Pleco Age

[FBTgirl]

How old will my Pleco, Duke, live? I think he is almost a year now.

 

[nath1]

what type of plec is he?
nath1

 

[FBTgirl]

He is a Common

 

[jayjay]

It "should" live 20 years quite easily. Whether or not it does... well we'll see won't we.

It could also grow 28" long depending on the species.

 

[madgap]

If you don't mind me using your thread, here. I have some questions.

I bought a plec about five years ago. It was about 1 1/2 inches long. It's been about eight inches now for maybe two years. Is it normal for them to stop growing at that size/age?

Shortly after buying that plec, and being impatiant. Wanting a big plec I bought one that is maybe ten inches. Eleven max
That one didn't grow any further. Ihouse these in my 300 litre tank. Is that adaquate space?

Also, I have started to give them one of those plec tablets each, each day. Is that too much? Not enough?

I have my eye on a gold nugget plec. Would that be over stepping the mark? And if not, do they need any special care?

Thank you

Si

 

[stang1]

Have you got a picture of the Pleco so someone can help ID it?

 

[madgap]

There is one showing difference in colour

 

[madgap]

try againAnd moreThe big one

 

[stang1]

The first one looks like a Sailfin Pleco, it will grow to about 18".
The second one looks like a Common Pleco, it can also grow to about 18".
They both need to be housed in a tank that is 6'x2'x2' minimum to enable them to move around.
You will either have to upgrade your tank or rehome them I'm afraid as 66G is nowhere near big enough.

 

[madgap]

Now I am worried. My wife and I were considering buying the rio 400. A five foot tank holding 400 litres of water.
We simply don't have the room for a bigger tank than that.

Could it be possible that my plecs have stopped growing, stunted, perhaps by the tank size they are in?

Anyway, going back to my first post on this thread. Am I feeding them enough or too much? I ask the forum, YOU, because you've much more experiance than me.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Yeah you have a sailfin and a common, not all sailfins and commons will grow to the big 2ft length, 10-16inches long is a lot more common, it really depends on the fishes gene's, the diet it has been fed, and the size of the tank it has been kept in.
Having the fish in a Rio 400 would not have stunted their growth, when kept in tanks too small most common and saifin plecos will continue to outgrow the tank to a certain extent before being stunted (for example i knew a guy who had a common pleco that managed to grow to 8inches long in a 15gallon tank), your two have not outgrown the tank at all though so i would guess that they are just some of the smaller growing ones.


What could have affected their size though is their diet, did you always used to give pleco wafers/tablets to eat? Do you feed them anything else at all?

 

[madgap]

Wafers and tablets. I also give them a bit of sushi from time to time... I'm worried I may put too much food in that will rot!
Any suggestions on amount and alternative food stuff?

Thanks Tokis.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Wafers and tablets. I also give them a bit of sushi from time to time... I'm worried I may put too much food in that will rot!
Any suggestions on amount and alternative food stuff?

Thanks Tokis.

Hmm, wafers and tablets are an important aspect of plecos diet but the are not that great on their own as they lack certain vitamins and minerals that fresh foods like fruit and veg have.

My advice would be to start feeding the plecos cucumber once or twice a week in addition to their usual dried food diet, simply get a fresh cucumber, rinse it under the tapm slice it down the middle (this is the best for larger plecos) or into two large chunks, then stick something through it like a non-rust spoon or some metal aquarium plant weights to weigh the cucumber down in the tank.
The cucumber will be absolutely fine in the tank, although its advised that you take it out after 24hrs to prevent it going nasty, the plecos won't really eat the skin however they'll love the flesh .
I also feed large tomatoes (with seeds removed) in the same manner to my plecos too occasionally.

Some people also feed half-cooked/par boiled potatoes to their plecos too, apparently its really good for them and they love it although i have yet to try it myself.

Prawns, squid, mussels, cockels etc are all good high protein foods, just make sure they haven't had any nasty preservatives on them- only feed such foods about once a week maximum though (depending on the quantity you feed the fish), as plecos like commons and sailfins do not need much high protein foods in their diet to benefet from them .