Pleco Growth Spurt

[Silencedogood]

Hi-
I've had my common pleco for 2 yrs in my 30 gal tank and over the past couple of months the pleco has had a major growth spurt; at the moment, she is 8 inches. It seems like she keeps growing; is it okay to keep her in my 30 gal? If not, are there any recommendations on what I should do? ( The 30 gal is my largest tank).

 

[steelo]

Hi-
I've had my common pleco for 2 yrs in my 30 gal tank and over the past couple of months the pleco has had a major growth spurt; at the moment, she is 8 inches. It seems like she keeps growing; is it okay to keep her in my 30 gal? If not, are there any recommendations on what I should do? ( The 30 gal is my largest tank).

I've had a similar situation in a 20 gallon. Fortunately, I found they will only grow as large as their environment allows. They are messy fish so you may want to increase the amount of water you change each week.

 

[Essjay]

I found they will only grow as large as their environment allows

This is called stunting and comes with a host of health issues. Fish should always be kept in tanks large enough for them to grow to their full size.

Common plecs grow much bigger than 8 inches, and need a huge tank as they grow. A 30 gallon tank is nowhere near big enough. Some people recommend 180 to 200 gallon tanks for these large fish, with a minimum depth (front to back) of 20+ inches.


Edited to correct the size tank that some people recommend for common plecs

 

[Silencedogood]

This is called stunting and comes with a host of health issues. Fish should always be kept in tanks large enough for them to grow to their full size.

Common plecs grow much bigger than 8 inches, and need a huge tank as they grow. A 30 gallon tank is nowhere near big enough. Some people recommend 180 to 200 litre tanks for these large fish, with a minimum depth (front to back) of 20+ inches.

If I keep my pleco in the 30 gal, will she stop growing? Because if she does then I could probably just keep her?
What health issues come with stunting?

 

[Silencedogood]

I've had a similar situation in a 20 gallon. Fortunately, I found they will only grow as large as their environment allows. They are messy fish so you may want to increase the amount of water you change each week.

I'm having some problems with planting live plants because the pleco keeps uprooting them. Is 8 inches long okay for a 30 gal?

 

[Guppylover3x]

If I keep my pleco in the 30 gal, will she stop growing? Because if she does then I could probably just keep her?
What health issues come with stunting?

It’s never a good idea to stunt the fishes growth deliberately, this will only lead to further health problems, and possibly an earlier death for the fish. I agree with essjay.

If you can provide a bigger tank for her this would be your best option. It’s unfair to cause unnecessary stress to the fish by putting her into a tank too small.

I can also confirm from past experience that pleco’s grow to a large size, the bigger the tank the happier they are and the bigger they grow.

Essjay is correct in saying these fish need 180-200 litres of water. This was the minimum tank size that I once kept a pleco in.

Best of luck.

 

[Essjay]

Ooops, I mistyped in my last post.

It should have read "Some people recommend 180 to 200 gallon tanks for these large fish" not 180 to 200 litres. I have edited post #3 with the correct wording.

 

[Guppylover3x]

Ooops, I mistyped in my last post.

It should have read "Some people recommend 180 to 200 gallon tanks for these large fish" not 180 to 200 litres. I have edited post #3 with the correct wording.

Sorry I should have clarified further;

The tank I had was a family run tank at a young age. I have no idea how big the tank was but I know the sizing was correct for it as the tank was passed down from someone more experienced. It was then up and running for up to 8 years before it was given away again to someone else.

The fish just never stopped breeding there was never a need to purchase more.

Plecos are active fish too, and they grow very large.

Essjay mentions they require 180/200g so this must be correct.

 

[Silencedogood]

So should I look to rehome my pleco?

This is called stunting and comes with a host of health issues.

What health issues come with stunting?

 

[FishGuest5123]

Some say that stunting a fish will only stunt the outside but organs will continue to grow and fish will be in pain until death. I am TOTALLY AGAINST keeping fish in an environment not suited to them but not sure about the organs continuing to grow. I don’t think anyone should stunt a fish intentionally. That is a whole other discussion though that we’ll save for another time. However, yes, you should rehome the pleco. You can have a bristlenose or bushynose pleco in a tank as they only grow to about 4”. Even they have a heavy bioload though. You obviously have a common pleco and they can grow well over a foot long. Good luck!

 

[Essjay]

Stunting shortens the fish's life and there is some debate as to whether it causes pain to the fish. Some say that although the body stops growing, the internal organs continue to grow and the fish's insides become very squashed, though others dismiss this as myth.

I will give you a link to a highly respected website
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/stunted-growth-means-stunted-lives/

 

[FishGuest5123]

I don’t see any indication of who wrote this or their credentials but it is a simple and agreeable article. We should all be doing our part to educate others on some of the horrific conditions related to the hobbyist fish trade industry. We hear things from PETA all the time about animal cruelty but never anything related to fish care. It’s our responsibility to educate as many people as we can about the situation. Just the fact that fish stores are allowed to sell fish to people without providing any information on the need to cycle a tank first irritates me to no end. End of rant.

 

[Silencedogood]

Thanks for the info. Do you by any chance know where I could rehome the pleco?

 

[Guppylover3x]

Thanks for the info. Do you by any chance know where I could rehome the pleco?

Depending on where you’re located most live fish stores accept fish. It may be worth calling around and explaining your situation.

Dependent upon the species they may or may not pay you, some stores may offer you store credit in return.

Best of luck.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Sometimes you can find a Lfs to take them. You can also post in local ads. Good luck!