Hi there my friend has 3 gold plecs in his cold water fish tank with 5 gold fish

Question

gold pleco's are a tropical fish how are they living in cold water

Answer 1

1. plecos like to be alone.

2. plecos are tropical freshwater.

3. goldfish are coldwater fish.

4.they need to have the room to grow.

Answer 2

If the tank is indoors, then the water temp is probably 70-75, more tropical than coldwater.  However, the water should be 75-80 for the plecos to be at their best, and they really need cleaner water than they have with goldfish.

Goldfish do better in temps below 65 F, although they seem to thrive in quite a temperature range.  The higher the temp, the more they need to eat, the more they p**p, thus the more often the tank needs cleaned and the water changed.

5 common goldfish should have a minimum of a 70 gallon tank since they can grow to 18 inches long.

With 3 plecos that can also grow that large, he would also need at least a 55 gallon tank for them.  And plecos aren't scavenger or tank cleaners.  They need their own food source.  Sliced zucchini, and similar vegies are readily eaten.

Answer 3

They are not happy at all. You should remove them to a much larger and warmer tank.

Answer 4

They are living unhappily and will not live as long, he needs to get those Plecos a 100+ gallon tank for them to be happy, they will get 2 feet long with proper care.

Answer 5

Plecos are hardy fish and can survive at the upper range of the temperatures that goldfish live in.  Since most people who keep goldfish in indoor tanks usually just don't bother with heaters and keep them at room temperature, which is around 75 degrees F or so, the plecos can survive it.  They probably aren't all that comfortable though and unless the tank is huge they are probably suffering from poor water conditions.  5 goldfish is an awful lot to keep together in one tank, especially with that many plecos.