OH NO! Pleco troubles?!?

Question

I bought 2 fish today to be in my fish tank with my beta (a play and a pleco).

I mixed the pleco up with a cory... Now apon reading about plecos, I have discovered they can grow huge!

I also read that they make suck on my other fish!

Is this true?

Are they the type of fish that will only grow as large as their habitat permits?

What else do I need to know about the

pleco breed?!

I have a 5 galon fish tank.

Answer 1

a 5 gallon tank is not big enough for them they grow to i know 8 inches and even longer you need to feed them algae wafers,

but you should go with a Siamese or Chinese algae eater they are smaller and don't grow as fast but 5 gallons is not really a big enough tank

Answer 2

Ok first off there are NO fish that grow to their habitat. That is a huge myth. The external body of the fish stops growing but the internal organs keep growing until they fail and the fish dies. So never believe that.

Second I had a pleco  and a betta and he never sucked on the other fish. They usually never draw attention to themselves and usually just stick to the walls of your tank. Make sure you have plenty of algae and your tank is completely cycled before getting one because I bought one and the tank wasnt cycled and there was no algae so he starved. With a five gallon tank he can't get past 3" for him to be comfortable so you should probably take him back to a privately owned pet store where they might give you some money in return.

Good luck whatever you decide!

Answer 3

Oops.  Actually it depends on the type of pleco.  The common pleco will keep growing, up to a foot and a half, as long as there is food available.  Other types will max out much smaller but are generally more expensive.  Enjoy the pleco until it's too big for your tank, then trade him for something else.

They may suck on other fish, but if you keep plant matter, even zucchini slices or green beens, in the tank, that shouldn't be a problem.

Answer 4

Hi. Plecos get BIG :-) perhaps 1 foot long. But i *think* that being in a small tank will stunt the growth of your pleco, and it will unfortunately die afterwards. There are many many many varieties of pleco which closely ressemble each other. but you may get the pleco ID quickly from the fish store itself.

As for sucking, larger plecos will attach themselves to larger fish such as koi or goldfish. i don't konw about juveniles. Bare in mind that plecos are more active at night. So a quick glance at night will help you see what the pleco is really doing.

Oh, and dont forget plecos like munching!! Give it a piece of blanched zuchini or spinach to keep it busy!

Answer 5

i had a pleco over a foot long once

Answer 6

return the pleco and get otos... they do the smae as the pleco, are compatable with the other fish, and only get about one inch each. just be sure to supply veggies every once in a while.

Answer 7

haha plecos grow to 2 feet! i dont even think a single side on a 5 gallon tank is over 2 feet...

my aunt had a huge pleco like 20 inches and it got to huge for her 29 gallon aquarium and nowbody she knew would take him so she had to put him in the freezer to freeze to death... how sad i would love to of taken him if i had an aquarium back then

Answer 8

Yes Common plecos will grow to over a foot long. They can live for 15 or more years and become a pretty large fish. One of mine is getting too big for a 50 gal tank.

They are generally peacefully. They may suck the slime coat of large slow moving fish. Shouldn't be kept with Discus, fancy goldfish, Polyterpus or frogs for that reason. But they dont seem to attack small quick moving fish (or large active ones). I have them in tanks with Neons and Guppies, no worries.

They are a great fish, just not suited for a 5gal tank. Although a cramped tank and lack of food will slow their growth, they WILL grow too big for it (or die). There are other species of pleco that dont grow as big, but they still need around a 20gal tank.

If you cant get a much bigger tank in the future then return it to the shop now.

Ian