Common Pleco Growth

[sherlock1315]

Hi everybody, I have a common pleco (Walmart Pleco) from a while ago and I'm trying to get him as big as possible to clean my tank. If it gets too big, I have a local store that takes fish. I was wondering about everyone elses experiences with this common fish. He's about 3 inches - 3.5 inches. Is there a way to increase his size quickly. None of my fish seem to grow right but my tanks were tested both by me and the store that will take the fish and it was fine.

Thanks!

 

[Fishkeeper26]

What size tank and what's the stock? How are you testing? What are your water parameters?

 

[sherlock1315]

API master test kit. The stock: I have 3 guppies. 2 mollies 1 algae eater about ten baby platy that will be removed 7 baby guppies that will be removed 2 platies in the 20g...
55g-6 glowlight tetras
6 black neon tetras
8 neon tetras
1 dwarf gourami
1 small angelfish
1 common pleco
1 german blue ram

 

[sherlock1315]

+ a possibly dead clown loach

 

[Fishkeeper26]

Water parameters?

 

[fadetoblack06]

I have my temp turned up to 79 and feed lots of veggies and he has grown about 3/4" a month for the past 4 months now.

 

[sherlock1315]

Ammonia- Between 0 and 25
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-0
PH- Should be about 6.5 now

My temperature is 80 and I don't know how to get him to eat the veggies.

 

[fadetoblack06]

just keep putting the cucumber in there, weight it down with a fork, i used a cheap stainless steel one that you can pull apart and used the tines in the cucumber and weighed it down to the bottom of the tank, or strap it to a rock, mine took a couple of days to figure it out but they got it and now they wait for me to put it in there for them.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Commons get 24 inches or bigger, if you keep it in that tank it could possibly get stunted.

 

[sherlock1315]

I'm going to give it to my LFS that has HUGE tanks!

 

[sherlock1315]

Cool! Do I need to boil it? BTW- I'm going to give him to my LFS with HUGE tanks!

 

[sherlock1315]

But I need him to keep my tank clean for a while!

 

[fort384]

Fish don't keep tanks clean -- especially common plecos. Regular maintenance and healthy water parameters keep tanks clean.

 

[sherlock1315]

I still clean it out and everything but I don't want algae to be everywhere! But thanks! I know what your saying.

 

[sherlock1315]

Do I need to boil the food?

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Yep boil then blanch.

 

[sherlock1315]

Blanch? Sorry IDK what that is...

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Ah okey-dokes....so you boil the vegetables for about a couple minutes or so, and then you blanch them-pour them immediately in a bowl full of ice after you have gotten them outta the water-and then that will stop the cooking process right there, perfect for your fish to eat.

 

[sherlock1315]

Ok sound good when do i take it out if he doesn't eat it in 1-2 days

 

[sherlock1315]

check out my new thread. Dwarf Gourami + Gourami = ???