Common Pleco's Should They Be So Readily Available?

[star4]

Hi all, just a nosey question really. I am still a newcommer to fish keeping, my last tank I owned nearly 30 years ago as a child when really the only "cleaner fish" available was a sucking loach. I bought my son a small guppy tank last year and my mum bought a "cleaner fish" a albino common pleco, she was not told how big they grow and it went into a 30"x12" tank. It is now in a bigger tank, and I was also sold one for my tank, it was only later we discovered how big they grow. I have been given now another pleco about 7" long because it was getting too big for its tank, and have two rescued plecos touching 15" long. I went to my local shop recently where someone was buying a common pleco for a biorb!! the shop keeper said it would be fine. It really upsets me that so many of these fish are being sold under false pretences and what happens to them when they get too big? Many auction sites I have seen with fish tanks for sale all with a huge pleco in, it seems people would almost give away a large size tank and equipment just to get rid of these huge fish?

Do you think common plecos should be so readily available?

 

[twin54]

In my opinion NO!

People are missinformed so much on the common plec! I went to a LFS when I bought my clown plec. I knew I wanted a shy, small, and friendly plec. Thus I asked for the smallest clown plec ther ewas. The person working there went to the common plec tank and was going to give me a small one. I told them I didnt want a common plec I wanted the clown one and there responce was "Your going to pay double hte price for the same thing! All these things do is hide and eat algae" I was so

The problem I see with htis is yes the common plec is prob cheaper but basically peopel are being sold a "fake deal". Hey here is a small cheap fish that will do the same but dont read the fine print where it says they can outgrow your tank and you will have problems!!! The other thing I really cant stand to hear is "O dont worry they grow only to the size of the tank they wont get big in a small tank!. Yea all of a sudden a fish that is able to grow will wip out a measuring tape analise your tanks size and then stop growing... Grrrr LFS that sell common plecs and dont ask how big the tank is or try to get some info on the tank the fish is going into are as bad as dog breeders that dont look into what kind of life style posible dog owners have!

Just makes me angry that people see these living creatures as ournaments they can toss out when there fed up of them!

 

[gregpeck]

In my opinion NO!

People are missinformed so much on the common plec! I went to a LFS when I bought my clown plec. I knew I wanted a shy, small, and friendly plec. Thus I asked for the smallest clown plec ther ewas. The person working there went to the common plec tank and was going to give me a small one. I told them I didnt want a common plec I wanted the clown one and there responce was "Your going to pay double hte price for the same thing! All these things do is hide and eat algae" I was so

The problem I see with htis is yes the common plec is prob cheaper but basically peopel are being sold a "fake deal". Hey here is a small cheap fish that will do the same but dont read the fine print where it says they can outgrow your tank and you will have problems!!! The other thing I really cant stand to hear is "O dont worry they grow only to the size of the tank they wont get big in a small tank!. Yea all of a sudden a fish that is able to grow will wip out a measuring tape analise your tanks size and then stop growing... Grrrr LFS that sell common plecs and dont ask how big the tank is or try to get some info on the tank the fish is going into are as bad as dog breeders that dont look into what kind of life style posible dog owners have!

Just makes me angry that people see these living creatures as ournaments they can toss out when there fed up of them!

yeah bloody right .............i was saying the same thing earlier to me mum,makes me sick.

 

[oscars r ace]

i agree, although my lfs is good in that if you buy fish that outgrow your tank, you can take them back and swap them for smaller versions, or something different if you like.

 

[star4]

What made me cross was when I discovered more about common plecs I phoned the shop my mum bought it from and they told me yeah we will have it back but wont pay you for it, but only if it was under 8" long!

Dont get me started on dogs, lol I got 4 all rescue too

 

[star4]

There are loads of big fish sold for the "home aquarium" the red tail catfish!! totally unsuitable really.

I wonder what happens to all the large fish that no-one wants anymore? I worry because the two plecos I rescued are now fit and well and the tank I have is unsuitable really (4ft x 2ft x 2ft) and I really should re-home them, but dubious about taking them to a shop and where they might end up.

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

nope! i'd hate to know the real figure of how many common pleco's are wasted due to being flushed down the toilet for growing too big or dieing of poor water conditions because of the amount of waste they produce.

pets at home has just opened near me recently and i persistantly asked them if they would be getting any "fancier" pleco's in and firstly, they didnt have a clue what i was talking about, and secondly, when i told them that there are alot more smaller pleco's that can be sold, they just shrugged their shoulders!!

this is coming from the shop that divides their 5x5x5inch betta tanks with SEE THROUGH GLASS!!
most of the poor things die before they're rescued!

pink.

