physicsdude
Aquarium Advice Freak
Hi- I went to the lfs today and saw something quite out of the ordinary. They had 1 common pleco, about 5 inches I'd guess, in with some fancy goldfish! The tank size was around 10 gallons, with two 3" fancies and the plec in there. I was shocked at this, thinking about the temperature in the tank. It was around 72 or so. Yet, the pleco seemed cool in his tank! Then I was approached by a clerk who asked me if I needed any help. I said to him that it was the first time I saw a pleco in with goldfish. He said that they have had the same pleco in there for months with no problem.
After talking a little, he elaborated, saying that they keep the salt levels around 1 tablespoon per 5-10 gallons, and that the tewmperature never falls below 68, as the store is heated and the unheated smaller tnaks adjust well to the fluctuations. I told him it a was a first for me to hear of this, as I always thought pelcos were tropical and therefore needed a heated tank. He said as long as the temperature does'nt fall too low, they adjust well to it.
This seems to fly straight in the face of commonly held notions of adaptability. Yet, the pleco was big and strong; he was healthy too, as they had just fed them and he was munching on an algae disc.
Anyone ever seen this kind of thing before? It was quite shock to me!
After talking a little, he elaborated, saying that they keep the salt levels around 1 tablespoon per 5-10 gallons, and that the tewmperature never falls below 68, as the store is heated and the unheated smaller tnaks adjust well to the fluctuations. I told him it a was a first for me to hear of this, as I always thought pelcos were tropical and therefore needed a heated tank. He said as long as the temperature does'nt fall too low, they adjust well to it.
This seems to fly straight in the face of commonly held notions of adaptability. Yet, the pleco was big and strong; he was healthy too, as they had just fed them and he was munching on an algae disc.
Anyone ever seen this kind of thing before? It was quite shock to me!