common pleco

[Italian_Stallion]

i have a baby common pleco, about 1 and 1/2 inches. it is always hiding and i never see it moving. it just sucks on the glas in the same spot for days. im not sure if it moves after lights out. is this normal. also how big will it grow and how long will it take 2 get 2 that size??


Thanks

 

[daisycat]

That sounds pretty normal to me. I have had a couple of common plecos before now and they tend to just sit quite still most of the time (do move around more at night). As long as they are moving their mouths then they are still alive.

It will grow to about 18inches - probably over the course of a year or two.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Yup, plecs can be very shy. I have had one of mine since Christmas time and it's still exciting when we see him!

Common plecs get very big, you'll want to be sure you have a tank and filtration up to the job of an 18" poo machine.

 

[Daveo]

Ok, shure the common pleco might get to about 18", but it takes a long time for that to happen. It took mine one year to grow only an inch and a half. so it would take a long time for it to grow to about 18 inches. Plus it also depends on how much it gets fed. don't feed it much it won't grow much. 8)


Daveo

 

[Cheese Specialist]

don't feed it much it won't grow much. 8)

That could be stunting it, fish are supposed to be a certain size. They do grow fairly slowly after a while but I think they get to a reasonable size quite quickly and slow down from there.

There is also the problem of how much waste a plec produces, whether big or small.

 

[daisycat]

Ok, shure the common pleco might get to about 18", but it takes a long time for that to happen. It took mine one year to grow only an inch and a half. so it would take a long time for it to grow to about 18 inches. Plus it also depends on how much it gets fed. don't feed it much it won't grow much. 8)


Daveo

Well, just to contrast both of mine grew to over 12 inches in about 8months and I never fed them anything specific (although obviously put in food for the other fish that they may have eaten) - they just ate the algae in the tank, which wasn't much (ie. none was visible at any point after they moved in). Maybe yours wasn't a common? Or maybe these things just vary. Anyhow, I wouldn't count on it not growing fast, especially in the first instance.

 

[Italian_Stallion]

im quite sure its a common. its just stuck on the glass behind the heater, could this be that the water is too cold?? what temp. do they have 2 be at?? i have had it for about 1 week now and i havent seen it move. but i can tell its still alive. also when i bought that fish i bout a bristle nose aswell and it does the same thing except when the lights out it emerges to feed. i have another bristle nose and it is always out even when the light is on. it does not get scared when i approach the tank. its like a mini vacuum cleaner. how big do bristlenoses grow??

also i've heard that they need some sort of wood in the tank to eat. is this true?? and if so what type of wood would i have to buy??

Thanks