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1" isnt really that much.

I mean, from the tip of your fingernail to the first bend in your thumb is a little more than an inch (well it is for me at least)

But thanks.

We sell our "XL plecs" (anything over 14" for 19.99.

Can I prove beyond a shadow of a doubt they're pardalis? No - but they appear to me to be pardalis, and they're identical to every common plec I've ever seen for sale, in our area or any other.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

In the only reputable lfs near me, large (over a foot) common plecs sell for $25. They often have several in stock, even though the store is small. The fish were probably brought in by people who didn't know that the fish got so large.

Last edited by sirbooks at 04-Dec-2004 16:35

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Wow, good deals. I guess my LFS is just $$.

The plecos labelled large common at the lfs are 12" or more and sell for $10. Only plecos like the Royals (when they first got them) or Zebras sell for $30 or more.

How big do snowking plecos get?

EDIT** did 5 min of research and found thwy grow to 16" (according to planet catfish)

My one pleco is 13"

Last edited by victimizati0n at 04-Dec-2004 05:22

12" and larger are $25 at my store...

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Then it probably isn't a p.pardalis. Pics would be nice. Do they just bring them in or sell them? Even a common of that size will fetch 40+ bucks where I live.

Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 03-Dec-2004 22:07

Yup, our store got in a plec from someone's home tank about every week and a half, and the average size was 16". Most were more like 18" and still looked stunted! Crazy big fish, common plecos.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

True, however, a 16" inch plec (won't even reach that in the home aquaria)

We have a quite a few plecos that size (and larger) at the store I work at that people brought in from their homes...

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Using humans as a scale is quite unwise, especially in the case of fish. Fish are, among the vertebrates, the animals that change the most size from infancy to adulthood, there's no denying it. It is quite possible for a fish to grow an inch or more in a single month, just ask anyone who has spoiled their Red Tailed Catfish.

True, however, a 16" inch plec (won't even reach that in the home aquaria) cannot really be compared to a four foot RTC growth rate wise, either. Commons become sexually mature at around 6" at the minimum and about 10" at the maximum (the general rule of thumb is between 1/3-1/2 full length--in a lightly stocked aquarium, of course). Growing an inch in 2-3 months is not uncommon prior to this, however, once they hit maturity, growth becomes noticeably slower, perhaps once or two inches per year.

How fast do royal plecos or sailfins grow? The royals just went on sale for $8 and I'm considering one for my 55g. Wondering how fast it would get big and how well it would fit when it got to that point. With the new light I added there's algae showing up again and I just sold about 200 baby applesnails to the lfs. They also have sailfins for $3 but the size listed on here for those is quite large. Otherwise they get zebras in on occasion and I wanted one of those.. decisions.. decisions.. I need more tanks (and money). A pond! I should use my 6' x 3' x 3'deep stock tank and make a pond. Then of course I have to kick my guinea pigs out and build an actual cage for them. Space I need more space (and a 90g surfline to make a marine tank out of).

An inch per month? That's literally impossible. Most humans don't even grow at such a virgorous speed. I'd wager maybe a few inches a year, not much more than that. Development, as in all animals, slows with preceding age.

Using humans as a scale is quite unwise, especially in the case of fish. Fish are, among the vertebrates, the animals that change the most size from infancy to adulthood, there's no denying it. It is quite possible for a fish to grow an inch or more in a single month, just ask anyone who has spoiled their Red Tailed Catfish.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

An inch per month? That's literally impossible. Most humans don't even grow at such a virgorous speed. I'd wager maybe a few inches a year, not much more than that. Development, as in all animals, slows with preceding age.

My old common grew about an inch every month. In a year it was just shy if a foot long, when we had bought it it was the size of a kid's pinky finger. Tiny.

Sorry to hijack, but how fast does a common pleco grow?

Like in month wise ("It takes 5 months for it to grow 6" lkike that?

thanks

I wouldn't buy a royal or a sailfin pleco. They grow too large for a 55 gallon tank. Also, royal plecos are not good algae eaters, though sailfin plecs aren't too bad at it. I would buy some kind of smaller bristlenose instead. They are some of the best plecos at eating algae, are very *interesting* to look at, and stay fairly small. Yup, a BN would be your best bet, in my opinion.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Algae is not a big concern. My little otos are doing alright and I'm increasing the plants. I just want to add something like a pleco but my lfs rarely stocks plecos. They are out of bns and I have one in my cichlid tank. The royals look cool but I know they will outgrow my tank. I'm just wondering if it would outgrow it before I get a bigger tank in a year or 2. Looks like sailfins are out unless I get that 90g or bigger sometime soon.

No. definitely not the same thing. The imperial (or royal) tiger pleco, LDA71, is an ancistrinae sp, growing only to the aformentioned 6-7". True royals, panaque nigrolineatus ssp., grow to nearly 15" in length, with a 7+' wingspan. They grow slower than many plecos, though, and can be housed in a 55 gallon for a good while. Eventually, of course, a bigger tank is needed.

Sailfins grow fast, and grow large---even larger than royals.

Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 02-Dec-2004 09:40

My daughter has a Royal Tiger Pleco. If thats what you are talking about they get to at most 6", not to big at all. But they don't do great as clean up crew. They are mostly a pretty face. And they hide alot so you may not want them. My daughter paid $50.00 for hers and then had to get a reg pleco.