Big catfish?

[Shnookina]

I got my first fish today, plus a strange looking catfish, to my horror when I got home i found out that its possible for it to grow to 20"

I think its called a plecostomus, does anyone else have one of these?

 

[jimw13uk]

I had 2 of them - thinking they were only going to be little (as thats what the LPS bloke said) - when they both reached 8" I gave them to my Local Aquatics Centre in exchange for 3 clown loach - good deal

 

[Shnookina]

i'm hoping it will be ok in the tank, i think i'm a bit scared its going to eat my fish when it gets to like 10" lol

 

[SworDTail KeePer]

No I don't thinkit will eat your fish when it get's 10 inches. But it will take a wile for them to grow up to 8 inches even 5 but I don't think they will not eat your other fish.

 

[Shnookina]

lol phew, cause i had this image of jaws swimming round the tank! lol

 

[SworDTail KeePer]

LOL I don't think it was Jaws he's to big! But I have a plecostomis and it is not that big. But I think the max size they get is 8-12 inches.

 

[Shnookina]

well i read that they can get to 10" but then it also said its been known for them to get to 20"

 

[SuckerLove86]

I've seen several 18+" plecos here in town. Yeah they get huge. But they look really cute when they're really big.

Something you should know about them though, if you have to catch it for any reason, try not to use a net as their spikes and spines can get caught up in it. When larger, plecos may or may not try to go after other plecos or the slime coat of other fish. How large is the one you have?

 

[jimw13uk]

They can get enormous - my Uncle has a 5 foot tank with the biggest Plec i've ever seen - must be getting on for 2 foot - he has arranged for it to go to a large LFS with an huge disply tank so it can live its life withoug bumping it head and tail every time it turns.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Plecostomas is very just a generalised name given to plecs but there are many many different types of plec so i would still research what type of plec it is but is most probable it is either a common or sailfin plec as these tend to be the most popular in lfs and can exceed 20inches...the majority of plecs are vegetarian or ominivorous and most are not very terotorial.
Most plecs grow huge and most will grow about an inch a month until they are 12inches when their growth will slow down a bit...Make sure you feed him algae wafers on a regular basis unless his type dictates otherwise; if you underfeed him or keep him in too smaller tank for too long when he has outgrown it it will stunt his growth but i suggest you don't because it is cruel for the fish.

 

[bunjiweb]

Plecos are really great fish, and unfortunatly so many of them get returned or culled because they grow so massive.

It would be nice if more fish shops would advise the fully grown size before they are sold.

I hope that you might consider getting a larger tank in the future to accomadate for it rather than returning it? As its not exactly the fish' fault is it.

As said, there are various types of plecs, from bristlenoses, clown plecs and rubbernoses that stay fairly small, to sailfin and aligator plecs that get huge, with specimins reported to have been captured at up to 80cm in length!

Ben