New Pleco owner

KittyNyanNyan · Aug 12, 2006

I just got a new pleco today, it's about 7-8 inches. Since I'm new to the whole Pleco owning thing, I thought it'd be okay if I asked some questions here?

I've been reading the threads in this forum, and it seems that I have a common pleco. I was wondering what I should feed it, mostly veggies and a prawn as a treat every once and awhile? Or just give it some sinking shrimp pellets and algea wafers?

And I have it housed with a 3" tiger oscar and a 5" albino oscar. Is that okay? Right now the oscar are pretty much intimidated by the Pleco, but I'm aware of the Oscar's aggresive habits and the size of the pleco. Will housing them toghet cause problems such as fighting?

Any help would be very much appreciated!
Thank you.

milkman407 · Aug 12, 2006

Hes fine with the oscars dont worry about that... feed him algie wafers untill your tank builds up enough algie then he will be fine for life basicly... every now and then feed him some stuff like cucumber and outher greens

dr_sudz · Aug 12, 2006

I feed mine algae waffers from time to time but it is also good to have some drift wood in the tank for the Pleco to chew on for some ruffage. If you see algae in your tank you have enough for the pleco to live on. No worries.

davo · Aug 12, 2006

KittyNyanNyan said:
I was wondering what I should feed it, mostly veggies and a prawn as a treat every once and awhile?

i think you were right first time (quote). it aint gunna live off algae for its life. but pellets and algae wafers would be ok, but theres no denying that fresh veggies are better, and give the pleco some decent roughage, (but not lignin from bogwood, but its not thought as a necessity at all for this species) and a balanced diet.
good luck :thumbsup:

gomezladdams · Aug 12, 2006

I keep mine with an oscar they get along fine.Thier favorite food is brown algae I rotate rocks from my other tanks for him to graze on.I also feed blanched zuchinni,peas carrots,and a homemade veggie shrimp squid mix I made for my mbuna.he gets plenty of meaty bits from oscars table scraps.

KittyNyanNyan · Aug 13, 2006

Aw, thanks everyone for the quick replies!

Well, from what I've seen, either my Pleco is establishing his place in the tank, or is just plain mean, because he just ripped my Tiger Oscars bottom fins..

Is that normal behavior?

And how would I promote healthy algae growth, without making the water all gross and icky and unhealthy for the Oscar?

KittyNyanNyan · Aug 13, 2006

Oh and also, ((sorry for a double post ><)) I was wondering how large a Common Pleco would grow.

The petstore I bought it from told me it owuld grow well over a feet, telling me it was a giant Pleco or whatever, but I'm pretty sure they had no idea what they were talking about it...

..It was an Asian FOB petstore after all...

davo · Aug 13, 2006

chances are it will grow to 2 ft, but if it aint Hypostomus plecostomus and is Hypostomus punctatus then it wont grow much bigger than 13". there are also crosses that occur and so their max size can be a bit smaller that 2ft, but probably in 16-18" mark. theres a few common plecs out there... but 2ft is most probable.

some plecos can be territorial and aggresive, and some will "hunt" slime coats because they dont have enough protein, but depends on the individual.

well having nitrates and good lighting will promote algae growth, but a healthy well fed plec shouldnt need to eat it anyway, if it eats algae, its a bonus, but you shouldnt want to try and cultivate it.

ewurm · Aug 13, 2006

Congrats on the new pleco. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine. Next step: Different species.


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