Problem With Common Plec And Can You Help Id My Fish?

[S3Z]

Hey,

I recently purchased 2 common plec, i knew they grew rather big rather quick but was unaware that they fight when there adults. I Will only have enough money to buy a big enough tank for one plec and was wondering how hard it is to sell or even give away a large common plec in the UK as i will need to rehome it. they are very small at the moment and are in a 55 litre tank how long do you think it will be untill i need to upgrade the tank and sell one of the plec?

Also i have some bright orange fish in my tank my friend brought me yesterday, they dont seem to fight with the other fish and seem quite happy so i dont think there are any problems but i was wondering if anyone can tell me what fish they are??
Two of them have a long tail with a black line along the bottom,
The other one has just a normal tail, im guessing thats the difference in gender.
there pretty fast and are quite small, the biggest at a guess roughly 5cm long inc the tail.

Thankyou everyone for your time.

Sez.

 

[lil-x-me...x]

im not sure about the plecs on that one...ask around at pet shops, see if they owuld take any in? or maybe add a post on the buy or sell thread on here, see if anyone wants it?

i think the orange fish you have are swordtails. they are very nice hardy fish. is one of them like this: http/image22.webshots.com/23/8/74/85/216...85FSqSEE_ph.jpg

hope this helped x

 

[Davo86]

At a guess i'd say Swordtails? but as the saying goes a picture paints a thousand words,

2 common plecs in a 55L? even at 2-3 inches they will be producing enough waste to keep the filters busy, I'd rehome both asap tbh

 

[S3Z]

Yes, i looked at some pictures and they are definatley swordtails thankyou.

The pet shop i went to knew very little about fish, they made sure my tank was a few months old and that there would be enough algea to eat but didn't say anything about the recomended size of tank for them. What size would you recomend for 1 plec? i really do like them and dont want to get rid of both.

 

[Davo86]

To keep 1 common pleco for life, your looking at a minimum of a 75G (283L) that has an adequate footprint with a width of 18"+

 

[S3Z]

Ok, i will upgrade the tank asap. Will they be ok for a few months as it is not easy for me to save up the money needed for a tank of this size plus all the extra's. i know i should of ivestigated more before buying the fish but the pet shop owner came across as if they would be fine.

Could you recommend anywhere that do tanks that big at a good price?

 

[stang1]

You are best rehoming them now as they can grow fairly quick in a few months.
Why not exchange them for a Bristlenose Catfish? They only reach 4"-6" and would be fine in that tank until you upgrade.

 

[S3Z]

ok. thankyou everyone for help. ill get these guys rehomed asap .

 

[silverrabbit]

Good luck

 

[LauraFrog]

I should probably warn you that you have two male swordtails, and one female. This is not a good configuration - the males will either fight over the female or harass her endlessly to mate, so you'll be dealing with either fight injuries or an extremely stressed swordtail. You could sort that out by rehoming one of the males and buying a second female (if he divides his attention over both females it will be okay) or else buying at least three more females to keep the males busy enough to stop them fighting. Personally I wouldn't risk keeping two male swordtails in a tank that size. If you rehome the plecs, you'll be able to fit more swordtails in comfortably. I think you've gotten the right advice re the plecs - you do realise that commons can grow to 2 feet long? At that size, you would need a 6' by 2' by 2' to keep them comfortable, plus one enormous filtration system - if the money to buy the tank is a problem, the money to filter it will be as well.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi S3Z

If you like the look of plecos, a Bristlenose pleco would be a good choice because they stay small. The ones in this picture are not fully mature, but they won't grow much bigger. The male is the one growing whiskers.

 

[lil-x-me...x]

whats that little plec on it called? do they grow pretty big or does it just look tiny compared to them?

 

[Davo86]

whats that little plec on it called? do they grow pretty big or does it just look tiny compared to them?

They are all bristlenose plecs of varying sizes

 

[matchstickman47]

inchworm that albino cory looks scary lol nice plecos

 

[Jazzzz]

I have a common plec that is still at 6" 2 years lator in a 55gallon i am rather inclined to say he is fully grown