durbkat
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 127
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Post by durbkat on Aug 18, 2005 19:54:19 GMT -5
Is it true that my pleco is stunted I've had him for almost a year and he is only 4 1/2 inches. And he is in a 10g tank but will be moved to a long 20g. Someone told me he will die of a premature deaf. Is this true or are they lieing?  |
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Post by twoluvcats on Aug 19, 2005 8:25:03 GMT -5
common plecs get huge! even your 20g long won't be big enough. Its hard to say if he's truly stunted...but a 10g tank IS too small for him.
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Post by teresa on Aug 19, 2005 11:11:20 GMT -5
hmmm...we are thinking about getting a pleco for our new-just cycled, 35 gal...is that too small for him too?
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Post by twoluvcats on Aug 19, 2005 11:43:30 GMT -5
there are smaller plecos out there...bristlenose comes to mind, but your 'common pleco' or sailfin pleco get to be 16"-20"...so yes, even a 35g can be too small.
I had one in my 29g, and he got to be 6" in 3 months...i got him out of there as quick as i could!!
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Post by teresa on Aug 19, 2005 14:20:20 GMT -5
Thank you  ok crossing Pleco off the list |
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durbkat
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 127
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Post by durbkat on Aug 19, 2005 15:03:35 GMT -5
so since you said your pleco got to be 6 inches in 3 months and i've had mine for almost a year and he is only 4 1/2 inches wouldn't that mean he is stunted. And what about the part about him dieing a premature death?Is that true. Or will my pleco start to grow once he is introduced into a bigger tank. And I got sucked into that trap about a pleco would be able to fit into a 10g. When I bought him I told the lps that I had a 10g and they said he wold be ok. So is it to late for him to grow or does he still have a chance? Also do you think the lps would let me exchange him for a bristlenose pleco. If so do you know if they would put my pleco back into the tank with the others or would they throw him away once I left?
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Post by Crystal on Aug 24, 2005 9:06:03 GMT -5
There are smaller sized pleco's that look exactly like the common and their major difference is they do not get big. They only grow to 4-5 inches and that's it. It is an option for the tank owner who does not want a 10 inch pleco ripping through a 5 gallon tank.
I would not say premature death is in his future.
I will say that it is an old wives tale that fish will grow to the size of their tank and then stop. In college (prime example) I had a pleco for 5 years... even the last tank I had was a 50 gallon and he was HUGE. He just kept growing. It did not matter what tank I had him in.. he grew.
Usually with exchanging fish, they will take them.. and in the case of pleco's... as they get larger, they are worth more. So - he'd be put back into the tank and be sold.
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durbkat
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 127
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Post by durbkat on Aug 24, 2005 15:52:24 GMT -5
Thanks crystal so they won't throw him away like I heard after they don't sell him the first day or after I leave?
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Post by Rachel on Aug 25, 2005 15:01:40 GMT -5
Thanks crystal so they won't throw him away like I heard after they don't sell him the first day or after I leave? No, they don't throw fish away. The store wants to make money so they'll keep returned fish in stock and resell them. |
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Post by amanichen on Aug 25, 2005 15:21:32 GMT -5
Thanks crystal so they won't throw him away like I heard after they don't sell him the first day or after I leave? No, they don't throw fish away. The store wants to make money so they'll keep returned fish in stock and resell them. Returned fish that are larger and older are pure profit for the stores, so they love them =) |
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Post by The Imploding Voice on Aug 25, 2005 15:23:26 GMT -5
No, they don't throw fish away. The store wants to make money so they'll keep returned fish in stock and resell them. Returned fish that are larger and older are pure profit for the stores, so they love them =) Of course they would. They'll profit even more if they sold you the fish, make you raise it until it's huge, and then give it back to them so they could sell it for even more. |
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durbkat
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 127
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Post by durbkat on Aug 25, 2005 15:44:43 GMT -5
Thanks guys I heard that they would throw it away because they would fear that if the fish is sick and they put it in with the rest of the pleco that it would kill their stock.
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Post by amanichen on Aug 25, 2005 15:47:19 GMT -5
Thanks guys I heard that they would throw it away because they would fear that if the fish is sick and they put it in with the rest of the pleco that it would kill their stock. PetCo actually adopted that policy two and a half years ago, but that's not true for every store. |
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Post by Rachel on Aug 25, 2005 16:56:37 GMT -5
PetCo actually adopted that policy two and a half years ago, but that's not true for every store. Really? I hadn't realized that was the case with some stores. Can you provide us with more details about this policy? |
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Post by amanichen on Aug 25, 2005 17:12:17 GMT -5
Can you provide us with more details about this policy? My assistant manager at the time told me no more donations were to be accepted due to quarantine reasons (we would have to euthanize any fish that arrived as potential donations.) It took away the judgement of the aquatics specialist (me) to judge the health of the fish and forced the fish to be euthanized (MS-222) if the person insisited on leaving it there (some people did walk in with coolers full of fish, get rejected by us, and then left the fish inside as they walked out.) |
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