Pleco dilemma(s)

[sweetsuvvyb]

Hey all,

About 3 weeks ago I started a 10 gallon tank for my 2 goldfish (and posted about my new tank syndrome...). Once the tank had cycled, my brother, who's kept Oscars for several years, gave me the "gift" of what i believe is a common pleco...he said it'd keep the tank clean (I had a bit of an algae problem in the little tank).

However...after a little nosing around, I have some major concerns.

1. How long before this thing gets too big for my tank? and then what do i do? I was thinking the 10 gallon would be the last tank I needed for the goldfish!

2. My tank is as clean as a whistle....how do I know if this thing is getting enough to eat? My goldfish are very vocal when their hungry (jumping out of the water at me if they missed dinner)....but he isn't quite that greedy. I read that the plecos like cucumber? I stuck some in there, and he/she wouldn't go near it!

any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Allivymar]

Wow. Thats quite the crowded tank. And going to get even more crowded very soon if thats a common plec. Common's grow big (like...upwards of 2 feet long) and they grow FAST. Got mine for the same reason you did. He's added, on the average, 1/2 inch a month for the first 6 months. Its just over a year since I got him, and hes 8 inches long (from not even 2 inches long). Course, I didn't do my research and when I asked for an algae eater the lfs handed me him. He's in a 25g now and will be moving into a 55g this week.

Btw, if there is no algae in your tank, hes probably starving. Grab some sinking algae wafers from your lfs asap.

Lastly, a 10g? Ack. You have 2 of the messiest aquarium fish breeds in your tank. Besides the size issue for all 3, they will muck up your water parameters something awful. Goldfish and plecs are the biggest waste producers around (and I'm not just talking poo, although the plec is truly outstanding in that arena). You are going to have to measure water parameters pretty much daily,and frequent water changes will be a must, till you can get them into a larger more appropriate tank. If you can't swing the tank, you're going to have to make some hard decisions on what to keep, if you want your fish happy n healthy.

 

[TankGirl]

You will need at least 10 gallons per goldfish. The pleco will not last long in there, unfortunately, as it will outgrow the space very quickly and the combined waste, as Allivymar posted, is going to be awesome. I personally have a larger aquarium (55gal) and small aquariums, a 10gal, a 12gal and a 15gal, and the small oners are very hard to stock, honestly. You can get a small school of tetras and a couple of cory cats and that is about it! Maybe a betta with a small tetra school. It is so much easier to keep larger aquariums, in general. For now you should be okay if you really stay on top of the maintenance, but you need to find another home for the pleco.

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

well, i live in a one room apt, not really feasible to do anything larger than the 10 gallon, which was a budgetary and space stretch in of itself (I'm slightly annoyed at my initial ignorance, and petco for leading me to believe i could keep 2 goldfish in a 2 gallon tank with no repercussions)

To be perfectly honest, the tank is actually incredibly clean thus far (i've been doing water changes/gravel vaccuums 2x weekly when the nitrite levels came down (had been doing a daily water change until that point)....and there isn't much gunk to be found. Of course, all 3 fish are still quite small at this point (i've had the goldfish 4 months)...so I understand that this might change very quickly.

I didn't really want the pleco in there to begin with...but what do you do with a gift fish?

 

[Allivymar]

LOL Just say no!

Heh, that never worked for Nancy Reagan either.

Will your brother take it back? Some lfs are willing to buy back plecs; might be worth looking into.

Thumbs up on the frequent water changes/gravel vacs. Definitely a necessity in there.

And, well, another issue to think about when considering that plec. Did you know most plecs require driftwood/bogwood for their diet? They need the lignin in the wood for digestion...imagine trying to stuff a hunk of driftwood in that tank as well!

 

[TankGirl]

As long as the fish are relatively small you should be fine for now, maybe even as long as a year, before you need to do anything, so just enjoy your fish. Feed your pleco with some sinking pleco wafers and they would probably enjoy the driftwood, but that is a "whole 'nother" can of worms! You have to prepare the wood prior to putting it in the tank and then it will probably stain the water a tea-color, so that is up to you. I think I have been a bad pleco-Mommy and not kept them with driftwood, but they don't seem the worse for wear so far.

 

[Catalina]

I just wanted to point out that your options are not THAT limited for a 10 gallon. You definitely need to find another home for the pleco, and it's messed up that Petco misled you. They have actually misled me many times as well, so now I research these things myself. But I, too, live in a studio apartment, and it is not feasible to expect everyone to be able to afford and have the space for a bigger tank. (Although I am really pushing it, considering I'm about to purchase a 29 gallon from a friend in addition to the 10 and 5 I already have. I am soon going to live in an aquarium!) I think we all understand bigger tanks are better, and would all like to have the funds to own them. But that's just not realistic for everyone.

