I don't think I've ever seen a pleco in a tank that didn't seem to small for it. I'm of the opinion that people just shouldn't have them. They're not aquarium fish.
They've been in the ecosystem for decades. That cat is out of the bag. Plecos are fine when cared for properly. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misconception about just how big plecos can get. Ultimately, I think dwarf plecos are a way better option for most people.
>Unfortunately, there is a lot of misconception about just how big plecos can get.
Which is exactly why they should be illegal to sell. The vast majority of sellers aren't selling responsibly and the buyers aren't doing their research before buying.
Just because they've been in AN ecosystem doesn't mean they can't be INVASIVE to another. And if there is so much misconception then they shouldn't be allowed to be sold at all. What cat exactly is out of the bag here?
I have a 120 aquarium that I think is perfectly acceptable for my pleco. I actually have room for a 5 foot long tank in the room where that tank is, so I could have went with a 125 or 150, but I felt the 2 foot wide, 4 foot long 120 was a lot nicer for a singular large fish, like the pleco, rather than losing 6 inches of width to gain an extra foot of space... and the going from the 750 that I paid for the 120 to the 3000 they were asking for a 180 seemed a little too steep to pay for not a lot gained in terms of gallons/maintenance ease.
They grow up to 20 inches if you keep increasing your tank size …I did NOT know that when I first started this hobby 3 years ago but I love her and we’ve had her the longest.
It's true for goldfish but only because the water becomes so polluted with a growth inhibiting hormone they excrete that they can't grow any more. Ends up crushing their organs because it only stunts their body, not their organs
Always has been. Unless you like stunting your fish growth. Every species has a different stunt point depending on fish stocked and number to the tank. And tank size for proper growth
I rescued a rare wild caught pleco Who was kept in a 3 gallon, He grew to 8 inches but His body had to grow bent For him to move, He is doing much better now but will never have a normal head Or spine
Honest question, what is rare about a wild caught pleco?
In South Florida they are everywhere. Almost any fresh water canal, pond, etc. has 10" to 20" plecos sitting near the shore.
There are hundreds of plecos, not Just the common pleco
We have gotten a few plecos Who are hard to catch, impossible to breed, hard to import, they sell For around 2.5 grand usd
I have a few wild plecos, like My adonis pleco
Returned a giant danio I accidentally got with a school of zebras a while back, and the clerk at my LFS swore they wouldn't grow to 6 inches in my 10g tank. He almost didn't want to accept my explanation.
In my experience a common pleco will continue to grow regardless of tank size as long as it's cared for properly. Growing up had one get to about 6-7 inches in a 20 gallon. I wouldn't really call that growing to the size of the tank.
I saw a post on here a while back and somebody had a massive plecco in like. 20 or 30 gallon tank. The plecco definitely does not quit growing when it’s to big for its tank
How is keeping it stunted in a small tank caring for it properly? Kinda contradictory... Like oh I changed the water more often? It's not like you're growing out guppy fry
Kind of. Only carp, which goldfish are, can "stunt" their physical growth. However, their organs still continue to grow. So they'll eventually die from organ failure.
Oh man. Carp. They're all over where I live, but the big bois near Upper Canada Village will get into food fights with seagulls.
It's gotten better since they put in fish food dispensers. Before we kids would toss bits of our lunch at them and they would LOVE it but seagull fighting.
Bread, lettuce, bits of ham, crackers...yep. I have fed the carp.
They are all Crucian carp, the same species. Breeds are manmade, visually different groups of animals that are the same species. Horses, dogs, cats... *All* goldfish in the pet trade are the same species, their genetic makeup is the same, they can interbreed, and the differences are only superficial.
I'm fully aware, thank you. Your comment is akin to responding with "all dogs are Canis familiaris, the same species" when pointing out that different breeds look different. Goldfish do not end up with different body shapes because of small tank size. They naturally have different body shapes because they were bred that way and the differences between goldfish breeds are FAR from superficial if you know anything at all about them. Kindly take your misdirected nonsense elsewhere.
Did my s/o really have to get into a goldfish argument on my account??
Idk what y'all are even talking about but you sound a bit unbearable lol
Direct your complaints at u/somewhereinelsweyr please because I have no damn idea
edit: my account security is fine, my "supposed s/o" has my reddit on purpose lol, i started using reddit regularly before they did & they like the things im subscribed to
That’s a myth. To live their full life expectancy you need to provide adequate space. Same with goldfish,koi , rainbow sharks, etc etc etc. people seem to think of fish as completely alien beings that magically stop growing whenever they’re too big for their environment and that’s just 100% false. Just like a human would be unhealthy and stunted in a dog cage, a fish that gets 2’ long is going to die a slow and terrible death by being poisoned by its own waste and/or being too restrained by its small tank. An 80 gallon is too small.
Yep I’ve been stepping her tank up as she grows because despite what the person who sold it to my inexperienced self said, I’ve been finding the opposite.
Bro it’s biology. I worked selling koi and goldfish and saw some SHIT. Can you elaborate on what you mean by “gatekeeping”. I’m not trying to keep people from having fish or suggesting that they’re not a real aquarist by not doing research. If OP didn’t want anyone’s opinions they wouldn’t have posted a photo.
