common pl*co

[amber]

Hi all
i bought a pl*co last saturday - and in less than a week it has cleared the back wall of the tank and every piece of furniture of any trace of algae!!
this is impressive, but i'm concerned what it will now do for food.
the pl*co is in a 21ukGallon tank with 4 peppered corys and one moor and one telescope fish - the tank has 3 power filters running and is heated to a constant temp of 24/24C.
i obviously have sinking wafers for the cory's and have also bought some algae wafers - but the goldfish love them also - and have already decided that they no-longer have any interest with their floating pellets and instead wait for the wafers to come flying down.
i have tried putting the wafers in the dark areas of the tank, but the GF still seek em out and inevitably the wafer gets pushed around the tank with their huge greedy mouths.
i did try and sink a piece of cucumber in the tank the other day - it looked as though it had been nibbled when i removed it the next day - but obviously i dont know by whom.
i have never had a pl*co before - but am already charmed by it - but a tad confused as most of what i've read suggest that you rarely see them....
mine is out and about all the time! is this ok if so?
it also seems to have a lot of trailing waste behind it - even when it looks to me as though there is no algea left!! should i be concerned by this??
i have also seen it rummaging amongst the gravel floor - again is this normal??

i have read up them quite considerably - but so far this pl*co doesn't seem to really fit the character i've read about - which i dont mind at all - but i suppose i'm concerned that this might be a sign that it is not well.
i must explain that i keep referring to it as 'it' as i have no idea of its sex - wouldn't wish to presume - altho it is called henry - tho that could be short for henrietta!!

also, i was convinced by my lfs that i would be ok with this type with the fish i already have - it was described as a plecostumous - no more id than that - but i'm assuming that means its a common - he had one in his large tank in the store with goldies that was about a foot long - and it seemed ok.
has anybody else had any experience with keeping them with goldies??
if so how do you make sure that the pl*co gets enough to eat?
plus does this type need driftwood?? if so, i have recently bought a large wooden root - will that suffice if needed?
sorry to ask sooo many questions - just wanna make sure this little gem is ok etc.
thanks in advance of any advice

amber

[magnum4]

All the behaviour you describe sounds normal. with reguards to food, cucumber, bloodworms, sinking wafers at least every one type every 3 days just after the lights goes out will insure no your pleco is eating enough.

The species you have is probably liposarcus pardalis and does not require wood to survive.

I hope you are planning a bigger tank in the near future.

[JohnnyOscar]

Hi amber,

welcome to planet catfish.

Your pleco will soon outgrow your tank. These fish grow very quickly and within a year it will need a 100+gallon tank. You need to think about whether you are going to change your tank to suit the fish, or change your fish to suit the tank. There are lots of other, smaller algae-eating plecos that may suit your set-up better in the long run. The fact that you saw a 12" pleco at your LFS suggest that they will be happy to take it back when it outgrows your tank.

As far as food is concerned, they're really not that fussy. All types of proprietry fish food is accepted, whether it sink, floats or whatever. Also vegetables, including potato (just chuck a whole one in the tank), tomato (tinned will do!), brussell sprouts (blanched so that it will sink). They also eat dead fish. Basically if it doesn't move but it has some nutritional value, then it's pleco food. Just try experimenting with what's at hand.

As for compatability with goldfish, my main concern is about tank temperature. Goldfish are coldwater fish, while plecos are tropical fish, so there's only a small temperature range that it acceptable to both species.

I've got 20+ plecos, many of which cost a LOT more than my common pleco, but the common is the one with the most interesting and endearing behaviour. Good luck with your new pet.

[DeepFriedIctalurus]

Solely on the basis of temperature, these fish actually are compatible. Fancy goldfish require slightly higher temperatures compared to their long-bodied cousins. So Amber, I'd consider bumping up the temp to about 26C. But before it outgrows the tank a bigger worry might be it sucking on the goldfish when it gets hungry. When it does get too big, consider buying a tank-raised baby bushynose ple co, they're a bit more adaptable and tolerant of cooler temps than wild-caught.
Not to mention they won't suck on the goldfish or outgrow the tank.


Tyler

[Elspeth]

I've kept goldfish for years now, but I'm completely new to plecos. I'll be getting my first one this year (hopefully, in a couple of weeks!) and am very excited!

The reason I have never "tried" a pleco before is that they are reputed to plague goldfish by eating goldfish slime coat at night when the goldies are asleep (you can call it "in their resting period" if you like; I call it sleeping). Now that I am studying up on what plecs need and want, I'm beginning to think that it may not be as much a matter of some of them having a taste for slime coat, but rather a case of very hungry plecos taking what they can get. It is far too common to toss one of these "algae eaters" in and assume it will survive without actually being fed.

