Common Pleco

[dcfeeiv]

ive researched a bit on common plecos but have found that there is an extremely wide range as to what people think they will grow from as small as just over a foot to over 3 feet
he is in a 55 gal tank right now
should i take him back or let him stay?
right now its just him a 5 platies(which are moving out), a polypterus and soon to have a black ghost knife fish and 3ish silver dollars

 

[dane261]

i would take him back as before you knopw it it will be massive needs to be in a bigger tank really

cheers dane

 

[smithrc]

our "common" has maxed out at about 10"... (in our 100us gal)

It really does depend though... 18" isn't unheard of but 3ft is.

In my opinion a 55gal should be fine.

Do you have a piccy - If its a Gibby then a 55 will end up too small.

 

[raptorrex]

ive researched a bit on common plecos but have found that there is an extremely wide range as to what people think they will grow from as small as just over a foot to over 3 feet
he is in a 55 gal tank right now
should i take him back or let him stay?
right now its just him a 5 platies(which are moving out), a polypterus and soon to have a black ghost knife fish and 3ish silver dollars

i have never come across a 3 foot plecos, but 2 foot is not un heard of and 18 inches common. now ignoring tank capasity. the real need is to ensure your fish can turn round i its tank, so the tank needs to be wider than the fish is long! so from the info above you can see your tank needs to be a minimum of 18 inches wide. that said you may get away with 55 gallons, but a three foot tank may not offer enough room for a fish that is over 12 inches long. not to mention its tank mates, a pissed off pleco can cause real problems in a tank.

 

[dcfeeiv]

my camera is dead
but he's spotted with three horizontal(in relation to his spine) stripes on his back