I hate common pleco's. Invasive, ugly, and commonly mistaken as good tank/pond cleaners. Sure they eat algae... but they produce alot of waste. What's better... algae which eats up nutrients produced from fish waste or more fish waste!? When ever I go to the stream and accidentally catch pleco's I do my local ecosystems a favor and kill em. 5 inches for a common pleco? He's ripping you off BIG TIME. What kind of "friend" is that!?