Anyway, I have brainstormed about many options on what would work in a 10 gallon. If you had a planted tank and kept up regular maintainance, you could probably have a small school of neon tetras, two cory cats, and a dwarf gourami. That is what I am planning on having, I'm just waiting for the cycle to end to add the neons. Or replace the dwarf gourami with a betta. Or have a pair of dwarf gouramis and a couple cory cats. Or a bigger school of tetras (there are so many types out there) with the cory cats. Or even a pair of blue rams, which are beautiful and frequently breed in 10 gallons. I'm sorry to go so off topic, since I know you are mainly concerned with your goldfish.... But I just wanted to make it clear that there are many beautiful options out there for a 10 gallon aquarium for the people that can't run out and buy a 55.

My apologies for this being so long!!!!!

 

[Allivymar]

LOL that sounds really similar to my soon to be planted 10g Catalina: 2 dwarf gouramis (have em in Qt already and they are getting along - so far), a small school of cardinal tetras and a small school of pygmy cories. We're gonna have to trade notes *grin*

As for the 10g options, Catalina is absolutely correct; theres a ton of things you can do with it. If I hadn't gone for the planted tank, I actually either would have went with a dwarf puffer, or made it a shell dweller aka Neolamprologus Similis, Neo multifasciatus, Neo Brevis, Neo Calliurus, and Neo Oscellatus (types of very small cichlids that, well, live in shells LOL) tank. Hadn't seen either in the lfs tho, so planted with the fish mentioned above it is Although, if your anything like me you feel totally responsible for the fish you now have; its hard to let that go. Is why I'm getting the 55 this week LOL I bought the damn plec without research; he's my responsibilty to care for.

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

thank you guys so much for your help!

After the Petco fiasco, I've been going to another store where the folks are much more knowledgable (and nice!)....they might be able to find a home for the lil pleco...I'd give him back to the bro...but his Oscars are pretty ginormous (and scary!!), as is the pleco he's already got in there (he bought my little pleco "new").

I guess for now i should feed the poor little guy (too bad the veggies were a no go...I have that in the house already!).

Here's kind of another random question....are goldfish generally considered social fish? I was thinking, later on down the line, maybe I can seperate the two, if the single 10g can't sustain them both....but they kinda seem to be pals! Am I anthropomorphizing here?!

again...thanks so much...i'm glad I found this forum!!

 

[Catalina]

Yes, Ali, we'll have to chat! I only am able to have one gourami, though, as he is a little, ummm, intolerant of his own species. But I love him to death and could never get rid of him, especially not to return him to the horrid conditions of petco. I feel the same way, that once I have a fish it's my responsibility. What kind of dwarf puffers were you thinking about getting before? I am currently setting up my five gallon as a brackish tank for a figure 8. And then my friend's mom is giving me a really good deal on her 29 gallon, which is going to house some clown loaches, a pair of blue rams, and a school of serpae tetra. I can't wait! I'm so addicted!

Sweet, I don't know that much about goldfish, but I do think they would be happier with a friend. How big are they right now? I think you should probably be okay for a good while longer, depending on how big they are now. Just keep up the gravel vac and water changes, and make sure you have good filtration, and I don't think you need to worry for awhile.

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

Alright...I went out and bought the algae discs for the pleco (who does, in fact, poop an insane amount). However...my red cap (who is much larger, but still pretty little at 2.5'') seems to have taken a liking to the things, and won't let the lil pleco near them...even though he has no ability to really eat the disc! Any thoughts?

 

[Allivymar]

Heh, the incredible pooping plecs. Amazing isn't it?

Two suggestions. Throw in 2 wafers; one on each side. Then they can have their own.

Or, try putting them in a nite. Plecs are SUPPOSED to be nocturnal (although mine didn't get that memo), and it may stand a better chance of grabbing some.


Btw Catalina; the gouramis went into the new tank the day before; they look great! Some of my plants and a few cherry shrimp should be arriving tomorrow *grin* I'm so psyched.

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

lol, i was wondering about the nocturnal thing....hmm...mine seems quite sociable during the day!

I tried feeding the goldfish right before i dropped the wafer in...but somehow it's far more intriguing than the tetra flakes...go figure. the lil plec is trying to get his nose in...but my red cap is a bit of a fat bully (again, go figure).

thanks

 

[Catalina]

My flame dwarf gourami does the same thing with my cory cats. I haven't figured out what to do about it, but i will try your first suggestion Alli. They are definitely not nocturnal, though. That's awesome about your new gouramis. Are they the neon blue colored ones? Those are supposed to be much less agressive than the flames. They are such great fish. I decided to get a pair of moonlight gouramis instead of blue rams for the 29 gal. I'm gonig to get. I needed a fish that inhabited the top of the tank, and in my opinion, gouramis are the best ones.

 

[Allivymar]

LOL I have to add more then one and in diff space for everyone to get some wafer. Otherwise the plec gets all grumpy when the lil guys try to nibble it while hes eating.

I don't know exactly what dwarf gouramis thery are catalina: red n blue striped (neon maybe?). More red in the tail area, more blue up front near the nose. They're lovely; I'll try to get some pics tomorrow. Now if only the lfs could get me my pygmy cories I'd be a happy camper.