240 mile for fish

[tropicfishman]

well I was abhle to sucessfully move my cousins tank and fish about 240 miles this weekend. I'll be taking care of her 55 gallon till she gets a place down here. I moved a 55 gallon tank and stand with 2 parrot heads, 2 green tiger barbs, a kisser and yes a 14 inch common pleco named Jose. Its actually the very first pleco I ever had from like 10 years ago. we got the tank setup all quick style and got all the fish in except for the big guy. anyone who knows me knows I think plecos are very creepy but very cool as long as someone else either handles them and they stay in the tank lol. as we were gettin him out of the rubbermaid tote he just flopped out of the big butterfly net and landed right on my floor. Now this happened years ago when I had him and my dad grabbed it and through it in the tank, well he wasn't there lol. I looked at the pleco..looked at the tank. then back at the pleco and I just grabbed it with both hands. it went nuts!! started flipping and flexing around, to beat all the stupid hood doors weren't even open!! so my cousin flung them open and in went the pleco. I watched as he went swimming around, checkin things out, then I realized I had hand caught a 14 inch pleco. lets just say if that ever happens agian I'm just gonna nudge him out the door and hope the birds carry him far away LOL J/K!!! but it was pretty weird feeling..didn't liek it. but all the fish are happy, he's the only pleco I know of who eats flake food, he floats straight up and down and sucks in falke food from the surface lol.

 

[plecoperson]

Ah, yes, the Pleco Rodeo. I love them but I have to gather my courage every time I move the big guy.

Way to step up to the challenge, and I'm glad Jose is OK.

 

[courtnee]

lol good job. I understand with the pleco thing, I am still trying to get myself to touch them as well. I touched one a week or so ago and cringed. They look so soft but they feel so gross.

 

[Sidi]

I've always hand caught my plecos. Prevents any net tangling accidents, and it seems to stress them out a bit less.

The fact that they have such abrasive skin really helps getting a grip, and once you've put your hand on them they tend to just stiffen up and put out the pectoral protection spines. Guess when you grew up catching leeches, frogs, turtles, crayfish, sculpins, and anything else that moves...grabbing a pleco really isn't that strange.

 

[Yeti]

yeah when I first got my pleco I recieved him in a bucket, and when I got home I netted him out, well he decided to get tangled in my net (which was too small to begin with) so I had to reach in and grab him out, I made the face of the guy on Sidi's avatar LOL, i just stood there for a second.. then tossed him in. and my pleco is only maybe 5-6 inches.. i couldnt imagine one that big haha

 

[papa_bear_21]

Glad there were no losses, and that Jose is doing good, and made it into the tank. I have had the pleasure of having to grab my pleco, he's still tiny, maybe 2.5 inches at most...

 

[Sidi]

The nice thing about plecos is that they really aren't aggressive or angry at all. They don't like being grabbed (but who would)....but once you grab them they just stiffen up and say "ok, try to eat me now"...they don't try to hurt you at all.

Much better than putting your hand in a tank with breeding cichlids.