how long can a pleco live? what size tank is good for a 5 inch pleco? prefer to be alone? amount of food?

Question

i have a 2 n half yr old pleco that grew up with 2 mollies but they died 2 years ago..would he like to stay alone? kind of a jumpy fish bcuz we got em from someone that had little rascals.hes in a 10 gallon tank and im putting him into a 30 gallon tank tonite..i feed him one algea wafer every other nite..and somtimes give him tubex worms..should i feed him more?

anyone have a pleco that lives in a small tank that has exceeded life expectancy?? how much does it cost for a 55 gallon tank?? would the fish want any neighboors??

Answer 1

they do not grow to the size of thier tank. he will out grow the 30 gal but its good for now . your doing good with the feeding. ive had plecos that are 20 plus yrs old my mother had it for 15 yrs n ive had him for 6 yrs hes 28 in long n still growing.

Answer 2

Give him an algae wafer every night. If it was in a 10 gallon tank, it is probably severely stunted. A 30 gallon tank isn't going to help much either. Plecos get up to 2 feet long and need tanks of around 55 gallons to be healthy. A 30 gallon tank will still lead to an early death.

Fish don't grow to fit their tanks, that is stunting, which is killing the fish. When big fish are in small tanks, the fish stays the same size externally, but the organs continue to grow leading to organ failure.

Nosoop4u

Answer 3

I know of one that has lived for over 7 years (still alive). They grow to fit the size of their tanks. I saw one in a pet shop that was darn near 4.5 feet long!!