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i recently bought a 2 inch common pleco for my 80g how many inches or cm do they grow a month, i need to know so i can find a bigger tank
it wont get along with my zebra plec

I’m curious to hear the dispute between your zebra and the small p. pardalis. I'm currently growing out two 3" p. joselamai in my zebra/L-270/L-174/L-262 tank (40g) that are ultimately destined for the pond, and I haven't noticed any of my hypancistrus bothering the two specimens and vice versa. An 80 gallon is sufficient, IMO, to permanently house one full grown p. pardalis/h. plecostomus; there’s really no need to upgrade.

I've seen indivduals slap on 4" in a year, but after they reach, oh, about 9", growth grinds to a near halt.

EDIT: question--what sex is your h. zebra?

Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 13-Oct-2005 03:54

i had 2 same size tanks with common plecos.
one tank had only 2 1inch oscars in it
the other had a half stocked community
so typically the first grew alot quicker but like perviously said after around 8 inches their groth rate isnt really noticable.

i have also had a angry common pleco, it all depends on the paticular pleco really

Properly fed, with lots of water changes, some driftwood, and plenty of space, I have grown dozens of common plecos from 2" to 12" within 12 months.

I am with Toirtus, as years ago, when they were the fad to have a large pleco in your tank, I used to buy them very small around 2 inches, and grow them out to about 12+ inches in about a year. However, I fed them good to get them to grow. Most people don't directly feed them, thinking they are good algae eaters, and this is all they eat. And thus they grow more slowly. But they have the potential to grow much quicker than most people think.

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There is always a bigger fish...

My zebra plec is male i think, and it chases my other plec arount until it finds a hiding spot that my zebra cant get in.
i got my zebra from a friend with a custom 300 gallon long
and he had a male and female and they bred so he gave me one, but isnt 6 inches to big for a zebra.

Last edited by Crazy_Coyote at 13-Oct-2005 18:12

That's unusually aggressive for ANY hypancistrus. Territoriality doesn't generally extended beyond the cave in which the fish takes up residence in. I've never heard of h. zebra reaching 6", or for that matter, even 4+". My oldest male is 3.5"

How can you tell it's a male?

Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 13-Oct-2005 21:09

its like a monster pleco
thats what i thought, it is white with vertical black stripes and loves feeder blocks.

Last edited by Crazy_Coyote at 14-Oct-2005 01:16

If the stripes are vertical, then it's certainly not a zebra; do you have any pics? There are quite a few species containing vertical black bands on white. Zonancistrus species are a bit rowdier than zebras, which could offer some sort of explanation for this activity.

Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 14-Oct-2005 09:32

I would also be interested in seeing pictures... perhaps we can get to the bottom of this "zebra" aggression.... *calls Dr. Fishy Phil...*

Wait, the stripes on his head are vertical and the ones on his body are kinda curved, ill get a photo soon.