Sailfin Plec

[LewisCade]

Hi guys
I need some expert advice i have recently taken in a sailfin plec he's (i say he but im not sure) a beautifully healthy and attractive fish he currently resides in a 3' long by 12" deepand 15" tall tank according to a calculator i use this should be sufficient until he is 14" long but im concerned if he is happy i is currently alone in the tank and it has a sand substrate he loves diging in and reagranges the sand ofter with 2 huge peices of bog wood for hem he is fed on algae wafes and sinking catfood occasionally he has some booldworm and fresh veg. i wonder if im boing the right thing by keeping him or am i putting him at risk. i love this fish but dont want him hurt so if i need to move him i will.

can any one help?

thanks Lewis

 

[dylema]

How big is he now?

I don't mean to be rude but how did you calculate that a 14" fish would be ok in a 36" tank? He would hardly be able to turn around let alone swim anywhere. I guess you know that if he was properly housed he would get much bigger than 14" (up to 24" and then he really couldn't turn around). He might be ok in there until he was 7" max but I doubt he would be very happy.

 

[LewisCade]

i used the "can i keep it" calculator from http/homepage.mac.com/nmonks/software/index.html it said up to 14" im not sure if that meant 2 7" or 1 14" fish. if this is the case i will have to put him up for rehoming then. i dont have any tanks free which are bigger.

Thanks Lewis

How big is he now?

I don't mean to be rude but how did you calculate that a 14" fish would be ok in a 36" tank? He would hardly be able to turn around let alone swim anywhere. I guess you know that if he was properly housed he would get much bigger than 14" (up to 24" and then he really couldn't turn around). He might be ok in there until he was 7" max but I doubt he would be very happy.

 

[LewisCade]

If anyone is interested see http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=190508

ta lewis

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

For a small sailfin pleco, you will need a 5ft long 18inch wide tank, but for a large sailfin you will need a 6ft long by 2ft wide tank minimum. Some sailfins only grow to 12 inchs (although this is uncommon), most will grow to 15inches, while some grow to over 20inches long- it varies a lot, so its best to be prepared. For a tank such as yours, the sailfin will fully outgrow it by the time it is 7-8inches long, by which if you havn't got a large enough tank for it, you must really rehome it.
edit: With the calculator thing, its best to avoid them as they tend not to be very accurate as they tend to be quite limited in taking a lot of important fish stocking factors into consideration- it would be fine if your tank had 14inches of fish 1-2inchs long each (there are so many more factors to take into consideration when stocking fish other than size alone though), but for a single 14inch long fish it is far too small no matter what the fish is.

 

[LewisCade]

For a small sailfin pleco, you will need a 5ft long 18inch wide tank, but for a large sailfin you will need a 6ft long by 2ft wide tank minimum. Some sailfins only grow to 12 inchs (although this is uncommon), most will grow to 15inches, while some grow to over 20inches long- it varies a lot, so its best to be prepared. For a tank such as yours, the sailfin will fully outgrow it by the time it is 7-8inches long, by which if you havn't got a large enough tank for it, you must really rehome it.
edit: With the calculator thing, its best to avoid them as they tend not to be very accurate as they tend to be quite limited in taking a lot of important fish stocking factors into consideration- it would be fine if your tank had 14inches of fish 1-2inchs long each (there are so many more factors to take into consideration when stocking fish other than size alone though), but for a single 14inch long fish it is far too small no matter what the fish is.

thanks for the advice the good news is i have found a young man with a nice big tank who is interested and it has more than enough space although i will miss him i'm happy he will find a safe place to live

Lewis

ps i think ill stick with my BN from now on they dont grow as big lol.

 

[dylema]

I think you made the right decision. And a Bristlenose will be quite happy in a tank of your size. You could even have 2 or 3 BN.

Dylan