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Hello all. I'm a total pleco-newbie, but I'm so in love. I bought this little guy at Walmart (ack - sorry - the "good" petstore in town is always closed when I get off work) just because we had a bit of an algae problem. We've had him since last Thursday. And now I spend my nights browsing pleco sites (this is the best!).

But - I'm not sure what he is. He's smallish - maybe 1.75", and looks too light to be a "common" pleco. But he's also very young I guess.

<img src="http://www.lythastudios.com/temp/pleco1.jpg"><p>
<img src="http://www.lythastudios.com/temp/pleco2.jpg">

Thank you!
Erin

That is a common pleco. He's light becuase he's new and will darken when he settles.

Jools

Yup, that's a common.

He's smallish - maybe 1.75"

yeah, real cute when small; like a Great Dane (!).
puppy-love and all that.


unfortunately he won't stay that way;
I like to compare these with Great Danes, as they almost always outgrow your tank!
they're dead-easy to keep, true; but once they pass the 1 1/2-foot mark; you'll catch my drift.

So if you really like him, you might start saving cash; at one time in his life, he will need a 150-200G tank to be happy.....

these two are about halfgrown

ITs a common pleco

sidguppy wrote:

He's smallish - maybe 1.75"

yeah, real cute when small; like a Great Dane (!).
puppy-love and all that.


unfortunately he won't stay that way;
I like to compare these with Great Danes, as they almost always outgrow your tank!
they're dead-easy to keep, true; but once they pass the 1 1/2-foot mark; you'll catch my drift.

So if you really like him, you might start saving cash; at one time in his life, he will need a 150-200G tank to be happy.....

Wow - 1 1/2 feet, eh? I think I'm really going to have to start saving - I'm going to need a new house to hold a 200G tank.

How long are we looking at here for him to reach that 1 1/2' mark? How quickly will he grow? Right now he's in a five gallon tank with five cardinal tetras. He looks pretty comfortable there, but well - I'm guessing that is not going to be an acceptable home for him for too long. Will he be okay there for a while, do you think, or are we looking for a larger tank sooner (next few months) rather than later (18 months).

Also - will he eat my plants or will he stick with algae (or algae wafers) if available?

Thank you all for your help! I realize these questions go beyond basic ID questions, and I apologize for that.

Erin

Also - will he eat my plants or will he stick with algae (or algae wafers) if available?

That is very unlikely. They are omnivorous with a penchant for animal matter, so you may find your fish ignoring algae altogether.

That is very unlikely. They are omnivorous with a penchant for animal matter, so you may find your fish ignoring algae altogether.

Animal matter? Do you mean my other fish (small cardinals), or do you mean flake food remenants? From what I've read here, I thought that the common pleco was good with small fish, so I'm assuming you mean food.

My little plec has been doing a good job removing the brown algae off the tank walls and plant leaves, and he's been eating the dead leaves off a plant, but he's not doing zilch with the green algae.

Erin

When these fish grow big, they prefer a bit more protein than the algae will give. They are however not predators, they do not "chase and kill" healthy fish. They are however oppurtunists, so if you have a fish that is so weak that it can't get away from the pleco, it may end up being "pleco dinner". But it really takes fish that are unhealthy to cause this to happen.

Giving it algae wafers and bits of cucumber, courgette (zuchini), carrot, grapes, etc, etc will keep it happy.

It's unlikely that it will eat plants, unless you starve it completely.

But it will grow big. The better you keep it, the quicker it will grow, but unless you keep it on a minimal diet, it will grow quite large within a couple of years. They are nice, and a lot more clever than they look at first impressions.

--
Mats

They are nice, and a lot more clever than they look at first impressions.

He is obviously a very clever and inquisitive little fish. Now I grant you, in a tank of tetras, he doesn't have much in the way of competition for that description, but....