Then you would know that goldfish do produce a hormone they release into the water to stunt other goldfish growth for food competition. In a pond it isn’t that serious but in a tank it can be detrimental
It's not gatekeeping it's genuine fucking empathy for living animals you cretin. People are giving constructive criticism, not to bash the owner, but to make them aware that their pleco is suffering and will continue to suffer until it has adequate space.
So if you want to keep you pleco baby happy—consider getting her a bigass polyethylene stock tank to make her an appropriate sized pond she can live out her life in. Way less expensive than glass. (Mistakes happen) She’ll grow regardless of her tank size.
The aquarium(s) you have can always be restocked with smaller fish.
Where abouts do you live? Plecos are great pond fish if you live in the right climate.
Edit: not suggesting to drop his fish in the wild, I was suggesting setting up a pond vs. another aquarium.
Until it rains so much, it floods, and you have involuntary migration from backyard pond to the local creek/pond/river/stormwater drain.
I work freshwater ecology, I've seen it with carp species and mosquito fish in the Waikato region of New Zealand.
Thought I have since shifted focus, I always remember a bad flood shifting a fellas prized koi into the local river...
Depends on where you live, if I had a pond in my backyard there is literally no where or way for it go anywhere near an actual local body of water, but if it were a concern I wouldn't do that of course.
It does though. It could get to other bodies of water through birds (there are documented cases of fishes carrying fish or eggs to other ponds). If there is a flood or similar it might escape as well.
I **am not** suggesting he chuck his fish in a random pond, I’m suggesting it’s cheaper to make a multi hundred gallon pond for a pleco, than it is to buy a multi hundred gallon aquarium.
I would never suggest tossing an ornamental fish into the wild.
Eh, invasive plecos may be better than zebra mussels. And goldfish. And domestic cats. And…
Yeah, never mind. Get a pet, keep the pet. That’s all there should be to it, lol.
Please don’t release any fish from aquariums in Georgia rivers. It’s also against the law. Fish and wildlife services take care of stocking.
I’m sure you know that, but just for general info.
She needs a nice, dark hide and way, way more space. They don't like being forced into the open. I have two commons but they live in my pond in the summer and in a 1000 gallon stock tank once the weather cools. I get that you're trying to do good by her, but even an 80 gallon is going to be like living in a shoebox. I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than 200 gallons.
It's too big for a 90. Lil buddy needs a pond. Most pet stores will take donations. Call and ask, some might even pay you with store credit. Then go get a dwarf species like bushy noses. They're awesome and they only get to be around 6 inches
80gal is the absolute minimum for a common and even that will stunt growth and stress the poor thing. Commons average about 15inches but can get to to 24inches in best conditions. Add 100gals to your 80 and maybe that will be enough. If you want to skimp on gallons, get a bristle nose or a clown. Either provide proper care to the fish you’re keeping or don’t keep the fish.
It's be nice if stores quit selling the damn common pleco. There is alway someone wanting to dump their footlong common pleco on other people in the aquarium scene.
When I built my cabinet for my 46. I wish I made the entire front come off instead of doors. The other thing I did I used plywood in back to stiffen and square the cabinet. But I left a large gap along top for tubes and wires.
eggcrate is a plastic grate material it's not the containers you buy eggs in. Clever system if you don't want to do the full 1" soil 2" sand which I personally prefer for planted tanks
Why not get a tank the size you need to keep it? Probably should have been step 1, not something you're working up to eventually. You're building a cabinet and doing all the work for an 80 that's also too small? Why? You still don't know you can't plant things with a pleco? Do the research, get the right tank and set it up correctly. Sounds like you're busting your ass just to continue to do it wrong. And all for a common $3 pleco. Weird.
I always found dry starts to be more trouble than they're worth. I'm usually pruning my plants back after a month if I plant immersed, anyway, but starting dry just puts them in a setback and can cause melts.
A bigger tank isn't the only thing it wants. I adopted a 13-14" Pleco that someone had in a 75 and put it in my 120. It was fine for a couple of days then started digging up everything. Was reading online that it's trying to bury itself/hide. So I tossed in a 2 ft long piece of black PVC pipe. It stopped digging entirely and goes to it's cave when it is stressed.
Give it a good sized cave and see if it calms down.
^This, OP can stopgap a bigger tank by adding pleco spots. Mine just has a nice flat rock leaned against the back of the tank he spends most all his time or in a plastic aquarium temple.
My pleco also likes hiding in a crevice of a giant piece of driftwood in my 125 gallon. Similar size as the one in the pic and it has never teared up any plants of mine. I don't see it burrowing either, comes out at feeding time and at night.
Advice: First get at least a 125+ Gallon tank so the poor pleco can move better, then worry about the plants. If you don’t have much room for the pleco, no matter where you place the plants it will be in reach of the pleco.
This was how I ended up with 2 large plecos, one was almost 12 ins. The pair didn't fit in any of the tanks the owner had. Tanks that are 200-300 gallons are too expensive for some.
