Are pleco's large fish ?

Question

How big do they get?

Answer 1

plecos are fish but not so much as large fish

they will only grow if you have a big tank

if you have a 10 gallon tank then they will just stay small to fit in well with that tank

Answer 2

Very large.

We bought one that was maybe an inch and a half long thinking it would stay small for our ten gallon tank. In a couple of years, he was the length of the longest wall in it. He's now 18" long and residing with a friend of mine in a MUCH larger tank.

They get big.

Answer 3

Ian is right they can get from 10" to 5' in length Iv seen em in the wild and they are beautiful in the wild.

Answer 4

depends on what type of pleco you get i have a common pleco and he has grown to about 2ft now

it really does depend on type but avoid the common plecos like the plague unless you have a tank big enough  

Answer 5

Depending on the subspecies, yes they can get big. Some dwarf pleco's will only get 4 to 6 inches, but I've had common pleco's reach 16 inches long, and live for more than 15 years in a 55 gal aquarium.

Answer 6

Yes, they can be.

There are about 500 species of 'Pleco' and they can grow from 1" to 3 FEET long.

The 'Common' ones will be one of several slightly different species, but you can expect them all to grow to over a foot long in time, some will reach 18".

If you have a smaller tank choose one of the smaller species like Bristlenose or Rubberlips that only reach 4 or 5 inches.

Ian

Answer 7

They can be a foot long! None of mine grew fast through, in a 20 gallon tank mine only got about 4 inches...

Answer 8

Actually plecs don't necessarily stay small in small tanks, if you give them the right conditions in a small tank they will grow big... if your looking for a scavenger, try corydoras (cory cats), or ottcinclus (otto cats) those both stay small!!

Answer 9

Yes they are big fish. average is 12 inches. The biggest one I've seen is 18 inches long. they are peaceful though.