Needing Help And Advice With

[Craig89]

My Common Plec

His name is sucky and he's been with me from the start. I got him as a juvi at 2" long and watched him grow to the 10" he is now.

I was clueless about fish keeping when I got my first 90l tank. Did what the shop said, set it up for a week and then add fish so I did and he was my first purchase. Needless to say I had problems and then found this site.

He's survived 2 fish in cycles and a mysterious illness that wiped out all of his other tank mates. I've upgraded tanks each year just so I don't stunt his growth. The nest step was having ND aquatics build me a 4ft tank to replace my current 3.5ft just so he has more room.

But I got thinking yesterday whilst watching him grazing on his piece of big wood, am I really giving him the best quality of life, I mean he seems happy enough he's got places to hide places to graze gets plenty of food and I do plan on getting a 6x2x2 tank but not for another 18 months/ 2 years when I finally get my own place.

Am I doing the right thing or should I pass him onto somebody with a larger tank. I never thought I would get attached to a fish but after 4 year he's really grown on me.

 

[emzy991]

aww - know what you mean - I have a sailfin leopard plec - is 12 inches now and sadly up for rehoming as I have no space to get a larger tank - unless I throw out my furniture lol. he was only ment to be "on holiday" till his owner got a bigger tank but has been with me 2 years now and no sign of owner coming back!! feel guilty but for mine I know its best

 

[gregswimm]

Get rid of that pleco, not only will he outgrow your 4' but he is one of the largest contributors to your bioload (aka he poops a LOT). This can cause your nitrates to stay very high which can lead to your fish getting ill if you do not keep up with the water changes (30% weekly especially in a tank with a pleco). Giving him wood is a great thing; all plecos need access to wood. There are many species of pleco that wont get over 5" that will do fantastic in a 4' tank.

Good news is that many people building a pond/very large tank may want a large pleco and not want to wait for a small one to grow up. The bad news is that a lot of people have plecos that have outgrown their aquariums and are trying to give them away.

People have dumped common plecs in our local waterways; I have seen schools 20 members strong of 3-4' plecos. They get absolutely massive.

 

[Craig89]

Thanks for the help guys I think I will start to look for him a new home once he's cleaned the algae off the glass lol

 

[xingumike]

Get rid of that pleco, not only will he outgrow your 4' but he is one of the largest contributors to your bioload (aka he poops a LOT). This can cause your nitrates to stay very high which can lead to your fish getting ill if you do not keep up with the water changes (30% weekly especially in a tank with a pleco). Giving him wood is a great thing; all plecos need access to wood. There are many species of pleco that wont get over 5" that will do fantastic in a 4' tank.

Good news is that many people building a pond/very large tank may want a large pleco and not want to wait for a small one to grow up. The bad news is that a lot of people have plecos that have outgrown their aquariums and are trying to give them away.

People have dumped common plecs in our local waterways; I have seen schools 20 members strong of 3-4' plecos. They get absolutely massive.

Do you mean 3-4 feet?

 

[gregswimm]

yes

 

[xingumike]

Slight (massive) exaggeration/miscalculation then.

 

[panda_cory]

I think you are keeping him happy, I dont know anyone that would get a new tank ever year just for there pleco.

 

[gregswimm]

Slight (massive) exaggeration/miscalculation then.

You really think so?

 

[xingumike]

So you are telling me that 20 people dumped Acanthicus into your local waterway?

As a Hypan keeper you know as well as I do that they are not commons.

 

[gregswimm]

So you are telling me that 20 people dumped Acanthicus into your local waterway?

As a Hypan keeper you know as well as I do that they are not commons.

Don't be so naive. I bet the number of people who have dumped these fish is larger than 20. In order to see 20 individuals there would need to be a LOT more than 20 floating around. Florida has TONS of invasive species and our water just happens to be similar to their native habitat so they do spawn. You only need a few of a species (or genus for that mater) for spawning to start. Many of the rivers are spring fed and won't fall below 60F in the winter (wont go below 70-75 within a few miles of the mouth of the spring). The summer temps are around 78-85+ (depending on location and depth). http/myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/freshwater-fish/ Look at that; Hypostomus were first reported in 1958.

Many different species are sold under the name 'common pleco' so who knows exactly what species OP has. His species may only top out at 15" or go well past 2'.

I have seen them in the Hillsborough river; 70% of the river looks like this:

If this is not perfect warm water Loricariidae habitat I don't know what is.




"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

-- Abraham Lincoln


Edit: Sorry for taking over your threat . If you have trouble getting him a new home through your LFS or craigslist, try aquabid

 

[matubula]

Gregswim - I don't think that Mike is disputing that certain pleco species (Pterygoplichthys etc) have been released in North America but that they are NOT growing 3-4 feet as you said.

The pictures you included are of Acanthicus adonis/hystrix which can grow 3-4 feet. Whereas no Pterygoplichthys species grow this large.

 

[xingumike]

Don't be so naive. I bet the number of people who have dumped these fish is larger than 20.

How much? I have $20 waiting to go to you or a charity of your choice via Paypal for a photo of a minimum of 20 Acanthicus roaming free in Florida's waters.

Many different species are sold under the name 'common pleco' so who knows exactly what species OP has. His species may only top out at 15" or go well past 2'.

Educate me, which species sold as a common will grow 'well past 2''

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

-- Abraham Lincoln

Couldn't agree more, you have removed any doubt I had.

 

[Craig89]

Here he is (excuse the algae) I very much doubt he will get to 3-4 foot but you never know lol

 

[gregswimm]

That looks like a Pterygoplichthys pardalis (I could be wrong) which don't get much bigger than 13". You could keep him in a 4' 55g if you really wanted to; you would need very high filtration (like 6-10x tank volume per hour in a 55 that's 330gph to 550gph); a CF-400 by sun sun/aquatop should be able to accomplish this. A large 20" PVC pipe can make a good hiding spot for him and make sure all your decor is secure and that he cannot knock it over (you can superglue anubias/java fern to the pipe to camouflage it). I suppose you don't have to get rid of him if you don't want to; just be aware that he will need a tank of 55g or more with high filtration, weekly water changes and a diet supplemented with veggies like sweet potato/zucchini/peas. It would be best to get a positive ID on the fish before making your final decision.