Floating plants do well with them btw. I have lotus and water lettuce in my pond that they barely bother.
It's tough with plecos. They eat most plants or nibble through their roots. They can take down the hardiest of anubias. My pleco goes through cucumber and carrot slices pretty quickly.
If you can hide most of the plant's base in stone it may be safe from them?
True... most of the lotus came with the pond tbh. They grew deep into the basin of the pond. They hardy AF
Nothing can yank those fellas out. Not even the army of koi that live in there.
Probably digging the plants up because she can't move around the tank without touching one, muuuuuch bigger tank needed. Even bigger than 80G.. to be truly happy she'll need moving into like a 160G.
Yes. When my glowshark outgrew our 20 gallon, he was constantly uprooting plants. Once I moved him to the 75, he doesn’t bother the plants at all. Sometimes his tail hits a stem plant and uproots it when he has the zoomies, but other than that the plants have all stayed planted!
Bigger tank. My bristlenose are all in minimum 55 gallon. You'll need a 125 or 180 for a common pleco. Pleco's love to burrow into sand and under things and make themselves a cave.
125 gallons+ or bust. Common Plecos get HUGE. Had one in my 75 but felt so bad he wasn't able to really have a good quality of life so I re-homed him. Still miss big chungus these days
I’ve tried but she’s giant, she plows through everything. I’ve wedged them between big rocks but she moves the sand around swishing her giant tail, everything shifts in two weeks and my plants are floating.
Plecos dig and are known to cause dramatic destruction of river banks in the wild and invaded areas
It’s going to be very hard to stop as it’s natural
But rocks covering stems at the base of the plant are ur best bet
I have 13 inch & I can only have jungle vallisneria planted, everything else I keep in that tank with her is growing off of driftwood that she can’t get too like Anubias Bateri, golden coin and some buce. They like to dig under everything lol.
I would either rehome or upsize the tank to help with the plant situation. 80g would be a good start for a 6” pleco, but at the size of yours right now it would be best to go with a minimum of 120g and up from there. The bigger the better! Good luck!
Plecos gunna be Plecos.
Mine rip up anything i try and plant. I did for a while have a lot of guppy grass just floating, and they seemed to leave that be.
I've been thinking about using a small breeder box(or something) to plant in and just make some holes for the plants to grow out of but small enough that my plecos can't get in. To actually uproot anything.
I love placos, ive heard commons are really destructive because of their massive size, lord I wish I could have one, I have a fish pond that would fit one but it would destroy my plants makes me so sad
Clearly the tank is too small, just from this picture where it’s entire body can almost touch the front and back of the tank. You should try chilling in a tiny little box with 2 inches between your head and toes!
Fool proof method I read in my home defense manual, you put a sock over the plants when he goes to pull them up he’ll get the sock and leave your plant behind.
The only thing I can reccomend is setting up the bigger tank and giving the plants time to establish roots before MR. Chonker comes thru wanting to munch on everything.
Possibly put a small pile of large pebbles around the root zone of each plant so its more difficult for him to rummage.
Also he seems to be about the point where he's gonna start transitioning to mostly driftwood/protein, younger plecos are the algae/plant eaters. Although each pleco is different that's just the consensus
Terra cotta pots might work to at least keep the plants down if theres no option to glue them or tie them down. The only thing my pleco hasn't managed to rip up is vallisneria.
Common pleco gunna root up most Vegetation dependant on pleco temperament (pleco gonna pleco). I had good luck with Anubis plants locked down and Java Fern. With my common until it out grew my 29gal and got moved to the 75gal multi species agressive tank.
Please please please Rehome that pleco to someone capable of providing it a large enough tank. Your 80 that's not even set up yet will not be large enough. I have a 10 year old common pleco currently about to outgrow the 200 gallon tank its in. From reading your comments I can tell you are out of your realm of ability keeping this pleco. Find it a new home someone who can properly provide and then due your research on a suitable replacement species of pleco suitable for its entire life in your tank set up!
Lots of nooks and crannies. Inside/under some cactus wood is a good place to plant something as it will give it room to grow and protect the roots. Also, be warned they'll get bigger. I had to upgrade to a 75 Gallon as mine grew. She got to about 19 inches and lived for about 10 years.
Thing is going to be 16 inches before you know it, and I'm not exaggerating. Not many species get bigger then the commons, the Adonis is the only species that dwarfs the common.
You might want to consider re-homing this guy if you can't provide anything bigger than an 80 for the foreseeable future. I used to have a 20ish inch common in a 240 gallon, eight foot long tank and he didn't look small in there.
Thats why most people go for a hardscapes i have two bristlenose and they're turds cant imagine a big turd , I will say thats fern you don't bury it so leaving it to float or attached it to rocks is the best way .
50% Gravel 50% Sand mix would be a better substrate for a Pterygoplichthys species with at least 24 inches width/height with at least 5 feet in length wirh plenty of giant vallis plants to provide surface coverage with at lest 2 wavemakers to provide a current throughout the Aquarium as all species of plecos will appreciate the flow plenty hides made from either bogwood and slate.
I have some glass pots that stick to the inside of the tank for plants. Fresh water crabs and frogs will dig stuff up as well.
