Pleco question

ddani740

Hello everyone.. I have had my 55 gallon for several years now. I would like to add a very beautiful pleco I saw at the local pet store. I have looked at him several times, but noticed his right fin sticks out to his side all the time and the other is down? The right fin never seems to move when I have looked at him. Does anyone know if this would mean there is something wrong with him? He is about 4 inches long and the nicest one they have. I don't want to make a purchase if there would be something wrong with him(or her). Any comments would be great.

Lupin

Welcome to Fishforum.com.

What species is that pleco?

ddani740

It is the Commen Pleco

Lupin

A 55 gallons won't accommodate a single Common Pleco. They can grow to 12 inches and more with the largest possibly 2 feet.

steverothery

That's all subjective. And if it gets too large you can always sell.

xingumike

Or take a responsible view and only buy a fish you can accomodate for life.

The large commons shoehorned into 2-3 foot tanks in LFS that have been returned by people with that view don't like that approach im sure.

Large commons are about the least saleable fish out there, you'll find yourself lucky to be able to give it away to someone with a suitable home.

Gump

Well said Mike.

Falina

I agree. If there is somebody you know right now that is willing to take it from you when it gets older that's a bit different but it's not adviseable to just return it to the lfs store as they're not easy to sell on so it could end up stuck in a small tank at the lfs store for quite some time, or they might not take it back at all because they'll know they will have difficulty trying to sell it.

steverothery

for a start, a 55gallon isnt 2-3ft. Its 4-4.5 ft, as i have one. And i know many folks who've had them and they just sit at the bottom anyway when they are that large- lazy buggers. Also i even know a couple of mates with bloody 7ft long tanks must be at least 120gallons they hardly bother there ass moving.

55 gallon is a huge tank - and i doubt itll grow 2ft in there - probably 12-13 inches is more likely.

Whats your "recommendation" then for a Common Pleco? This isn't a strict science, you might think 70 gallons, some might say 60 - who's to say who is right? SUBJECTIVE.

xingumike

1) The 2-3 ft tank i referred to was the ones i see them in at LFS' not the 55 gallon, read my post.

2) Imho ideally a tank should be at least 4 times the length of the fish and twice the width and height so for what i consider to be a 'common' pleco (Pterygoplichthys pardalis) thats a 4x2x2 tank, or 120 gallons if my maths is correct. Your assumption it will only grow to 12-13 inches is probably correct but only because you are getting species mixed up.

3) If a fish doesn't grow to its full adult size due to the size of the tank, thats called stunting, a whole different issue.

4) All the above is my opinion only, but then thats the whole idea of a forum, an exchange of ideas/opinions, i offered mine as i would like to think i know a little about pleco keeping (i have kept over 14 different sp.) Before ddani purchased this fish he/she has asked the question which i think is great, shows forward planning and with over 500 different species of Loricariidae out there perhaps a different one may be more suitable.

just my 2 cents....