Common Pleco In A Planted Tank?

EvolutionOfDemise

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[font="arial][size="2"]About a month or two ago someone brought in a misshapen pleco at the LFS I usually go to (see pictures below), I told her I'd take him once my tank was finished cycling. Yesterday I finally took him home, he's currently in my 125 gallon with my rope fish and South American cichlids. The tank I'm planning to put him in is almost done cycling, should take a day or two, it's 120 gallons and heavily planted. He's about 6", I don't think he'll get any bigger, he was kept in a 5 gallon is whole life, in a way he kind of took the shape of it. To the best of my understanding, as common plecos age and grow they become more interested in meaty foods rather than algae and vegetables. Has anyone kept a common pleco in a planted tank, if so, how'd it go? I could keep him in my 125 gallon, however I already have a pleco in there and I'd very much prefer to avoid aggressive and territorial issues. [/size][/font]
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Yup, that Plec has been in a tank that was far too small for it.

Planted tank and Plec are not going to work. It will eat some of the plants. And those that it doesn't it will possibly uproot. They are very clumsy and will costantly forage on the substrate disturbing the plants.
 
**** me, that is heartbreaking, I hate to think what is going on inside that fish.

Well done on the rescue, there are no health issues keeping it in the tank, it may well decide to rescape your tank though and could have a nice salad dinner.
 
Oh, the poor guy :-(

I hope he has a happy retirement in your big tanks (poor chap probably thinks he's died and gone to heaven already :lol: ).
 
I have a common plec in my 7 1/2 foot tank, which is fairly heavily planted. However, as other folk have mentioned, be prepared for the plants to be removed from time to time. I have found that if I leave some areas plant-free, interspersed with densely planted 'islands', it works fairly well. The big plants do OK and I also have some slate covering the base of them to make removal harder, but small stuff didn't last at all.
 
wow, that sucks. my common is about 9 inches long and is pretty much a bulldozer when it comes to my plants which are all plastic. i usually find them moved around the tank. also commons staple diet is alge and they always need some, but since the addition of an eclips catfish to my tank and pellets for him, my pleco has been eating those as well. as fas as meaty foods, i dont think common plecos care to much for them, they arent like an l14. alot of people feed fresh vegatables, mine is totaly uninterested in them. depends on the pleco really. but either way they make a huge mess.

nice of you to save him. good luck.
 
i find if i feed my common pleco veg he leaves my plants alone :) altho he dose pull of the slightly dead leaves so helps me a bit :), no uprooted plants yet fingers are crossed :D congrats on recurring the pleco as well I'm sure he will love happy from now on :)
 

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