Glad to read that you are feeding yours, and that you're concerned about his getting enough! Here is what I would try -- but I would also watch closely, especially after tank-lights-out, for signs of goldfish-pestering.

Fifteen minutes before lights out, give the goldies a good feed. Go prepare your zucchini slice and when you come to turn out the lights, sink the squash or an algae wafer... and make sure it stays down (rubberband it to a rock or the wood, perhaps, or use one of those "fresh food clips" on the bottom of the tank). Turn out the lights and see what you can see in the dark. I'm guessing that the plec will be more active and eat more readily at night, and I know most goldfish settle down within 15 minutes of lights-out.

24C is a good temperature for fancy goldfish like your moor and your telescope, so if that is a good temperature for your plecostomus as well, I think you will be fine on that front. There is considerable disagreement in the goldfish community about ideal tank temperatures, but many people do keep goldies at about that temperature and report having fewer floatation/bouyancy problems.

Depending on the size of the goldies, you may have been pushing it for anything more than the two goldfish. I believe your U.K. gallon is a bit larger than our U.S. gallon, but not by much; the recommendation for goldfish is ten gallons per fish. For tropicals, the rule of thumb that I hear is one inch per gallon. If the goldies are still small and the sucker-fish is just an inch or two, your setup may be good for a while; but you will need more space sooner than you probably think. Most people resist moving up to a big tank (the 50 or 55 gallon tanks which are very reasonably available in the U.S. are what I always recommend) but your fish will love you for it and you will love the growth and overall improvement in "health and happiness" that you will see in goldies with room to grow. From what I am reading about plecostomus, they also will grow rapidly and will benefit visibly from a bit more "fin room".

Do let me know how the plec-with-goldies turns out.

[amber]

hi there
thanks for all your replies!
so far so good - alll tankmates getting on swimmingly!!
i have increased the lighting time for the tank and now have some green algae developing - which keeps henry happy!
just about to put a piece of brocoli and courgette in - which should keep everyone happy for a bit.
i've had to put more wafers in - as the GF have developed a tast for them as opposed to their normal pellets - which they now ignore!!
was concerned that the increase of food may affect tank params - but having checked everything the other day, the tank is functioning pefectly - params all perfect range - very chuffed!
my plec is very friendly and active, no such thing as waiting for lights out to see him - he's out and about all day - very amusing character to watch.
i'm aware that he could out grow my tank over the next few years - and sadly i'm unable to upgrade to a larger tank as i dont have the room. i do however have many friends with large tanks - and so it will be easy to find him a good home when the time arrives. (unless i move house of course)

so fingers crossed their tanklives will continue for a good while now!

incidently my tank is 24.5US gallons, and has 3 times the amount of filtration required.
dont get me wrong, i would love a bigger tank - but i dont have the room - I live in a victorian house, so if there isn't a fireplace against a wall then theres a window or a radiator - or indeed a sofa!!
The tank is generally between 24 / 25C so is a good temp for all inhabitants along with a PH of 7.4, a GH of 11 and KH of 6. the tank is heavily planted, all plants doing very well - therefore my nitrates are a minimum and i have no ammonia or nitrites present in the tank.

[Caol_ila]

Hi!

dont get me wrong, i would love a bigger tank - but i dont have the room

Nobody here critizices you for not being able to set up a bigger tank, but the fish wont care and still outgrow that tank eventually sooner or later. As a consequence you need to find a good place for him when hes too big in a year or so.

[Elspeth]

incidently my tank is 24.5US gallons, and has 3 times the amount of filtration required.

That will be splendid for the goldies. I like to seriously "overfilter" goldfish tanks. And from what I see coming out of my own plec, Tess, I'm betting the algae eaters also need a bit more filtration than most tropicals.

I think this tank will be lovely, long-term, for the two goldfish. I'm glad that you have friends who can take the plec when he outgrows the tank.

Have you considered a two-tank arrangement? One over the other. You can build a stand for this. Another tank of the same size won't give you long-term room for a common plec, but could house one of the smaller ones people have suggested, with a few tropical tankmates.

dont get me wrong, i would love a bigger tank - but i dont have the room - I live in a victorian house, so if there isn't a fireplace against a wall then theres a window or a radiator - or indeed a sofa!!

Oh, well, if you have a sofa, the solution is obvious -- get rid of the sofa, put a huge tank where the sofa was, and sit on cusions on the floor!