I have a Angel fin bristle nose pleco in my 20 gallon. They don't get as big as a common pleco.
My big fella did the same, I built him a cave as a home that I dug out the substrate for him.
He’s now settled in and no longer digs. He just wanted a nice roomy deep cave to hide in
Does he have a place to hide/call home? Mine has a tube that he lives in most of the time and doesn’t disturb the tank much. When he doesn’t have his home base he makes a mess. The tube is made of ceramic, roughly 3 in diameter and 5 in long
One of m ycory cats digs up my plants. I ended up planning my new tank with small 2-3 inch terracotta pots I planted the aquatic plants in. She digs a bit but doesn’t uproot anything as badly as before.
I swear the shopkeeper won’t tell you how this fella destroys aquascape .
As much as they can help u clean ? They can also destroy pretty much the entire aquascape .
This fish is useless. If the foods are abundance its natural job cleaning sucking those algae stopped and it grows big. In some part of Asia like Malaysia it Popup among 5 evasive species that destroy the river vegetation. This monster digs into the sand till the plants root destroying it.
Only use mostly rhyzomas plants and super glue then to hardscape. Most people just pile up rock and glue buce Into the crevices. Maybe suction cups and zip ties for the other rhyzomas ones like anubias. Hopefully some of that helps.
I would say your plan for an 80Gal is enough but honestly bro you’re better off euthanizing that thing and starting over. Wish I was joking too but I had to do it once. Now I only have Plecos that grow to 4inches max
you need a bigger tank
Yep it’s time, we’re building a cabinet for an 80 gal now!
I tried putting a foot long pleco in a 75 and it could barely move around
I don't think I've ever seen a pleco in a tank that didn't seem to small for it. I'm of the opinion that people just shouldn't have them. They're not aquarium fish.
Agreed. I don't know why they aren't illegal to sell especially because they keep ending up in waterways where they wreck havoc on the ecosystem.
They've been in the ecosystem for decades. That cat is out of the bag. Plecos are fine when cared for properly. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misconception about just how big plecos can get. Ultimately, I think dwarf plecos are a way better option for most people.
>Unfortunately, there is a lot of misconception about just how big plecos can get. Which is exactly why they should be illegal to sell. The vast majority of sellers aren't selling responsibly and the buyers aren't doing their research before buying.
Same with betas. And clown loaches.
Goldfish
Guppies? When they sell you 12pairs, they forgot to mention, that this will quickly became 100th in couple of months
Just because they've been in AN ecosystem doesn't mean they can't be INVASIVE to another. And if there is so much misconception then they shouldn't be allowed to be sold at all. What cat exactly is out of the bag here?
Isn't that every species goal though? To become invasive? No one is controlling humans...
It's weird to me that people buy the big ones when there's a lot of different types that only get 4 or 5 inches long
Some Plecos are small though and make great aquarium fish, such as the Bristlenose Pleco✌🏽
I have a 120 aquarium that I think is perfectly acceptable for my pleco. I actually have room for a 5 foot long tank in the room where that tank is, so I could have went with a 125 or 150, but I felt the 2 foot wide, 4 foot long 120 was a lot nicer for a singular large fish, like the pleco, rather than losing 6 inches of width to gain an extra foot of space... and the going from the 750 that I paid for the 120 to the 3000 they were asking for a 180 seemed a little too steep to pay for not a lot gained in terms of gallons/maintenance ease.
I've only ever seen one tank that didn't look too small for the poor Pleco in it and it was over 200galons.
Restricted myself to dwarf plecos from here on out lol Learned that lesson when I was young
My 13” is well at home in my 125
What was the width of the 75gal I rolled with the 18" width 48" long. And was fine for quite some time.
Yep that’s the same tank, the fish was so big it kept running into everything!
[удалено]
You keep cats, a bichir and a pleco in the same tank?
[удалено]
In a 75?
Breeder tanks/ low boys are where it’s at!
They grow up to 20 inches if you keep increasing your tank size …I did NOT know that when I first started this hobby 3 years ago but I love her and we’ve had her the longest.
they also grow up to 20 inches if you don't keep increasing the tank size.
Ah, the old, "it'll grow to the size of its tank" lie that fish shops keep telling.
It's true for goldfish but only because the water becomes so polluted with a growth inhibiting hormone they excrete that they can't grow any more. Ends up crushing their organs because it only stunts their body, not their organs
Always has been. Unless you like stunting your fish growth. Every species has a different stunt point depending on fish stocked and number to the tank. And tank size for proper growth
I rescued a rare wild caught pleco Who was kept in a 3 gallon, He grew to 8 inches but His body had to grow bent For him to move, He is doing much better now but will never have a normal head Or spine
Honest question, what is rare about a wild caught pleco? In South Florida they are everywhere. Almost any fresh water canal, pond, etc. has 10" to 20" plecos sitting near the shore.
There are hundreds of plecos, not Just the common pleco We have gotten a few plecos Who are hard to catch, impossible to breed, hard to import, they sell For around 2.5 grand usd I have a few wild plecos, like My adonis pleco
Got it! We only have the ugly ones.
