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Hello!
A fellow forum user is being given a 30 gallon tank...containing a pleco "as long as the forearm" of the former owner. Needless to say, they can't keep the pleco in such a small tank, and I've offered to adopt it. I have a bunch of questions!
My tank is 75 gallons, has no other fish yet, with a sand-capped soil substrate and live plants. Yes, that does mean it is not cycled yet. I'll be dosing with Tetra SafeStart and testing the water regularly. It has a heater and 2 extra large sponge filters, one at each end. I have one small piece of driftwood, and will be hopping to the local pet store to pick up some larger pieces before he arrives.
I understand that I may end up having to rehome him if he outgrows my tank, too, but it's certainly better than the 30 gallon he's stuck in right now! The original owner bought him as a cute little 2 inch catfish at either Petco or Petsmart, and weren't prepared for what he turned into. AQadvisor didn't raise any alarms at my tank size with a hypostomus plecostomus, and I've been told it's pretty conservative.
We're not sure of whether the pleco is male or female, or even what species it is, although both of us think Hypostomus Plecostomus is a good guess. I'll post pics as soon as I get permission to reuse the OP's photos, and then maybe someone here can confirm. He is approximately 3 years old.
Questions:
1) At what age should he achieve the majority of his growth?
2) Transport: This fish is going to have to deal with a 4 or 5 hour drive. We'll be meeting in the middle to transfer ownership, since no one wants to spend 8 hours of their day driving. Does anyone have any transport tips? Our current plan is to get an insulated Styrofoam cooler or one of those inexpensive plastic coolers you can buy at Rite-Aid, fill it about a third with tank water, and carry him directly. Is this safe? He's a bit big for a covered bucket, and a bucket doesn't have any insulation to keep his temperature steady during a long trip.
3) Care tips: This will be my first large fish. I'd like to give him the best care that I can, obviously, or else I'm not doing him a favor by adopting him. Here's what I've looked up. Are there any corrections or enhancements?:
- He needs driftwood.
- I need to feed him plenty of vegetables and algae wafers, or he'll have a lovely lunch of my live plants instead. He might nosh on the plants, anyway. If he does, he does.
- He's tropical, and wants warm temperatures. My current plan is 77-78 degrees.
- He should not be housed with others of the same species.
Now, how do I prepare that food, and how often should he be fed? Should I be making him a little salad? Giving him one type of vegetable a day and rotating?
I'll probably be getting him on the 13th or 21st, so there's plenty of time to prepare. :-D
A fellow forum user is being given a 30 gallon tank...containing a pleco "as long as the forearm" of the former owner. Needless to say, they can't keep the pleco in such a small tank, and I've offered to adopt it. I have a bunch of questions!
My tank is 75 gallons, has no other fish yet, with a sand-capped soil substrate and live plants. Yes, that does mean it is not cycled yet. I'll be dosing with Tetra SafeStart and testing the water regularly. It has a heater and 2 extra large sponge filters, one at each end. I have one small piece of driftwood, and will be hopping to the local pet store to pick up some larger pieces before he arrives.
I understand that I may end up having to rehome him if he outgrows my tank, too, but it's certainly better than the 30 gallon he's stuck in right now! The original owner bought him as a cute little 2 inch catfish at either Petco or Petsmart, and weren't prepared for what he turned into. AQadvisor didn't raise any alarms at my tank size with a hypostomus plecostomus, and I've been told it's pretty conservative.
We're not sure of whether the pleco is male or female, or even what species it is, although both of us think Hypostomus Plecostomus is a good guess. I'll post pics as soon as I get permission to reuse the OP's photos, and then maybe someone here can confirm. He is approximately 3 years old.
Questions:
1) At what age should he achieve the majority of his growth?
2) Transport: This fish is going to have to deal with a 4 or 5 hour drive. We'll be meeting in the middle to transfer ownership, since no one wants to spend 8 hours of their day driving. Does anyone have any transport tips? Our current plan is to get an insulated Styrofoam cooler or one of those inexpensive plastic coolers you can buy at Rite-Aid, fill it about a third with tank water, and carry him directly. Is this safe? He's a bit big for a covered bucket, and a bucket doesn't have any insulation to keep his temperature steady during a long trip.
3) Care tips: This will be my first large fish. I'd like to give him the best care that I can, obviously, or else I'm not doing him a favor by adopting him. Here's what I've looked up. Are there any corrections or enhancements?:
- He needs driftwood.
- I need to feed him plenty of vegetables and algae wafers, or he'll have a lovely lunch of my live plants instead. He might nosh on the plants, anyway. If he does, he does.
- He's tropical, and wants warm temperatures. My current plan is 77-78 degrees.
- He should not be housed with others of the same species.
Now, how do I prepare that food, and how often should he be fed? Should I be making him a little salad? Giving him one type of vegetable a day and rotating?
I'll probably be getting him on the 13th or 21st, so there's plenty of time to prepare. :-D
I was worried about the insulation because of the extremes of waaaaayyy too hot, and too cold in the car.
