Housing and Feeding a Pleco

[laurelhed]

I just got a tiny(2") pleco for my 20 gallon tank. I would eventually like to upgrade to a 60 gallon, don't have room for anything bigger. Will this be large enough for a mature pleco? Also, she shares the tank with 7 goldfish. Way overstocked, I know, but that's another story for another day. When I give her an algae wafer, the goldfish always pounce on it, sometimes knocking her out of the way. I know she's getting something to eat, because she's pooping, but the tank isn't established enough to have algae buildup. Should I just drop in a number of wafers to feed the goldfish and give her a fair shot? Or is there a better way to make sure she eats? She is, of course, stunningly beautiful so I want her to stay healthy and happy.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I just got a tiny(2") pleco for my 20 gallon tank. I would eventually like to upgrade to a 60 gallon, don't have room for anything bigger. Will this be large enough for a mature pleco? Also, she shares the tank with 7 goldfish. Way overstocked, I know, but that's another story for another day. When I give her an algae wafer, the goldfish always pounce on it, sometimes knocking her out of the way. I know she's getting something to eat, because she's pooping, but the tank isn't established enough to have algae buildup. Should I just drop in a number of wafers to feed the goldfish and give her a fair shot? Or is there a better way to make sure she eats? She is, of course, stunningly beautiful so I want her to stay healthy and happy.

Hi and welcome!
A 60g won't be big enough for a common pleco (I'm assuming that is what you have). Thy can reach 2 feet and need a 125g tank. You goldfish tank is highly overstocked (as you know). Depending what kinds of goldfish you have will dictate what sized tank you will need. If you have commons, comets, koi or shubunkin they will eventually outgrow even a 125g tank. They really need to be housed in ponds IMO. If you have fancy goldfish like moors, ranchu, oranda, etc you need 20g for the first fish and 10g for each fish after that. So without the pleco and assuming all your fish are fancies you need an 80 gallon tank minimum.
Goldfish are very dirty/messy fish. They need high filtration to keep their water clean. It is recommended you have a filter or filters that can circulate 10 times the tanks volume an hour. A 80g needs 800g/h, a 125g needs 1250g/h minimum. One to two large (50-60%) water changes a week are recommended to keep nitrates from building up. I would suggest a water change every 2-3 days on your tank as it is now. Can i get you to google 'old tank syndrome'? The sooner you can upgrade or rehome the better. I also have to add that plecos and goldfish need to be kept at different temperatures so they probably shouldn't be kept in the same tank.
Is the tank cycled?

 

[torres]

If you are worried about pleco food, give him a cucumber, they love it..

 

[LyndaB]

You need to return the pleco.

As advised above, and as you seem to already know, your tank is not the appropriate environment for all the fish you have.

Welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy your stay!

 

[joejeff]

It's hard to believe the most common fish sold. Plec and gold aren't rt for most tanks. But its true... Trust me...

 

[VioletEmber]

It's hard to believe the most common fish sold. Plec and gold aren't rt for most tanks. But its true... Trust me...

My very first tank was a 5g with three goldfish and a pleco. The guy at the LFS helped me pick it all out! The fact that each survived as long as they did is a testament to their heartiness, not my newbie fishkeeping skills. The goldfish all passed on, but the pleco survived a cross-country road trip in a bucket if water on the floor of the backseat! (in the summer!) Then after all that we rehomed him once we got to California. Go pleco! What a trooper.

 

[laurelhed]

Thanks everyone!

Thank you ALL for your great advice! This is a brand new set up (I did Google "old tank syndrome") put together in a hurry because my husband, against my advice, allowed our daughter to win a bunch of goldfish at a couple of farmers' markets. He ADDED to an already overcrowded tank! Rehoming didn't happen, so I made the best of it. I have been told by a number of people that common plecos can survive even in outdoor ponds. I do live in Southern California, but I can't see doing that. I do have a pond, a converted 6' clawfoot bathtub, not sure how many gallons, but not even close to fish-ready currently. Would this be ok for several common goldfish? One looks sketchy, but with daily 25-50% water changes, a weekly 75% with gravel washing, and two, too small as I have now learned, filters, the others look really good.
I am getting a Master Test Kit and an airstone, and will either invest in an undergravel filter to help with poopiness, or just keep doing water changes till I can move some goldfish and move up to a larger tank for the others.

 

[laurelhed]

Oh, BTW, LOVE the "Pleco-in-a-bucket story! Our animal friends can be truly amazing.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I would avoid the undergravel filter. If your going to up your filtration get a HOB or canister. The tub will be fine for a few goldfish but it will need to be filtered and cycled. The commons will probably eventually outgrow it too though.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html