Rehomimg common pleco

[Tigroscr]

After reading a lot of horror stories about plecos now I'm afraid for one of my plecos who is in a 40 g tank, and afraid that he will die or his growth will be stunted and he will have to suffer a long painful death :-( right now he's only about 3-4 inches so I was wondering if he will be ok if I put him in my 75 g with an existing pleco that's at least 10 inches from head to tail. I know plecos are very territorial and I don't want the bigger one to hurt him. It would just be for about a month until I get my 55 g set back up. My big pleco used to share a tank with my other big pleco and sometimes they would fight for territory or really it was more like a squabbling they never really hurt each other. But I had a guy offer me 50 bucks for my other pleco and he's been the only pleco in the tank for about 2 mths or so, any advice?

 

[absolutangel04]

Personally, I wouldn't put 2 plecos together with that much of a size difference. IME, plecos get possessive over food so the littler one might have a hrd time eating. But, if you put wafers/veggies on opposite sides of the tank, you would maybe be ok. If I were you, I would just wait a month and put the little guy in the 55 when you can. However, you will still run inot problems with the pleco in a 55 gallon eventually. They get HUGE.

 

[Tigroscr]

Yeah I know they can get big but mine is around 5 yrs old and about 10 inches. Do you think he'll get any bigger. Doesnt seem like he's grown any for awhile maybe he's full grown (hopefully). The other pleco I sold was bigger but they were purchased at the same time and so they grew up together. they were bro's lol!

 

[absolutangel04]

I am not an expert, but since their full length can be so big, I am guessing yours quit growing because he is stunted. That is just my guess. I have never seen one get to even a foot long in a 55 gallon, but I have certainly seen them bigger in bigger tanks. 75 offers more growing room though, so I don't know.
They are very pretty fish. I love the pattern on them.

 

[Tigroscr]

Maybe mine is a female and that's why she's smaller? Because they both grew up together in the same size tank 55 g and the other one I sold Was a Monster! He was definitely a foot long from head to tail. But I've never seen any of my common plecos suck onto another fish! Thank god for that! Seems like a lot of people have had that issue! Mine just likes to chill and suck on the fake hippo skull that he's always lounging on, it's his favorite roost, lol!

 

[absolutangel04]

Maybe mine is a female and that's why she's smaller? Because they both grew up together in the same size tank 55 g and the other one I sold Was a Monster! He was definitely a foot long from head to tail. But I've never seen any of my common plecos suck onto another fish! Thank god for that! Seems like a lot of people have had that issue! Mine just likes to chill and suck on the fake hippo skull that he's always lounging on, it's his favorite roost, lol!

I have only heard of CAE doing that. A common pleco would leave one seriously large hicky!

 

[Tigroscr]

I have only heard of CAE doing that. A common pleco would leave one seriously large hicky!

Whew!! That's a relief!!