How long do plecostamuses live?

Question

My plecostamus is about 11 inches long and lives in a fifty gallon aquarium with a gold fish, 4 black skirt tetras, and a dragon fish. I adopted him from a rescue organization where he had been kept in a 10 gallon tank four years ago. He was already 9 inches at that point. How fast do these guys grow? Is it plecostamuses or plecostami?

Answer 1

They can live many years if they are kept in a tank appropriate for their size-They get very big! Most don't get the proper care wich means a very big tank when they grow. My brother had his for about 12 years it may have lived longer but didn't move well when my brother did. Maybe you should look in an encyclopedia. or ask your local fish person

Answer 2

Most people just say pleco(s). The major problem with pleco is there are about 50 different species. It sounds like you have a "common" pleco, or sailfin pleco. The common pleco shouldn't grow more than a 1 foot, but the sailfin can get nearly 2 feet long. With good care he could live another 5-15 years.

PS- Note that I'm surprised that a 9 inch pleco needed to be rescued. Large plecos are a rare and valuable fish in the aquarium trade. The better local fish stores will often happily trade in this type of fish. As many people want them for tanks with large aggressive fish. (Plecos have armored scales and spikes. They tend not to get picked on.)

Answer 3

Common pleco's can live up to 20 years and reach sizes of 1-2 feet if not stunted.

Answer 4

I had one that lived for 7 years

Answer 5

They can live between 8 and 14 years if properly cared for. The smaller types like bristle-nose, rubber-lip etc tend to live a little less long, more like 6-8 years.
The plurral of Plecostomus is Plecostomus (ex: "My adult female plecostumus just has 20 baby plecostomous!" :) Or just "plecos".

Answer 6

well, it depends on what type of pleco it is, and how well you maintain the aquarium.

i had one last me 8 years once...just a common pleco. he got to be about 17 inches long, and about 4 inches wide....common plecos can get pretty big..especially if they are kept in a big tank, and are fed a large variety of foods they like such as cut up zuchinni, baby leaf spinach, algae wafers, baby snow peas, and bottom feeder pellets that have the crude fibers, and proteins and fats that their body needs to provide them with the correct vitamines they need to stay healthy and keep their immune system up to par to help fight and ward off disease.


try checking this site out. it should help you with whatever questions you may have about plecos, and the many varieties that there are available, and how to properly take care of them, how big they get, and all that great stuff!

http://www.plecofanatics.com


i hope it helps you out!