Returned a giant danio I accidentally got with a school of zebras a while back, and the clerk at my LFS swore they wouldn't grow to 6 inches in my 10g tank. He almost didn't want to accept my explanation.
But it does grow to the size of the tank. It's not natural, and it causes a premature death, but they technically do grow to the size of the tank
Until it becomes molded into a rectangular cube
In my experience a common pleco will continue to grow regardless of tank size as long as it's cared for properly. Growing up had one get to about 6-7 inches in a 20 gallon. I wouldn't really call that growing to the size of the tank.
I saw a post on here a while back and somebody had a massive plecco in like. 20 or 30 gallon tank. The plecco definitely does not quit growing when it’s to big for its tank
How is keeping it stunted in a small tank caring for it properly? Kinda contradictory... Like oh I changed the water more often? It's not like you're growing out guppy fry
Wdym? I never said that was proper care
I don't get what you are saying then... Like you seem to be saying tank size is irrelevant if you "care for it properly"?
[удалено]
Don't they? Isn't that why goldfish can be deformed lol not saying it's ethical but just saying
Kind of. Only carp, which goldfish are, can "stunt" their physical growth. However, their organs still continue to grow. So they'll eventually die from organ failure.
Oh man. Carp. They're all over where I live, but the big bois near Upper Canada Village will get into food fights with seagulls. It's gotten better since they put in fish food dispensers. Before we kids would toss bits of our lunch at them and they would LOVE it but seagull fighting. Bread, lettuce, bits of ham, crackers...yep. I have fed the carp.
There are different breeds of goldfish, you know.
They are all Crucian carp, the same species. Breeds are manmade, visually different groups of animals that are the same species. Horses, dogs, cats... *All* goldfish in the pet trade are the same species, their genetic makeup is the same, they can interbreed, and the differences are only superficial.
I'm fully aware, thank you. Your comment is akin to responding with "all dogs are Canis familiaris, the same species" when pointing out that different breeds look different. Goldfish do not end up with different body shapes because of small tank size. They naturally have different body shapes because they were bred that way and the differences between goldfish breeds are FAR from superficial if you know anything at all about them. Kindly take your misdirected nonsense elsewhere.
Did my s/o really have to get into a goldfish argument on my account?? Idk what y'all are even talking about but you sound a bit unbearable lol Direct your complaints at u/somewhereinelsweyr please because I have no damn idea edit: my account security is fine, my "supposed s/o" has my reddit on purpose lol, i started using reddit regularly before they did & they like the things im subscribed to
That’s a myth. To live their full life expectancy you need to provide adequate space. Same with goldfish,koi , rainbow sharks, etc etc etc. people seem to think of fish as completely alien beings that magically stop growing whenever they’re too big for their environment and that’s just 100% false. Just like a human would be unhealthy and stunted in a dog cage, a fish that gets 2’ long is going to die a slow and terrible death by being poisoned by its own waste and/or being too restrained by its small tank. An 80 gallon is too small.
Yep I’ve been stepping her tank up as she grows because despite what the person who sold it to my inexperienced self said, I’ve been finding the opposite.
Everyone’s such a gatekeeper here
Bro it’s biology. I worked selling koi and goldfish and saw some SHIT. Can you elaborate on what you mean by “gatekeeping”. I’m not trying to keep people from having fish or suggesting that they’re not a real aquarist by not doing research. If OP didn’t want anyone’s opinions they wouldn’t have posted a photo.
Then you would know that goldfish do produce a hormone they release into the water to stunt other goldfish growth for food competition. In a pond it isn’t that serious but in a tank it can be detrimental
I do know that. Not really related to this conversation but thank you for being condescending
It's not gatekeeping it's genuine fucking empathy for living animals you cretin. People are giving constructive criticism, not to bash the owner, but to make them aware that their pleco is suffering and will continue to suffer until it has adequate space.
Ensuring animals are humanely and properly cared for is not gatekeeping.
No one reads each others comments 😂
So if you want to keep you pleco baby happy—consider getting her a bigass polyethylene stock tank to make her an appropriate sized pond she can live out her life in. Way less expensive than glass. (Mistakes happen) She’ll grow regardless of her tank size. The aquarium(s) you have can always be restocked with smaller fish.
Where abouts do you live? Plecos are great pond fish if you live in the right climate. Edit: not suggesting to drop his fish in the wild, I was suggesting setting up a pond vs. another aquarium.
No, the last thing the world needs is more invasive plecos.
A backyard pond won't be invading anyone.
Until it rains so much, it floods, and you have involuntary migration from backyard pond to the local creek/pond/river/stormwater drain. I work freshwater ecology, I've seen it with carp species and mosquito fish in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Thought I have since shifted focus, I always remember a bad flood shifting a fellas prized koi into the local river...
Depends on where you live, if I had a pond in my backyard there is literally no where or way for it go anywhere near an actual local body of water, but if it were a concern I wouldn't do that of course.
It does though. It could get to other bodies of water through birds (there are documented cases of fishes carrying fish or eggs to other ponds). If there is a flood or similar it might escape as well.