 

[B13]

NO!!!

They seem to be sold to everyone-and-anyone without the buyers being told how big they grow to. Yes, people should do their research first, but at the very least, the LFS should inform the customer just in case.

I was sold two Common Plecs and was told by the spotty yoof in the shop that "they will only grown to 6 inches". All the while I was thinking, "I'm sure those are the ones that grow to twenty inches..." So I took them both home, but took one of them straight back when I had double-checked my books. The garden centre have a policy of not swapping fish, but seeing as the Spotty Yoof had also forgotten to charge me for my fish, I wasn't too bothered!

In about two months, the remaining one had grown from two inches to nearly four and while he / she was absolutely stunning, I knew that keeping it long-term in a 3ft tank was nowhere near ideal, so another LFS v. kindly swapped him / her for a baby BN and a couple of Khuli loaches.

I now get ALL my fishie items from this LFS, so the idiots in the garden centre lost out on a customer. The LFS is further away, but I'm happy to travel if I get good service. In fact, I bought three more Zebra Danios from them this weekend!! I like 'em because even for goldfish, a. they don't sells bowls, and b. they insist that if a buyer doesn't buy a filter to go with their goldies, the goldies don't leave the shop.

 

[Bella]

I was never told the size they would get at all... I was told a common was fine for my 20G... Now I have a 90G for my blood parrots and the common and gibbie. Good thing i was already planning on buying a large tank.. I never knew how big they get until after i bought the 90G... I might have even bought the 125 if i knew.

 

[markandhisfish]

i disagree here they should be readily avaiuliable but should be sold more responsibly. you always seem to see them as something along the lines of spotted pleco usually very small. i think they (and all other fish) should have clearly marked on their tanks in all lfs the fish dietry /water requirements along with adult size and minimum tank size.

 

[jim777]

i disagree here they should be readily avaiuliable but should be sold more responsibly. you always seem to see them as something along the lines of spotted pleco usually very small. i think they (and all other fish) should have clearly marked on their tanks in all lfs the fish dietry /water requirements along with adult size and minimum tank size.

Agreed. I would like to see a bit more info about their eventual size and proper requirements rather than having them become more difficult to get. If we're talking about restricting the sale of a fresh water fish I think Pacus would be the one to head the list!

 

[Kialz]

There is an employ at my local pet paradise (yes i know not a good store) but he is one person ive actually seen care for fish, he may go overboard with some stuff as some people think but i think he is totaly in the right for doing it, thy had a decent pleco about 6"-7" and a guy came in to buy it and he asked how big of a tank he had the kid was like 10 gallons and he told him there is no way he would sell this fish to him and then the kid thought he would fool him by telling him oh ya and a 50 gallon which he then asked for a picture for proof then he would sell it to him, long story short...he didnt get the fish and this is not the only situtation like this he will not sell any fish or pet in the store to an owner he deems unsuitable.
Again you may say this is wrong but i find this completly right, just because it isnt a person doesnt mean it should be given away carelessly its still a life.

 

[snowflake311]

Common plecos are nothing I am so mad at this one store they sell sturgens and a nurse shark oh and redtail cats. Way too big for any normal tank you can buy. A foot long fish is nothing like a sturgen being 11 feet.

But I don't think they should sell common plecos to everyone that asks for an algea eater. True I think we will see less sold now that others like bristel nose plecos are becoming so popular.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I know this is a semi-old post but I wanted to addmy thoughts; I bought a common pleco. I read a book in the shop on algae eaters; I asked the sales woman - I figured it would be ok. I told her what other fish I have in my tank - it'll be fine she said. I don't really want to take him back though; he's only 2" long at the minute. I don't know whether to take him back now or to keep him...

I don't think they should be so readily available; or I think they should be available I just think they should come with strict warnings. Because not everyone will be able to take care of one.

 

[SBL]

I agree 100% with everyone here. My family has a 500 USG pond out front to keep these guys in during late spring - early fall. We have 5, one 9", 3 are 5", smallest is 4". They are only cramped during winter when the 4 small ones are put in a 30 USG by their self and the 9" one was given a 9" long, 17" tall, 12" wide piece in the other 30 USG. They fair well but, they are happiest in the pond, where they can move freely, not cramped in a 10 USG like many are. I had a Clown Plec, and these are great fish for a 10 USG. Not a 10" Common that will kill itself with it's own waste.