Help help help how big does my fish get!!!

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CowMoo

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So I got a rubberlip pleco at petsnart and they said he gets 4 inches but then I read up on him and 2 different websites say he gets 7 inches and needs a 50 gallon tank but I have a 37 gal. If he does get that big how big should I wait to 're home him.

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Also does he have fin rot? He was in a tank with a bunch of angelfish.

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1 word of advice to start is stop buying fish from petsmart.. when i had fw tanks i have had 2 experiences with them and one ended in disease which was a nightmare to fix and the other wipes my tank out... so id find a more responsible retailer. It does look like hes lost some fins just keep an eye on it it could also have beem nipped at. but if your water is good he should bounce back from that. With the sizing i dont know but i would trust the Internet over the art students that work at petsmart... he will probably reach 7 inches but also be aware that alot of the sizes you find on the net are from biggest recorded specimens he may not get to the full 7 inches but either way you should prepare to accommodate a fish of that size or rehome. You never know, this hobby is quite addictive you will probably want a bigger tank in 6 months anyway haha

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Also if you have any plants prepare to have your tank destroyed they love digging... i was replanting my last fw tank every morning.

If you.are anywhere near the Midlands you should check out abyss aquatics in stockport..even if your not its worth a drive.

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If you truly have a rubber lip pleco, it is one of the smaller plecos and should be fine in your size tank. You probably should find out for sure that is a rubber lip, I gather they can be mislabeled at Petsmarts. If it is one, be sure you keep up with that it is eating. Some are difficult to get started, I had one die after a couple of months and I took it in to the fish store. The man said it was thin and may have starved.

Sorry I can't help you with the fin rot or not. I hope you're fish does well.


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1 word of advice to start is stop buying fish from petsmart.. when i had fw tanks i have had 2 experiences with them and one ended in disease which was a nightmare to fix and the other wipes my tank out... so id find a more responsible retailer. It does look like hes lost some fins just keep an eye on it it could also have beem nipped at. but if your water is good he should bounce back from that. With the sizing i dont know but i would trust the Internet over the art students that work at petsmart... he will probably reach 7 inches but also be aware that alot of the sizes you find on the net are from biggest recorded specimens he may not get to the full 7 inches but either way you should prepare to accommodate a fish of that size or rehome. You never know, this hobby is quite addictive you will probably want a bigger tank in 6 months anyway haha

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An educated buyer should have no trouble buying from pet smart, simply qt properly and observe fish for disease prior to purchase, I buy from these stores frequently with no trouble.
 
+1 I have no more problems from big box, though I've not purchased from any giant department stores, than I have with mail order.


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Cant say i disagree with you but the stores near me bring the chain to disrepute. Selling 2 gallon plastic tanks to mums with kids telling them to leave there water for 24 hours and come back tomorrow for your fish. Tanks are rife with disease.. as you say nothin a qt cant fix ill give u that (without taking offence.. i wasnt very educated when i had my 1st 2 tanks) but im not going to start the whole petsmart/petco debate again. I still quite irresponsibly admit i dont qt my fish but i do pay alot for my stock from shops with gleaming reputations and the best possible stock available and i have had 0 problems in the last 3 years

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An educated buyer should have no trouble buying from pet smart, simply qt properly and observe fish for disease prior to purchase, I buy from these stores frequently with no trouble.


I must agree.

Although, if you have a locally owned store that is good(some are just as bad as the chains) I suggest buying from them. Build a relationship with the mom and pop store and you can get deals, store credit, real advice, etc..


Caleb
 
Cant say i disagree with you but the stores near me bring the chain to disrepute. Selling 2 gallon plastic tanks to mums with kids telling them to leave there water for 24 hours and come back tomorrow for your fish. Tanks are rife with disease.. as you say nothin a qt cant fix ill give u that (without taking offence.. i wasnt very educated when i had my 1st 2 tanks) but im not going to start the whole petsmart/petco debate again. I still quite irresponsibly admit i dont qt my fish but i do pay alot for my stock from shops with gleaming reputations and the best possible stock available and i have had 0 problems in the last 3 years

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Even with the best it can happen :) my LFS is the best in the whole area. They QT fish when they get them, Medicate if needed, see them water changing tanks all the time.

Even then, I didn't QT and columnaris infected my tank and I lost a good chunk of change that could have been prevented in QT. I've never skipped it again and never had any disease outbreaks since.


Caleb
 
regarding big box pet stores, there are 2 by same company in my area. One has good people running it that are somewhat informed and keep things clean and up to snuff, the other one is awfull. They are not all the same.
 
Lol this has gone a little off topic.. hows your fish doing cow?

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I must agree.

Although, if you have a locally owned store that is good(some are just as bad as the chains) I suggest buying from them. Build a relationship with the mom and pop store and you can get deals, store credit, real advice, etc..


Caleb


Relationship with the LFS owner has saved me a bunch of money.

He was best friends with my uncle when he was young, and when i was checking out some fish one day he said he recognized my last name.

Now he gives mea bit of extra, in terms of credit, and covers tax and discounts fish and stuff.

It helps that i bring him nice fish too i guess :p


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I agree that the rubber lipped pleco is a smaller pleco and will be fine in your tank. Enjoy your new fish. Alison
 
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