Mollie Fish

[This Old Spouse]

I imagine it was the LFS that told you the plec would only grow to environment size? Not true. They can get up to two fee long in ANY environment and have been known to break through the glass when upset!

Please rehome him, for his sake and yours!

 

[feefeefreckles21]

i understand what you are saying i shall not rehome him he is a baby atm 2months old i shall be getting a 4-5 foot tank after christmas or if i need it before so be it lol i love him too much and will upgrade as soon as i have cycled my tank properly if needed thanks

 

[feefeefreckles21]

thanks lol i felt like giving up until i found this site u all are so kind and helpful just hope the advice works. i have a common plec i love him lol he is my fav im going to upgrade my tank after christmas also i didnt put any poloystirene under my tank ive made proper newbie errors although i read on one site that someone was kepping 3/4 fish in a jar how cruel!!! well uneducated that person was

Depending on species, common plecos should have at least a 6+*2+*2 ft (for ones which grow to 24") tank or a 4+*2*2 ft tank (for ones which grow to 12"). You are probably better off finding it a better home in a large tank unless you can upgrade to a tank of the size I mentioned.

p.s do i have to use the same brand dechlorinator every time? if so this isnt a problem and is stress coat one of the good brands?

No, you don't need to use the same one. But what you do need to do is one which treats chlorine, chloramine and converts ammonia to ammonium. The last bit is very important because it is what will keep your fish alive and some dechlorinators don't do that. I know that Stress Coat and Prime will deal with ammonia.

when i make up the new water do i use my kettle water to warm the water up as my boiler is old?

 

[KittyKat]

Yes stress coat seems to be the recommended one on here, and no it doesn't always have to be the same brand as long as it does the same job. I hope it's a big tank upgrade you're planning because common plecs grow into monsters! I think you need either a 5 foot tank or a new home for him. Sorry

i was told that my plec will only grow to its environment size and i do plan to upgrade after christmas

i understand what you are saying i shall not rehome him he is a baby atm 2months old i shall be getting a 4-5 foot tank after christmas or if i need it before so be it lol i love him too much and will upgrade as soon as i have cycled my tank properly if needed thanks

+1 that is not true. The pleco will grow large regardless of the tank size, but if there is no space for it to move, it will be stunted (think of "lily feet" here).

If you really love your pleco (and I used to have a common too, great fish!), you need to immediately do a LOT of research on *all* the species which are called "common pleco" and you need to get a positive ID on it so you know how big it will grow. You will need to upgrade to a larger tank as soon as possible, ideally before Christmas because, in my estimate, once the pleco reaches 1.5 - 2 inches in length, the size of the tank will start affecting it. Another thing to keep in mind is that for the pleco to grow properly, you need to keep the level of growth stunting hormones in the water low by doing *large* water changes in the long term (so while normally people do only 10-30% water changes, you will need to continue doing 50-70% water changes until the new tank). It will also need daily feeding too: a variety of vegetables (for example, courgette) and "algae wafers" will be good for it, but make sure to remove all uneaten food before it start rotting/after 12 hours (whichever comes first). Also, make sure you have some bogwood, the pleco will need this for eating. It is likely to also benefit from an appropriately sized cave or two, but as it will quickly outgrow these, it might be best to get second hand ones, disinfect them, use them and sell them on when the pleco needs larger ones.

when im making up the new water am i to use kettle water or tap? because i have an old boiler unsure wether that effects the water?

I used a kettle when I had a boiler, but I use tap now that I have hot water which is piped to the whole apartment building and live in Germany (water quality here is much better than anywhere else I have lived). Different people go different ways on this one.

p.s. PM me and I'll give you a few good resource links for plecos.

 

[feefeefreckles21]

this is gonna sound stupid but pm? lol

i was told my plec will grom to 12cm at the most so will be getting a bigger tank asap.

(grow)

 

[fishyfeet]

private message, go to the persons profile by clicking on their name, and then click send me a message, di

 

[feefeefreckles21]

ok thanks

 

[KittyKat]

i was told my plec will grom to 12cm at the most so will be getting a bigger tank asap.

…hmm, check if it is a bristlenose pleco?

 

[feefeefreckles21]

uh oh i have found out my plec will eventually grow to 13.8" so will need a bigger tank for def asap!!!!

 

[This Old Spouse]

If it's a common pleco as you first mentioned, it really can reach a length of 24". But it doesn't happen overnight. You've got some time to rehome it or work your way up to a 5 foot tank.

 

[KittyKat]

The OP IDed the pleco as Pterygoplichthys pardalis.

feefeefreckles21, I did some more research and some reliable sources[1] state the adult size as 17.5 inches or close to, so 5-6 ft long tank is best (not 4-5 ft as I said based on 14")

[1] Chavez, J.M., R.M. de la Paz, S.K. Manohar, R.C. Pagulayan and R. Carandang VI 2006 New Philippine record of south american sailfin catfishes (Pisces: Loricariidae). Zootaxa 1109:57-68.

Edit: I found a lot more (what I consider reliable) sources saying that this fish will grow to 40-45 cm and will live for at least 25 years (with records of them living longer).

 

[feefeefreckles21]

my friend has a well established tank shall i get some of her water and wash my filter sponge with it or even soak it in the water?

 

[ellejay]

That won't help, as all the bacteria you need live in the filter, not the tank water. However if she can donate you some mature filter media that will help you a lot!

 

[feefeefreckles21]

ok and i just add some of her water to my tank?

 

[ellejay]

No you don't need any of her water, just the filter media (such as sponges). That is, if she has any to spare