plecostomus questions/opinions needed

[plecopsycho]

Oh i get it now so they sell the smaller plecos for higher price while the common pleco go for cheap even though they need alot of care. They probably just want the pleco to get big so you end up buying more stuff at there store

 

[Oohitsae]

Yeah i give mine algae wafers.....thats about the only time it comes outta hiding ...but i would expect some people to know bettwr because if you have a big fish obviouly its going to want alot of food. Petsmarts fish tanks are so clean and they like fit a bunch of plecos in a small tank. I wonder how they keep them alive?

They have a huge filtration system connected to all the tanks in their back rooms. Probably double the water volume as the display tanks which helps them since all the fish have a lot of fresh water. But since they are all connected that means if one fish comes in sick, every fish is exposed, but I believe they run some medication through their tanks 24/7 as a preventative

 

[Oscar98]

They have a huge filtration system connected to all the tanks in their back rooms. Probably double the water volume as the display tanks which helps them since all the fish have a lot of fresh water. But since they are all connected that means if one fish comes in sick, every fish is exposed, but I believe they run some medication through their tanks 24/7 as a preventative

Ya that is why there water is blue/green. They run medication through them 24/7

 

[plecopsycho]

Sheesh that sounds awesome

 

[Luananeko]

I love Common Plecos, it's such a shame they're so commonly sold to unsuspecting beginners... I think all of us went through a phase when we were starting that we mistakenly bought a common pleco when we didn't realize how big they get. If the pleco is the only fish in the tank, yes, the 55 gallon will do for now as long as you stay on top of water changes. They do get up to 18" long however (I see them at this size in my LFS all the time), so you're looking at a pretty big tank long term (150g or so or more depending on who you ask). If you don't think you'll be able to upgrade to this size then you're best off finding a reputable LFS (ie: not Petsmart or any chain store) that is willing to rehome it for you. If you wait until he gets too much bigger it may be even harder to find a LFS that will take it...

 

[Pearly]

I'm not sure what age the common pleco is fully grown at, but I feel the need to point out that some of the responsibility lies with the people selling the fish. Questions should ALWAYS be asked to someone buying fish. The guy that runs my LFS even remembers the stock I keep in my 55g community and makes recommendations on new fish to buy. Common plecos are CONSTANTLY being brought to my LFS because they get too big.

Good point! I recently saw (with my own eyes!) baby albino BNP in 2.5 gal betta bow with male betta and sadly there is little education to be done with people who think they already know it all