Pl*co

[Weishaupt]

[shadow=black,left,300]I have a pl*co in a 6 gallon tank with 4 community fish. (Blue Dwarf Gourami, Swordtail Molly, 2 Zebra Danios.) I've had him now for about a month.

The tank was getting out of hand with a lot of green algae until I added this pl*co. He cleaned the entire tank of algae overnight!

Now that the tank is clean, will the pl*co run out of food? I feed him two or three algae disks a day, but I never see him chowing down on one. I've tried two kinds of them now. I see him scooting around the tank constantly looking for algae (there's always some around) but I can't imagine he can live off of that. Or can he? He seems to be eating, because the one thing I've learned about pl*cos is:

They like to poo. A lot.

My guess is, he's fine. I know pl*cos are noctural and tend to hide out under branches to avoid being plucked from their homes in the wild by predators flying above. He could very well be eating the algae disks at night for all I know.

I also realize how big he's going to get, so yes, he will have a larger home when he's ready for it.....

Thanks! [/shadow]

[Weishaupt]

[shadow=black,left,300]Hmmm....no love for my catfish question.[/shadow]

[glow=red,3,300] [/glow]

[Betta MVP]

Your pl*co may have cleaned up all of the alge, but I'm sure he is still getting more algae because it will grow constantly. You can't see it, because he is eating it! If you notice his tummy looking sunken a bit, he is not getting enough food.

Pl*cos are nocturnal, so yes he could be eating at night, or your other fish could be eating his discs. I would only give him one per day though, two or three is really too much food for one. If he is in a 6 gallon tank, I'm guessing he is still pretty small. You could also give him other veggies to eat like lettuce or cucumber, mine LOVE cucumber. Put the veggies in the freezer to wilt them, it makes them softer and easier to eat for the fish.

Yes, they do poo a lot. LOL

[Amy]

I'm fairly new to fishkeeping, but from what I've read on other boards, even if the pleco wasn't in the tank, for a 6-gallon, it's already overstocked, which may be partly why there was so much algae...

[ana]

i dont see algae in my tank but the plecos are always pooping so i guess theyre okay

[MrsSmitty]

Hehehe....ninjas and hot coffee! Lol hehehehe....

[Weishaupt]

[shadow=black,left,300]I kind of figured the Pl*co would be ok, just wanted some reassurance I guess. I have to disagree on "overstocking" a 6 gallon tank. There are 4 fish in that tank. 3 of which are quite small. How is that overcrowded? Just curious.

[/shadow]

[Betta MVP]

The rule of thumb for stocking a tank is one inch of fish per gallon. This should be figured not by the current size of the fish, but how big the fish will get. You know your pl*co will get huge, you already said that you were going to move him. But, even if he is small now, he poops a lot and this could pollute your small tank very quickly.

I'm sure you've heard the tale about how a fish will only grow according to the size tank he is in and if he's in a smaller tank, he will stay small. This is partially true, but his internal organs will continue to grow even if his body does not and he will not live for very long.

[Weishaupt]

[shadow=black,left,300]Hmmm. Interesting rule of thumb. My fish really won't get any larger than they already are. The Pl*co being the exception to the rule. My water pH seems to be staying at just a little below neutral at each water change, so there's no pollution, no ammonia build up to speak of.

Thanks to everyone who responded, very helpful.[/shadow]

[grog]

The thing is, even the "1 inch per gallon" rule doesn't work for all fish. Take the neon tetra. They're small... by rights you should be able to put three in a five gallon tank. However, as schooling fish and fast swimmers, they will stress out in a five gallon tank which makes them more susceptible to problems.

About the only fish I'd recommend the "one inch" rule are white cloud minnows and similar small, slim bodied fish. Other types of fish just have too many other important factors.

After all, if you put a twelve inch oscar in a twelve gallon tank, it wouldn't be able to turn around and would add so much ammonia to the water it would be dead in a day or two.

Additionally, even a small pleco could be stunted quickly in a small tank. If the tank is not large enough to accomodate his growth and the ammonia levels he'll add to the water, he's not going to grow correctly, so may be experiencing problems before you're aware there's a problem. Getting a fish with the intention of "getting a bigger tank when he grows" hardly ever works- because by the time you're aware he needs a bigger space, he's likely already got growth problems.

[Incipit]

Depending on the type of plecostomus, it's most likely going to outgrow your tank. Because he is in a small tank, he might be fine for now, but keeping him in that small of a tank will stunt his growth. I know some pet stores would prolly take him to put in their display tanks if you dont have a tank to transfer it to.

I had a common pleco that grew to 16".

[RainbowBetta]

16" ! Wow! I would love to get a huge aquarium like that. But my hubby doesn't get the fascination I have for aquariums. He can't understand spending the money.

He said a betta would be ok, since they are cheap and can have a smaller tank. (hehe, So now I have just about filled the room with bettas. He might have been better off letting me get a big tank, hehe)

[mickey]

i have had and seen common plecos over 24 inches and still growing ... they can get HUGE.... the 1 inch pre gallon rule really is a very over estimated statement really .... your tank with out the pleco is about maxed out ... i wouldnt add any fish or really anything but maybe a snail and even then you are pushing it .... you didnt say if the tank is filtered ...is so that helps alot as the bacteria load is helping .... one thing to remember ..... the larger the tank the more stable the water conditions are in the tank once its been cycled .....till then its still better as there is more water to dilute the waste products that the fish and left over food byproducts ---- its actually easier to maintain a flitered 55 gallon than a 2 gallon ... . i know that sounds weird but it very true ..... there are plecos that do not get as large ... one that i can think of is the butterfly pleco its supposed max size is around 4-6 inches and he is a rather atractive fish .... kinda a tan with darker brown stripes across his body ..... as far as your plecos eating ...he is noctournal eater and if fed after lights out at night with your other fish he is probably eating the wafers .... most fish including the ones you listed are day eaters so they probably are not eating them .... i agree with the cucumbers and also add zucinni squash .... they love both and you do have to sink them ...normayy plant weights are used poked thru the veggi and sunk to the bottom .... they will eat the "good parts" ( the center) out of the verries then leave the rind then just pluck out the rinds and replace .... Mickey

[Weishaupt]

[shadow=black,left,500]Shows you how often I get on this board anymore......

I gave my Pleco to a local aquarium shop (Not Petco!) about a month ago. They were very happy to take him. He was in great shape and probably about 7".

He was just getting too big.[/shadow]

[mickey85]

If any of you guys ever make it to Indianapolis, go to Uncle Bill's on the west side. They've got a tank of fish that have gotten too big to handle. One is a pleco that must be 3 feet long, and another is a pirhana that is a foot and a half at least. It's taken some nice nips out of the pleco, but the pleco beats him with his tail, so I guess it's not unprovoked.