just how "dwarf" will a dwarf pleco be?

[Sesos]

My lfs said that he'll be perfect in my 10 gal but after reading about how big a normal pleco can get...well, I'm kinda nervous!

 

[justDIY]

there are several variety of dwarf pleco - do you know what species you have?

check out www.planetcatfish.com - search for dwarf pleco to see some of the species.

 

[Allivymar]

Depends on the exact breed. If its a dwarf Oto, then itll stay pretty small; less then 2 inches. If its a Bristlenose then about 5 inches. Can you post a pic?

 

[Sesos]

hmmmm, haven't found him on planetcatfish yet but what a cool site! I really need to learn the full name of what I'm buying , I thought that it was simply a "dwarf pleco" but I've already looked at quite a few that ain't what I got!

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

 

[Allivymar]

LOL yeah, planetcatfish can be a tad overwhelming. Who knew there were that many cats??

Can you give us a description at least? Maybe we can help figure out what he is. (or she)

 

[Sesos]

ok folks, the moment you've all benn waiting for...

it's a Dwarf Candy Stripe Pleco!!! TA-DA!

I actually had to go back to the dealer to look at the label on the tank to figure it out. Maybe I should have done that when I bought him (I know it's a male because my 3 year old just named him "Camperboy"...errrrr,ok).

 

[brotherd]

Mine is about 3 inches tip to tail.Hasn't grown at all in over a year.Cute little bugger!Lives in my plant tank.Not sure of exact species but I did get to pick him out of a cataloge so I could probably match him up.Highly recommend dwarfs!Regular plecos get so huge so fast!

 

[Sesos]

Sad news...my daughter excitedly woke me up this AM to feed Camperboy. When I turned on the light, I spotted him quickly laying on his back in the back corner. Fortunately, she thought he was sleeping. Any ideas on what might have gone wrong? I did a partial water change (2.5 gals) yesterday after introducing him to the tank on Thursday. Could that have been a bad move? The rest of the fish are quite lively. Now that there's been a death, do I owe them another water change? RIP Camperboy.

 

[Allivymar]

Oh bummer I'm sorry

Hard to say what happened. Whats your water parameters (ammonia/nitrite)? I'd start there. Have you added any medication to the tank? Scaleless fish like plecs absorb way too much and it can kill them. Its also possible he wasn't healthy to begin with, and not something you could have visually seen in the lfs tanks. Is why many of us use Qt tanks when we first get fish. Put them in there for a few weeks to observe and be sure one doesn't introduce anything to the main tank.

Personally I would do another water change after a death. Theres always a chance of an ammonia spike from the decaying animal.

 

[Sesos]

and just to finish off the story...My daughter came back to the tank later today looking for the new pleco Camperboy and I had to explain to her that he had died (I was not looking forward to this little talk). She just looked at me and said "that's ok, the guy [at the lfs] has more". *phew* Think I'm gonna stick with what I've got though, I was feeling like the tank was going to be overcrowded. It's kinda hard to stop adding fish!