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ok curiosity question. i'm having the hardest time finding a pleco that will stay under 7 inches. all the shops near me say they cant get them. so my question is about the common pleco, i know they get large, but how long does it take? because i need to get one or two for my 150g, and one for my 55g. any info is cool. ty

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

A well-fed common pleco will reach about seven inches in length in 1 - 1.5 years. I suggest that you just get one, and first put it in the 55 gallon but then in the 150 gallon once it gets too large.

Common Plecos aren't very good algae eaters anyway, so your tanks will be fine without one.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

well, just to tell you, mine has grown from 2.5 to 4.5 inches in just over three months!

well i need to find some that are good for algea for both tanks. i'd love to find a few whip tails, if i can get a shop to order them for me

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

well what kind of tank are u running, if u have small enough fishes than why not 40-50 ottos

or you can clean it by hand.

I agree with Bettachris in that you might as well put a large shoal of otos into each of your tanks, as 40 otos would probably be less on the bio-load than one common pleco, seeing that plecos create so much waste.

I concur. A large shoal of Otocinclus will be a LOT more manageable than a Common Plec, and what's more, will be a LOT more efficient at dealing with the algae!

Incidentally, if you're looking for something different, look out for a nice rarity that deserves to be FAR better known and more widely available in the hobby, in the form of Parotocinclus maculicauda. Here is a nice photo of one

This fish only grows marginally bigger than an Otocinclus, is less efficient as an algae eater than the true Otocinclus, but boasts lovely red pectoral fins that make it a real conversation piece. Put half a dozen of these alongside your regular Otocinclus and you can have the kudos of an unusual Loricariid AND an efficient algae eating team into the bargain!

Of course, if the budget will run to it, you could go for the Zebra Otocinclus, Otocinclus cocama, and have a REAL conversation starter in the aquarium ... but I suspect that option will be hideously expensive if you want more than 2 or 3 specimens!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

here is the stockings as of right now:

150g: 7 Zebra Danios, 3 red tail black sharks, 3 Opaline Gourami, 6 angels (various color), 3 Kuhli Loachs, and pair of green sword tails

55g: going to be a mild aggressive cichlid setup, with pictus cats for the bottom

problem with them in the 150, is that once the angels or sharks get larger, they would just become a snack. and same in the 55g. i've had the small fish, i want to move up in size

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Monkeyboy,

If you head over to Kzoo sometime we have some smaller plecos.

Clowns, BN, pitbull, Queen Arabesque, Leopard Frog and Whiptails.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

i'd love to. but gas prices are keeping me in Detroit for now. hopefully soon i'll get out of town. but what kind can you get ahold of out that way?

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

I just looked up the new ones we got in and edited my post. Gas prices do suck then you have to take the fish back 3 hours.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Dunno about the sharks but I've never had or heard of angels really bothering otos. Generally because they stay out of the way otos aren't bothered by most fish that could injure them. I wouldn't put them in an agressive cichlid tank but they generally do fine with fairly large or active fish. That still leaves the 55 though which a common plec won't fit in.

well it would, but not for along time. so i'll have to see what i can get ordered.

but i guess i'll try them in the 150, maybe get a dozen of them and see how it goes.

yea? how much do the whiptails normally cost?

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

At our store they are about 8 bucks.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Whiptails are hardy and good algae eaters (and not nearly as popular as they should be, IMO), but I'd be wary about putting them with large cichlids. Their elongated shape makes them more physically fragile than most other plecos (as in they could get injured easier), but I guess as long as the cichlids aren't super-aggressive it could work.

But if you notice any of the cichlids trying to take a bite out of the Whiptail, be prepared to separate it.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

well i'm going to for the first whiptail in my 150g with the not so large fish. but when i do get one for the 55g with cichlids. he will be the first one in there. and this is a very established tank that is in need of a pleco type fish. so he should be ok for about a week by himself

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

What kind of whiptail? The hemi/loricaria species and maybe "royal" farlos will work (sturistoma). Otherwise, I would advise strongly against it.

I was talking about this one...

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/604.htm

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

I probably would not, if I were you. This particular species is not particularly outgoing and will have trouble just dealing with the pictus cats, who are large and rowdy.

I've had several farlowella vittata in my tanks and they aren't really a good fish to put against abusive cichlids. Depends on just how agressive of tank your setting up but they are quiet, laid back, and will often just sit there while you pick them up or another fish runs into them. Otherwise they scoot a little to get out of the way but they both aren't going to fight back and aren't going to run away very fast from cichlids. Although when they really want to they can sling their head pretty hard. Mine would knock cories and otos out of the way to get food. I also had one swing it's head to hit a curious gourami and it accidentally slammed the glass so hard it killed itself. Generally though they just sit there and hope the other fish gets bored and leaves.