Common Pleco

[mr130gallon]

i believe my 48"x26"x24" is big enough for a common or gibbie plec, but im wondering if they are aggressive at all to smaller fish. would they kill my neons, or kuhlies or cories or other small fish?

 

[hihi100202]

I wouldn't worry. Sometimes they could be abit aggressive at first, but plecs are usually very calm. thats my experience.

 

[the biffster]

Gibbie's are not usually that bad
the quite a laid back fish i used to have on that
used to come out and sit on a piece of bog wood
all day showing off till i fed him pellets or
wafers

 

[star4]

Out of the 9 common & gibby plecs I have had, only one was aggressive to other fish. The only thing once they get big they are clumsy. They are a lovely fish all my lot except one are rescued.

 

[`Peter]

Nope your pleco is supposed to be with a community=) At first it should be very shy so you should have caves or rocks it can hind behind.

 

[mr130gallon]

awesome, i have a bristlenose plec as well, will they compete for territory, or is the tank big enough for them to share. and how long does it take for commons or gibbies to grow to massive proportions? i could buy a big one from my lfs, but i would rather get a smaller one so i can see it grow.

 

[BackToTheFishes]

awesome, i have a bristlenose plec as well, will they compete for territory, or is the tank big enough for them to share. and how long does it take for commons or gibbies to grow to massive proportions? i could buy a big one from my lfs, but i would rather get a smaller one so i can see it grow.

Mine got from a couple of inches to 18 in about 7yrs

 

[fishnovice]

I adopted an unwanted common plec a few months ago. It;s lovely, very friendly with smaller fish and comes to the front of the tank to say hello. Unlike most catfish, it's often out and about during the day although it has a rock cave.If you have the space, definitely get one. Better still, why not ofer a good home to one of the many unwanted larger common plecs who have outgrown their tanks?

 

[mr130gallon]

my friend said that he has heard it would be bad for a planted tank, because it will wreck the plants... thoughts? opinions? experiences?

 

[Quisty]

I have a common plec in my brack tank.... I've never had a problem with him uprooting things...

My scats have been worse about that....

My plec stays to himself and hides out in a fake tree stump decoration I have had in the tank.

 

[mr130gallon]

but will the plec break the stems when it is cleaning the leaves?

 

[nurglespuss]

I had a Plec once (about 18 inches) in a large community tank. He was usually fine, but one day a drop in atmospheric temperature (I presume - as it was about to storm and it was hot) cuased him to go mental one night, cracking the peater, breaking the internal filter, and 'rearranging' the tank.

Luckily I heard all th noise in the night and was able to knock off the power etc, and sort it out. Its just a good idea to take precautions, plecs are big, strong, heavy fish, so robust plants, fish that wont panic at his stop/go life style, and protected equipment are a must.