Buying Plecos

[jazz298]

someone mentioned that it is better to buy pleco's at an older age because the younger ones are more prone to dieing, is this true?

 

[StaniFish]

someone mentioned that it is better to buy pleco's at an older age because the younger ones are more prone to dieing, is this true?

hmm not sure, but i bought a pleco at bout an inch long and it survived for 10 years and grew larger than my hand. Maybe this is true but catfish survive well in my tanks and always have done but when i bought 2 tiny catfish the size of my finger nail they soon disappeared so maybe if you buy them larger than an inch they should do fine

 

[indigoj]

If they are eating well and have nice rounded bellies not hollowed ones then I think they have as much chance as older ones.

Ask what they are eating when you buy then research so that you can proide the correct diet for them and there is no reason they should not do well. Most plecs need wood and veggies, some need a meaty diet, some need virtually meat free diets.

 

[jazz298]

Alright thanks. I just dont want to end up spending 30 dollars on a pleco and then have it die on me because of this theory. Alot of the plecos I have seen, are fairly young/small still. Thanks for your replys.

 

[xingumike]

I think that misconception will be because the vast majority of plecs imported are juvis because of the simple economics of how many then can fit in a container. Recently imported plecs that are then transfered again to the home aquaria will have a lower survival rate than one that has been settled in the shop for a while or a small one that someone has returned that they have had for a while

Large wild caught loris are a specialist market and for that reason less frequently seen in your average LFS.

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

someone mentioned that it is better to buy pleco's at an older age because the younger ones are more prone to dieing, is this true?

this doesn't just apply to plecos. smaller younger fish in any species are more likely to catch an illness/disease than an older fish with a stronger immune system. plecos just tend to be abit more expensive and people do pay the extra money for a fish that isn't likely to die as soon as you pop it into an aquarium