Is My Tank Going To Be Overcrouded?

[supaman900s]

I have a 30g long tank with a Convict, Jewel and Pleco (all juvenile), i am in the process of adding alot of new plants and such to provide enough cover for the non-dominant of the two cichlids. I am starting to get kind of worried because the Jewel is showing sings of aggression towards the Convict. I believe the Convict is female because it has shades of red on the belly, is this correct? Will my 30g long tank be efficient enough for these fish as they take the journey into adulthood? I have been rearranging the tank often and it is slowing the aggression, but i know this is only temporary, that is why i am in the process of adding the new cover and decor.

 

[vancouver]

What kind of pleco is it?

Is the tank 4 feet long?

 

[demonmagus]

a 30 long is 4 foot I think

 

[supaman900s]

Yea i would say it is about 4' and i think the pleco is just a common pleco, not to sure, but i know it aint nothing rare. So is 4' good enough?

 

[LisaLQ]

Depends on the other dimensions. Length is fine, but as commons can get to 12-18", the bigger the tank the better - they need to be able to turn around. I think a 4ft x 18" x 18" is around 75g though, so I'm thinking the other dimensions are a bit small perhaps?

 

[supaman900s]

I am not a huge fan of Pleco's(very messy!), I mainly keep him in there to keep the algae levels down. My LFS actually takes in Pleco's when they begin to get to big, in exchange for a smaller one. So with that being said, now do you think my tank is suitable for my fish?

Also, is what i said earlier true about the gender of my Convict?

 

[LisaLQ]

It's fine for your others, and til your plec gets too big - but not long term for the plec. Couple of months maybe?

I love plecs, couldn't part with mine. They dont eat much algae though - they poo more than they clean up anyway. They also need fresh veg (courgette, potato, sweet potato, peas, lettuce and many more options - although mine love courgette) a few times a week and plec wafers, they cant live off algae alone.

 

[supaman900s]

I feed him plec waffers, i was starting to get the impression that they make more of a mess than they clean up. So should i just return it to the store? Is their another similar fish that would better serve the purpose i had intended for the plec? A quick question for LisaLQ, What is it about the plecs that you like so much? just curious...

 

[LisaLQ]

They're beautiful, come in lots of different varieties and are full of character

By the way, I forgot to answer the convict sexing part - yes, it sounds like you have a female

 

[vancouver]

With your convict and jewel, you're going to have to wait and see what happens.. if they start fighting a lot and you notice they're being injured, you should re-home one of them..

 

[supaman900s]

They're beautiful, come in lots of different varieties and are full of character

I wont argue with the beautiful part, some do look really amazing. But i have not seen much character from the plec's i have had in the past. I always thought they were very shy and lazy...

if they start fighting a lot and you notice they're being injured, you should re-home one of them..

That was the plan. I hope they don't injure each other though, but worst case scenario i will just have to part with one. most likely the convict, i am loving the personality my Jewel is showing, it just don't stop moving, very, very hyperactive and he almost has a bulldog mentality like if you come up close to the tank, at first it might get startled, 2 seconds later it is right up to the glass staring you right in the eye, lol...

 

[DarkEntity]

They're beautiful, come in lots of different varieties and are full of character

By the way, I forgot to answer the convict sexing part - yes, it sounds like you have a female

Lisa Rusty is a sexy chap, if i were a Plec id have a go lol

Whats the top plec (royal?) i forget

 

[LisaLQ]

Yep - he's an L190 royal (there's a few different types that I usually get mixed up - but had him ID-ed lol). Thanks for the kind comments about the plecs, I love them, I'm a bit plec mad. Or just mad. One or the other