8in pleco in a 30 gallon tank

[sillypony]

Well, my grandma has 3 tanks- two better'n 55gall tanks, one salt water, and one with a 12-18" pleco with a gargantuan oscar. The last is the 30 gallon 'community'- a couple gouramis, a molly, a tetra... and an 8in-ish common plec.

He is SO cramped and I feel so bad for him. So my dillema is i have a 55gall (and i live in her house, no transport necessary) that is currently populated merely by danios. If i rescue this common, could he stay just long enough to grow out some and then live with the other plecin the oscar tank? If I did rescue him, would I still be able to get para plec's? How long (approx, with good food and frequent water changes) till he gets that big?

I would tell her to donate him back to the lfs, but she doesnt believe in trading in or selling or giving up her pets, so I dont think she would do it. Not only that but she doesn't understand how pitiful the poor guy looks in that tiny tank.

Any suggestions and such would be great

LeeAnna

 

[sandtiger]

If the oscar is with a 12-18" pleco in a 55g then I would consider the tank most likely overstocked depending on the amount of water changes being done. You would not be able to put the other pleco in there. This is not only because of bio-load reasons but also because plecos can be quite aggresive with their own species. I assume this are "common" plecos?

 

[sillypony]

Yes, they're commons. the tank isn't a 55, its bigger than 55, i'm just not sure how much bigger. To put a wild guess, maybe 75-90. I guess I'm going to have to talk her into donating him to a lfs or something. The poor guy is so cramped.