Hello! New and needing some help.

[spacedoll]

Hey all, I'm the new kid in town. I'm a 20 yr old art student in Kansas with a love for all things fishy. I'm very new to this hobby; I've been keeping a common pleco for about a year (he was a rescue ) and have been housing him in a 20 gallon with some minnows that my dad had leftover from fishing (so I guess they were rescues too?). The last of the minnows have died and now I have this sad lonely pleco.

Now I know that common pleco's get to a monstrous size, and I have no intention of getting rid of him, so I will need a much larger tank for him. But I am moving out of my house in a year and a half, and would like to wait to get a large tank until I move. Still, I'm impatient and want to get some tank mates for my pleco. These are the fish I've been thinking about:

6 Glofish
3 Platy
2 Dwarf Gourami
1 Bamboo Shrimp

I'm also in love with Betta fish, but know that they pick on and get picked on by many species. Which of these fish would work with a Betta (male or female)? A betta isn't a must, but I'm interested in the possibility.

The 20 gallon tank is decorated and heated at 76 degrees F. I'm soaking driftwood currently and still have about a week left to soak.

Any advice is welcome! Thank you for the help in advance.

 

[librarygirl]

HI and welcome. So you've had the Pleco for a year already? HOw large is he now? They can grow rather fast so he may already have outgrown the 20 gal. I honestly don't know if you can/should put anything else with a common in a 20 gal. Have you checked your water levels (nitrite, ammonia, nitrate)? What filter do you have on the tank? I honestly don't think you can wait another year to get that larger tank if you want to keep the Pleco.

 

[spacedoll]

Right now he is abut 5 and a half inches. The whole time I've had him he hasn't grown much at all, maybe a half an inch. Is he going to have a sudden growth spurt? Im using a Top Fin 40 power filter. I have a master test kit and tested 2 nights ago: ph 7.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 40.

 

[Mr.Pleco]

Right now he is abut 5 and a half inches. The whole time I've had him he hasn't grown much at all, maybe a half an inch. Is he going to have a sudden growth spurt? Im using a Top Fin 40 power filter. I have a master test kit and tested 2 nights ago: ph 7.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 40.

I can't comment on your pleco..mine got 9 inch in a 10g before I got my bigger tanks.

I'd def work on getting the nitrates down below 10 if you can.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

What can happen to a fish kept in a tank too small is stunting. Stunting causes the fish to grow slowly or stop growing altogether. When this happens the fish can become deformed (bent spine, oddly proportioned body, longer fins and larger eyes), have a lowered immune system and live a shorter life than expected. The fact that your pleco has grown so little in the time you have had him is a concern. As librarygirl said, the tank might already be too small for him.

 

[Josh1158]

He is probably already stunted. I had one in a 90 gal for a year and a half and he was about 14 inches when I sold him.

 

[spacedoll]

Alright well I'd hate to think he's stunted although its obviously a huge possibility. Looks like I'll be getting a much bigger tank earlier than expected. What tank sizes would be the best for my pleco? And when I get the tank and cycle it, would the fish that I put in the main post work out alright?

 

[Josh1158]

I'm not totally sure, the only one I've had was in that 90.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

A full grown pleco needs a 125g IMO but since yours is probably stunted you could get away with a 90 or even possibly a 75g.