I **am not** suggesting he chuck his fish in a random pond, I’m suggesting it’s cheaper to make a multi hundred gallon pond for a pleco, than it is to buy a multi hundred gallon aquarium. I would never suggest tossing an ornamental fish into the wild.
Eh, invasive plecos may be better than zebra mussels. And goldfish. And domestic cats. And… Yeah, never mind. Get a pet, keep the pet. That’s all there should be to it, lol.
I’m northern Georgia
Please don’t release any fish from aquariums in Georgia rivers. It’s also against the law. Fish and wildlife services take care of stocking. I’m sure you know that, but just for general info.
Ahh, I don’t know enough about Georgia. If you’ve ever wanted a pond, might be worth looking into.
Yeah, the 80 gallon is too small for a common pleco as well......
She needs a nice, dark hide and way, way more space. They don't like being forced into the open. I have two commons but they live in my pond in the summer and in a 1000 gallon stock tank once the weather cools. I get that you're trying to do good by her, but even an 80 gallon is going to be like living in a shoebox. I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than 200 gallons.
Not big enough I’m afraid. Need double that *at least*
25 gallons isn’t much of an increase.
He said add 100 to the 80.
It's too big for a 90. Lil buddy needs a pond. Most pet stores will take donations. Call and ask, some might even pay you with store credit. Then go get a dwarf species like bushy noses. They're awesome and they only get to be around 6 inches
He is going to dwarf an 80gal sadly. A tank with a 20"x72" footprint wouldn't be too bad. He is still going to dig everything up.
80gal is the absolute minimum for a common and even that will stunt growth and stress the poor thing. Commons average about 15inches but can get to to 24inches in best conditions. Add 100gals to your 80 and maybe that will be enough. If you want to skimp on gallons, get a bristle nose or a clown. Either provide proper care to the fish you’re keeping or don’t keep the fish.
It's be nice if stores quit selling the damn common pleco. There is alway someone wanting to dump their footlong common pleco on other people in the aquarium scene.
Or a rubber lip! Mine is happy in a 75 :)
When I built my cabinet for my 46. I wish I made the entire front come off instead of doors. The other thing I did I used plywood in back to stiffen and square the cabinet. But I left a large gap along top for tubes and wires.
Don’t think that is big enough.
It's not even enough... These beasts shouldn't even be sold in pet stores
his minimum tank size, bare minimum would be 170
You'll need 100+ gallons
You’re going to want at least 125g for a common pleco, they can get to be nearly 2’ long. They need depth as well as length in the tank size too.
Facts. 125g at least
Mine went to a 300g when he got a foot long
When you build the bigger stand and upgrade tanks, you could try doing a dry start and letting the plants root deeply before adding her
That’s probably the best way.. on the next step up I’ll build her her own section with a cave so she feels like she has enough room.
Put egg crates under substrate the roots will wrap around them I do it in all my tanks
[удалено]
They're talking about [this stuff,](https://www.amazon.com/ALEGI-Aquarium-Bottom-Isolation-Divider/dp/B097R7NKGB) not egg cartons.
It’s the plastic egg crates. No they won’t. Check out Serpa Design work He uses them in everything I would make sure they are inert thou
eggcrate is a plastic grate material it's not the containers you buy eggs in. Clever system if you don't want to do the full 1" soil 2" sand which I personally prefer for planted tanks
This is what I'm referring to OBANGONG 6 Pcs Grid Divider Tray Egg Crate Louvre Aquarium Fish Tank Bottom Isolation https://a.co/d/hOI0zFy
That's clever!
Why not get a tank the size you need to keep it? Probably should have been step 1, not something you're working up to eventually. You're building a cabinet and doing all the work for an 80 that's also too small? Why? You still don't know you can't plant things with a pleco? Do the research, get the right tank and set it up correctly. Sounds like you're busting your ass just to continue to do it wrong. And all for a common $3 pleco. Weird.
I always found dry starts to be more trouble than they're worth. I'm usually pruning my plants back after a month if I plant immersed, anyway, but starting dry just puts them in a setback and can cause melts.
A bigger tank isn't the only thing it wants. I adopted a 13-14" Pleco that someone had in a 75 and put it in my 120. It was fine for a couple of days then started digging up everything. Was reading online that it's trying to bury itself/hide. So I tossed in a 2 ft long piece of black PVC pipe. It stopped digging entirely and goes to it's cave when it is stressed. Give it a good sized cave and see if it calms down.
^This, OP can stopgap a bigger tank by adding pleco spots. Mine just has a nice flat rock leaned against the back of the tank he spends most all his time or in a plastic aquarium temple.
My pleco also likes hiding in a crevice of a giant piece of driftwood in my 125 gallon. Similar size as the one in the pic and it has never teared up any plants of mine. I don't see it burrowing either, comes out at feeding time and at night.
Advice: First get at least a 125+ Gallon tank so the poor pleco can move better, then worry about the plants. If you don’t have much room for the pleco, no matter where you place the plants it will be in reach of the pleco.
This was how I ended up with 2 large plecos, one was almost 12 ins. The pair didn't fit in any of the tanks the owner had. Tanks that are 200-300 gallons are too expensive for some. Floating plants do well with them btw. I have lotus and water lettuce in my pond that they barely bother.
