolute maximum.

 

[KathyM]

Sorry, but I've personally seen a 2ft plec in the LFS that was handed in because it had got too big for it's 4ft tank. My sister had to rehome one that outgrew 18". If you look up liposarcus pardalis on Google, there are plenty of well informed sites that will tell you they can reach 2-3ft. Plecofanatics is a great source of info on commons.

Maybe you're thinking of one of the other species sold as "common" plecs?

 

[Ferris]

Liposarcus pardalis

Need i say more!

 

[KathyM]

If you go on PlecoFanatics, there are a million and one owners of liposarcus pardalis that have WAY outgrown 10" - the Planet Catfish site is a bit of a running joke when it comes to their inaccurate sizes (I know because I fell for it then had to rehome Hannibal)

http/www.plecofanatics.com/forum/showthr...ight=liposarcus

 

[Ferris]

That majority of the info in that link (including your own post???) just confirms that they grow to around 12" and i'm sorry but PlantCatfish is widely regarded as the source for reliable information.

 

[KathyM]

My own post was wishful thinking (and some months ago). I've since seen much bigger liposarcus in LFS, and other people's photos of their 2 footers. LOL. What is your response to that? Because Planet Catfish says 10", then every single member of PF that has said their liposarcus is way over that, and every single liposarcus in LFS for being too big is just make believe?

If you want to go along with PC's advice on size, that's your choice, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Edited to add: sorry, I didn't mean for this to come across as arsey. It's just I don't get how PC can be all powerful and correct when everyone else I've spoken to has seen with their own eyes that liposarcus way exceed 10". It's what made us rehome Hannibal, our chocolate albino liposarcus.