how big is my pleco gonna get, what do i do if he gets too big?

Question

is there a common pleco? right now hes about 7 inches, his belly is a pale grey/brown elongated cream colored spots that almost form neat rows, there are similiar markings on his fins though caramel colored not cream, most of him is shades of brown with spots similiar to those of a great cat

Answer 1

Common plecos will get to be 18+ inches. If you can find a fish store to trade him in and get fish credit, I would do that. You don't want to stunt him. If your tank is big 55+ gallons, you will be fine, otherwise, I'd find him a new home. If you're looking for a bottom dweller, getting a small school of cories (4+) would work in a tank as small as a 10gallon.

Answer 2

Contrary to what one of the above posters said, it is not true at all that fish "grow to the size of their tank". The only reason people believe this is because they kill their fish while it is still young (and therefore still small) due to improper care.

The death of the fish is not directly related to the size of the tank, but is instead caused by the poor water quality that inevitably results from keeping a large fish in a small tank. This kind of death is slow and painful to the fish, and their rate of growth slows due to the fact that they have to spend all of their energy fighting off disease.

But back to the pleco... Chances are it is a Common Pleco (Pterygoplichthys pardalis). This species will eventually reach a length of 18 - 24" (I personally have seen and taken care of many in this size range), and are unsuitable for all but the lagest aquaria. They also produce tremendous amounts of waste, even compared to other fishes their size. A full-grown Common Pleco needs a tank of at least 300 gallons.

Additionally, they can become aggressive if they feel they do not have enough territory, which is another reason they are not a good fish for small tanks. Your pleco is pretty big... I would recommend you return him to the store and exchange him for a smaller species.

If your tank is at least 20 gallons, you can get a Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus spp.) or a Rubbernose Pleco (Chaetostoma thomsoni). If your tank is about ten gallons, you can get a couple Otos (Otocinclus spp, these guys can be sensitive to any water quality issues, though). All of these species are excellent algae eaters and stay small (6" or less).

Hope that helps.

Answer 3

Most plecos can get up to 24". There are variations with different sizes. You need to find out what kind you have. The generic pleco from the pet store can get big. I had one in my 55 and he got huge. I put him outside in my pond and he got bigger. He was around 14 to 16 inches when the hurricane hit. Too big for most tanks and you would have to supplement his diet. Talk to the people at a local pet store and see what species they carry or if they can get a smaller one for you.

Answer 4

It depends on what kinda pleco you got. Sadly, a lot of ones that you find in fish stores grow to well over 12 inches--too large for many tanks. There are some smaller species though, such as the zebra pleco (and several others).

Try searching aquariacentral.com and see if you can find a picture that looks like yours.

If he gets too big, you could try to find other folks in your area who may have bigger tanks with bigger fish that he would get along with. You could also try checking at your local fish store and seeing if they would take him for a large tank, or if they know anyone.

Answer 5

It will get MASSIVE.
I had a 20 gallon tank and a 1" pleco. After 3 years I had a 20 gallon tank and an 8" pleco!!!
Unlike a lot of fish, they don't grow to fit the tank. Most die before they get huge, but when they get that big, there's not a lot that can be done aside from trying to get someone else to take it, and as not many people keep enormous freshwater tanks like they do saltwater, it's not that easy. Mine died before I managed to get rid of it.
There are other algae-eaters you can get as pleco-alternatives.

Answer 6

Most have already answered your question. I will be dealing with "what do i do if he gets too big?"

First, what you must not do! Don't just throw your fish on rivers just to dispose it. It happened here in the Philippines and look what it have done now. We now have a major pest problem in Marikina because of owners of large pleco that just dump the fish on the river. (See: http://www.shorttext.com/qry52)

You can place an add on the newspapers about people who wants to keep your large pleco for a pet. If it doesn't work, you can donate it on zoos or on public aquaria.

Oh and one last thing. Don't kill it! It's not his fault he grow that big.

Answer 7

There are about 40 species of Plecostomus, many remain fairly small but a few types reach two feet in length. Most of the common plecostomus are bred in Florida now, and they are fairly common in many rivers and streams there (escapees). If he gets too big, many pet shops will trade and if so, try to get a bristle-nose (males have larger bristles), they stay smaller and may even breed for you.

Answer 8

What kind of pleco is he? They range from 4 inches or so to the big boys who can get up to two feet or more.

Answer 9

Fish well get as big as their environment will allow, which means , large tank, low number of fish, plentiful food supply, large fish. Small tank, few fish, average food supply small fish.