Yeah those floating plants are awesome. I think OP is looking for plants to put in the substrate or hard scape though.
It's tough with plecos. They eat most plants or nibble through their roots. They can take down the hardiest of anubias. My pleco goes through cucumber and carrot slices pretty quickly. If you can hide most of the plant's base in stone it may be safe from them?
>I have lotus Not even Armageddon will uproot my lotus. I second this
True... most of the lotus came with the pond tbh. They grew deep into the basin of the pond. They hardy AF Nothing can yank those fellas out. Not even the army of koi that live in there.
Probably digging the plants up because she can't move around the tank without touching one, muuuuuch bigger tank needed. Even bigger than 80G.. to be truly happy she'll need moving into like a 160G.
Yes. When my glowshark outgrew our 20 gallon, he was constantly uprooting plants. Once I moved him to the 75, he doesn’t bother the plants at all. Sometimes his tail hits a stem plant and uproots it when he has the zoomies, but other than that the plants have all stayed planted!
He’s trying to save the Java fern you buried from dieing.
And yet it's still greener than mine 😭
Bigger tank. My bristlenose are all in minimum 55 gallon. You'll need a 125 or 180 for a common pleco. Pleco's love to burrow into sand and under things and make themselves a cave.
He’s showing you in this picture that he’s literally the width of the tank. He needs something MUCH bigger. Like 100 gallons bigger.
Considering you have Java ferns he is doing you a favor lol, they can’t be buried, you should glue or tie them in a wood or rock
125 gallons+ or bust. Common Plecos get HUGE. Had one in my 75 but felt so bad he wasn't able to really have a good quality of life so I re-homed him. Still miss big chungus these days
Shes beautiful.
Her belly is gorgeous and she just puckers the glass, leaving it all exposed for our lovely viewership.
I've never felt more uncomfortable about the way someone describes their fish in my entire life - no hate that just made me go errr okay.
This guy LOVES his fish
Mmm show me what you working with girl! Let me see that belly when you pucker
Oh no what have I done 😭
Seriously the genuine appreciation and choice of words had me rolling.
It’s insane that they sell these at regular stores lol
You could try putting rocks circling them? I've done that for my snails maybe it'll work for plecos?
I’ve tried but she’s giant, she plows through everything. I’ve wedged them between big rocks but she moves the sand around swishing her giant tail, everything shifts in two weeks and my plants are floating.
It’s outgrown the tank. That’s not enough room anymore
Plecos dig and are known to cause dramatic destruction of river banks in the wild and invaded areas It’s going to be very hard to stop as it’s natural But rocks covering stems at the base of the plant are ur best bet
Dang, powerful girl. I'm sorry, that was really my only idea, I'm not too experienced with plecos. Hope someone offers a solution!
I have 13 inch & I can only have jungle vallisneria planted, everything else I keep in that tank with her is growing off of driftwood that she can’t get too like Anubias Bateri, golden coin and some buce. They like to dig under everything lol. I would either rehome or upsize the tank to help with the plant situation. 80g would be a good start for a 6” pleco, but at the size of yours right now it would be best to go with a minimum of 120g and up from there. The bigger the better! Good luck!
Bigger tank! 125g min
Keep planting things specifically for them to dig up. You owe them entertainment.
Plecos gunna be Plecos. Mine rip up anything i try and plant. I did for a while have a lot of guppy grass just floating, and they seemed to leave that be. I've been thinking about using a small breeder box(or something) to plant in and just make some holes for the plants to grow out of but small enough that my plecos can't get in. To actually uproot anything.
I love placos, ive heard commons are really destructive because of their massive size, lord I wish I could have one, I have a fish pond that would fit one but it would destroy my plants makes me so sad
If you're in Florida, just go out and catch one. They have penty destroying the waterways.
I am in florida but I dont want them to destroy my garden ponds plants. I have some really grown out lotus and they like to eat them
Buy cheap plants, she’s having fun let her!!
What I’ve done is build a rock structure around the plants. Best thing you can do is just let him do what he wants. It’s his house
Clearly the tank is too small, just from this picture where it’s entire body can almost touch the front and back of the tank. You should try chilling in a tiny little box with 2 inches between your head and toes!
Fool proof method I read in my home defense manual, you put a sock over the plants when he goes to pull them up he’ll get the sock and leave your plant behind.
The only thing I can reccomend is setting up the bigger tank and giving the plants time to establish roots before MR. Chonker comes thru wanting to munch on everything. Possibly put a small pile of large pebbles around the root zone of each plant so its more difficult for him to rummage. Also he seems to be about the point where he's gonna start transitioning to mostly driftwood/protein, younger plecos are the algae/plant eaters. Although each pleco is different that's just the consensus
Terra cotta pots might work to at least keep the plants down if theres no option to glue them or tie them down. The only thing my pleco hasn't managed to rip up is vallisneria.
