New Fish

[stiffler69]

Hi i got a bottom feeder today but forgot what he is called the lady in the lfs told me but ive gotgot wondered if you guys can help me identify the species

Main purpose for purchasing him was as a cleaner as im suffering from algae he seems to be doing his job

She also told me he will grow to the size of the tank as they grow to there habitat so when he gets too big i may need to rehome him to someone with a good size tank

 

[chelbel]

It looks like a common plec to me and they grow hugeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[lilfishie]

it does indeed look like a common, they can grow to over a foot long, as for it only growing to the size of the tank its a load of lies, they do eventually stop growing on the out side but there organs carry on growing causeing the fish much stress and pain and will lead to a shortened life, these plecs can easily reach 20 years old given the proper care and environment. the recommended minimum tank size is a 5x2x2 larger is better

 

[Ian H]

yeah its a plecostomus (sp?) or plec for short. If it is a common which it looks like it will grow massive, like said it would suffer from stunted growth and die from basically growing to big for its skin.

ottos are amazing for getting rid of algae, they are small fish that will sort it out without a doubt if you get some make sure you get a couple as they should be kept in groups. Or if you really like the plec you could get a bristle nose plec, they grow to around 6" and look the same but have "bits" coming off their nose, i think they need wood in the tank though. But whatever you do get rid of the common plec!!

 

[stiffler69]

As soon as he overgrows the tank ill be moving him along to a larger tank i have set up at my mothers once he has out grown that then i will give people on here the option of him if they want him and have the space they can have him i dont want to cause him any harm as hes a great little fella so as soon as his starts to get big he will be on his way to a new home

 

[Ian H]

thats the thing though, you wont know when the stunted growth will start!

what size tank is he in now? if its big enough why not take him back and see if you can find a smaller species?

 

[stiffler69]

thats the thing though, you wont know when the stunted growth will start!

what size tank is he in now? if its big enough why not take him back and see if you can find a smaller species?

Its 30 litres the one he is in now i have a 60 litre tank too so he will move into that one soon enough then im planning on getting a 3 and a half foot by 18" tank set up so there should be room in there for him hes only in there temporary at the moment

 

[Ian H]

sorry to keep on but a 3ft tank is not big enough. My tank is 3ft long, 1 foot deep and 1.5foot high and its not big enough for my common, but i've just ordered a nice big tank (5foot by 2 foot by 2 foot) only reason i got him was because i could guarantee i would be getting a bigger tank in time.

I know you dont want to but what your doing is cruel. Its like locking a dog in a pen for its whole life

 

[afishdude]

your 30 liter will not hold a pleco of that size for more than a month or so without stunting it.
best re-homing it and getting a bristlenose or rubberlipped or bulldog pleco.
and by the way, plecos can not survive on just algae. they need veggies and some meat also. that is why they are the worst algae eaters in the fish keeping hobby. best to get some mystery snails or an algae brush.

 

[stiffler69]

There is plenty of grub on the go in the tank for him ive varied my feeding from week to week sometimes meal worm, then just flakes this weeks they getting peas on the evening and im going to keep a steady mix going of foods as they seem to love the peas do any other veggies come recommended

 

[afishdude]

well, the pleco will not eat flakes
the pleco will need a steady diet of veggies every day just like your other fish eat flakes.
you should feed cucumber, zucchini, and potatoes.
try getting frozen bloodworms, all fish love them including plecos.

 

[stiffler69]

Excellent thanks is ill whip him up a fresh salad in the morning and im due to go purchase some more bloodworm not quite sure where i can store frozen though not sure the missus would allow that in the freezer lol

 

[afishdude]

stick it in the back behind some frozen peas.. works for me.

 

[poopsydrew]

perhaps the first question should have been, why are you having algae problems in the first place?
Solving this could have saved you a lot of time and money in the future as your pleco with proper care will live for a long time, as the algae problem in only temporary.

I see this happen all the time at my work, someone comes in with a lot of algae in a small tank and instead of figuring out why or doing anything about it they just want "something to eat the algae" I then show them to the algae scrapper section.

If you didnt already have the pleco I would suggest cutting down how long your lights are on to about no more than 8-10 hours a day. Blackouts work well too. Also check your nitrate levels, if its high thats probably your problem.

Dont forget they sell magnetic algae scrapers, in case you dont want your hand to get wet, god forbid

Drew

 

[stiffler69]

Just looking at this plec today and he seems to have faded in colour any suggestions is there something wrong with him he doesnt look too healthy at all?