Moving Pleco

[Lizhall]

Hello! It has been a long time since I have been into the hobby of keeping fish. I was very much into my tanks I kept in high school, but haven't really kept fish since. Now in my mid 20's, I have a 3 month old daughter who is fascinated by watching them. She has made me decide we need a tank again!

My mom has a 30 gallon that she wants to give me. She had 3 cichlids in this tank that lived for several years, and recently died. There is still a somewhat large Pleco living in the tank.

Only problem is, I live over an hour away and the drive is very windy backroads. What do I need to do to make sure I move the tank and the Pleco successfully?

How much of the water that is currently in the tank do I need to take with it, and what is the best way to do that?
How do I catch this Pleco?! He's maybe 10 inches or so. I'm a little intimidated by him.
What do I put him in once I catch him?
I want to change the gravel - will that disturb the ecosystem? Will using some of the same water and filter be enough to not knock things out of whack?
It seems that every time I try to start a tank, things die. Even if I go slow and try to let things get established, I never have much luck. That or I grow crazy amounts of green algae. We are in a different house now, and this tank will go in our finished basement. I'm hoping that will eliminate the chances of an algae problem.
I would like to keep cichlids too, I think. How many can comfortably live in a 30 gallon tank? I know the inch per gallon rule, but they'll grow, won't they?
Any suggestions for types of cichlids that will be big and bright for baby to see?

Sorry for the million questions. Anything you think I should know, please tell me.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sophie]

First of all I'd find out exactly what type of Pleco it is.
Being 10 inches already probably suggests it's going to get much bigger in which 30 gallons would be and probably already is far too small.
In this case, I'd find a nice home for him and start from scratch. On another note, they do produce a lot of waste so takes up a lot of 'stocking space', especially as they get bigger they become poo machines!
 
In the case of the little one having something bright and colourful, my best suggestion would be to scrap the Cichlid idea and go with a big group of male Guppies or other colourful livebearers.
I find at work, the tank that draws the most attention from the children is the Guppy tank. Especially with their long flowing tails and different patterns you can get them in.
You'll need to find out what your tap water is like, as they do prefer much harder, more alkaline conditions but can be fine in a neutral pH.
With those, you open up a lot of other possibilities as they are very peaceful fish like the addition of shrimp for example and snails - kids love these!
 
Reading through it seems like an even better idea for you to start with livebearers if things for you tend to die straight away - they are a lot hardier to mistakes made by beginners, more tolerant so to speak.
 
Have a little read here - http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/
 
And well, I'll leave the other questions until later depending on the outcome of this post.