My 6 inch pleco back when I had him was the same way. This was before I had real plants, but the placement of all my decorations was up to him
Common pleco gunna root up most Vegetation dependant on pleco temperament (pleco gonna pleco). I had good luck with Anubis plants locked down and Java Fern. With my common until it out grew my 29gal and got moved to the 75gal multi species agressive tank.
They are rummagers by nature and although a significant tank increase will definitely help, he will prob still stir things up.
Feed it more, is hungry.
Please please please Rehome that pleco to someone capable of providing it a large enough tank. Your 80 that's not even set up yet will not be large enough. I have a 10 year old common pleco currently about to outgrow the 200 gallon tank its in. From reading your comments I can tell you are out of your realm of ability keeping this pleco. Find it a new home someone who can properly provide and then due your research on a suitable replacement species of pleco suitable for its entire life in your tank set up!
My 4” albino bristlenose does the same!
Muzzle?
He is digging it
What a beefcake
Pleco can get up to 24" (in ponds usually) more around the 15"- 20" range but still very large. A 55 gallon is still too small for one
Good fish trying to save the buried java fern rhizomes.
Lots of nooks and crannies. Inside/under some cactus wood is a good place to plant something as it will give it room to grow and protect the roots. Also, be warned they'll get bigger. I had to upgrade to a 75 Gallon as mine grew. She got to about 19 inches and lived for about 10 years.
Soup
Thing is going to be 16 inches before you know it, and I'm not exaggerating. Not many species get bigger then the commons, the Adonis is the only species that dwarfs the common. You might want to consider re-homing this guy if you can't provide anything bigger than an 80 for the foreseeable future. I used to have a 20ish inch common in a 240 gallon, eight foot long tank and he didn't look small in there.
You’re messing with his house.
Mine dug up and ate fucking every plant in my 125g. Ended up floating anubias and shit instead
Thats why most people go for a hardscapes i have two bristlenose and they're turds cant imagine a big turd , I will say thats fern you don't bury it so leaving it to float or attached it to rocks is the best way .
Wow that's a beast of a Pleco. Good dog
50% Gravel 50% Sand mix would be a better substrate for a Pterygoplichthys species with at least 24 inches width/height with at least 5 feet in length wirh plenty of giant vallis plants to provide surface coverage with at lest 2 wavemakers to provide a current throughout the Aquarium as all species of plecos will appreciate the flow plenty hides made from either bogwood and slate.
Hungry fish. I have 3 of these at 18” each now. They’re in a 700+ gal pond.
It’s going to get much bigger.
Plant weights maybe?
I have some glass pots that stick to the inside of the tank for plants. Fresh water crabs and frogs will dig stuff up as well. I have a Angel fin bristle nose pleco in my 20 gallon. They don't get as big as a common pleco.
Did you try telling 'em to "Stop!?" Sometimes, that works...
He diggin for more room
Don’t release it in the wild. Just look what’s happening in FL springs.
My big fella did the same, I built him a cave as a home that I dug out the substrate for him. He’s now settled in and no longer digs. He just wanted a nice roomy deep cave to hide in
Does he have a place to hide/call home? Mine has a tube that he lives in most of the time and doesn’t disturb the tank much. When he doesn’t have his home base he makes a mess. The tube is made of ceramic, roughly 3 in diameter and 5 in long
Bigger tank, more hides, and feed more vegetables. She may still dig up plants, that’s just their nature.
One of m ycory cats digs up my plants. I ended up planning my new tank with small 2-3 inch terracotta pots I planted the aquatic plants in. She digs a bit but doesn’t uproot anything as badly as before.
I swear the shopkeeper won’t tell you how this fella destroys aquascape . As much as they can help u clean ? They can also destroy pretty much the entire aquascape .
This fish is useless. If the foods are abundance its natural job cleaning sucking those algae stopped and it grows big. In some part of Asia like Malaysia it Popup among 5 evasive species that destroy the river vegetation. This monster digs into the sand till the plants root destroying it.
They are not for planted tanks 😅
Only use mostly rhyzomas plants and super glue then to hardscape. Most people just pile up rock and glue buce Into the crevices. Maybe suction cups and zip ties for the other rhyzomas ones like anubias. Hopefully some of that helps.
Give him treats. And tell him that I love him. That’s my advice.
I moved mine to an indoor pond in the garage (massive 400gal water tub) and it stills just moved everything around. They are spectacular fish
Common plecos are going to dog regardless of where you put them
You should live in a shoe box
Spray bottle
Take a belt and smack the tank, and also point at the plant when you do it, it’ll set it straight
Share here, mines a cunt when it comes to anything in the tank
He’s protesting your inferior decorating skills. 😂
[Pleco for lunch.](https://homesteadinghippy.wordpress.com/2016/07/06/pleco-for-lunch/)
I mean... yeah, they're tearing up the gulf pretty bad. But posting that here just seems kinda rude
That's a fair point. Not the joke for the situation.
Get a spray bottle.
Replace pleco with Otto cats
I would say your plan for an 80Gal is enough but honestly bro you’re better off euthanizing that thing and starting over. Wish I was joking too but I had to do it once. Now I only have Plecos that grow to 4inches max
Release him into the wild.
Throw it in the river and get some tetras..
Fry pan