Pleco help please

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
S

SunnyQLD

Feeder Fish
Apr 29, 2015
1
0
0
Australia
Hi All - I'm new to MFK but joined for some advice on a pleco.
A friend recently gave me a tank, (bow-front around 110 litres) and housed inside is a 3 yr old hypostomus plecostomus, measuring roughly 9 inches but could well be closer to 10.
Is this a normal size for his age?
I don't think he is comfortable with the tank and was thinking of buying a 300 litre for him. Can someone confirm my hunch he needs in a larger tank and will a 300 be big enough for him? I am new to keeping plecos so will appreciate any advice. I'm currently feeding him Hikari algae wafers, zucchini and other sinking pellets he was eating before he came to me.
 
common plecos or hypostomus plecostomus, can reach a max size of 24" though around 18" is to be expected. So I'd say yes you'll need a bigger tank. I'm not sure if a 75 gal (300l) would do it for life, I'll let others handle that.

good luck.
 
If its a common then that's actually pretty small for its age. They grow fast unlike the fancier plecos such as Panaque's or Psueda's. Can it live in a 75 for life? Seeing how a common size as an adult is 18" you'll eventually want a deeper tank to allow it more room to turn. I would be more concerned with filtration at this point though since they are very messy fish.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
with it being so small for it's age, would you assume it's stunted and can't reach full size? or can a fish recover from something like that and start growing like crazy.

to the OP. He needs a bigger tank a long time ago.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Anders247
He may be stunted or if kept in colder waters may have had its growth slowed. Some stunted fish will still get big just not to there full potential. I had a P. gibbiceps that was stunted when I bought it and never grew past 6" but it also died without warning which happens with majorly stunted fish.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
SunnyQLD said:
Hi All - I'm new to MFK but joined for some advice on a pleco.
A friend recently gave me a tank, (bow-front around 110 litres) and housed inside is a 3 yr old hypostomus plecostomus, measuring roughly 9 inches but could well be closer to 10.
Is this a normal size for his age?
I don't think he is comfortable with the tank and was thinking of buying a 300 litre for him. Can someone confirm my hunch he needs in a larger tank and will a 300 be big enough for him? I am new to keeping plecos so will appreciate any advice. I'm currently feeding him Hikari algae wafers, zucchini and other sinking pellets he was eating before he came to me.
Click to expand...

First let's focus on a proper ID. A true hypostomus plecostomus( which is an olive green with black spots) rarely exceeds 12 inches in a common tank. A P. disjunctivus or P. pardalis is commonly mislabeled as a Hypostomus plecostomus, they will reach 2 feet in a common tank with ease(they are a blackish gray with white).

110 litres is indeed too small for all three of these types of plecos. A 300 litre might work for the H.P. but not for the other two.

I think a 3year old pleco could possibly recover from possible permanent damage.
 
I'm going to say it's very small for it's age. Sure you are going to make him happy with 300 L :)
You can give him a frozen choped up fish from time to time. Mine go crazy for it.
 
They need at least a 100 gallon, not a 75 for life.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom