The Oscar and the Pleco.....

[AL E KAT]

I was not sure where to post this??? With the C and S Cichlids or with the Plecos???

Anyway I have now a 6 inch oscar Gurdgetta. Boy they do grow fast 3 months ago she was only an inch to an inch and a half. However I am getting very concerned about my little pleco that I have had for 6 months. She has not grown a bit. She is only one and a half to two inches long. She is a rubberlip, rubbernose, bulldog pleco. She spends most her time in between the big rocks where Grudgetta can not get to her.

I was hopeing you all could tell me if I need to chase the pleco down and fish her out. I know a pleco can kill an oscar as she is eating it they both can die. Or is the pleco fast enough to get away if I have the rocks for her to run to??? Is having them together a bad idea???

I thought the pleco would be bigger by now??? I guess she is like Hick-Up (my Blood Parrot) a very slow grower???

Does anyone else keep a small pleco like this with an oscar??? Or is it a disaster waiting to happen???

 

[Sarah88]

rubber lip and bristlenose plecos do not get large, only a couple of inches so they wont get as big as the common plecos or sailfins if that it what you were wanting, as long as the pleco has hiding spots to go to it should be ok, your oscar probably wont mess with it since its on the deco and not really swimming around

and yeah Os are fast growers and are super messy to boot, make sure to keep up on your water quality as he his growing and you shouldnt have any problems

 

[JteSchertz]

Not to hijack your thread but what are you feeding your blood parrot? I feed mine a combination of pellets and frozen shrimp/bloodworms. They are really growing and there color is amazing.

 

[WarrendaFish]

If you got extra tanks/space I would say separate them. Your Oscar will reach over a foot and the pleco will not. It depends on your Oscar's personality. My O killed a cool pleco I had and got a nasty gash in the process.. That was years ago , but potentially, both fish could get injured or worse. If you have the space why take the chance?

 

[Otherone]

Theres no real comparison in size with Rubberliped Plecs and Oscars 12+" to 2-3". Rubberlipped are one of the smallest species of Plecs and could never in a million years harm an Oscar.

 

[AL E KAT]

Thanks all : ).

WarrendaFish - I do not have another aquarium and LOL I do not want another aquarium. One is enough, LOL .

Sarah88 - I was looking for a pleco that would not get huge I was told that this pleco would get up to 6 or 7 inches. However I do not see that happening anytime soon. Also I am great at keeping up water quality and doing weekly water changes. I have been doing them for about 5 to 6 years now.

I do not want anyone to get harmed so I guess I will fish him out sometime this week and give him to a LFS. I would like to keep him and if I thought no one would get hurt I would.

Not to hijack your thread but what are you feeding your blood parrot? I feed mine a combination of pellets and frozen shrimp/bloodworms. They are really growing and there color is amazing.

I feed Hick-Up pellets and bloodworms. I hope he starts growing soon. However he might be growing because I have been measureing him next to grudgetta my oscar and it looks like he is not growing at all when I size him next to her.

 

[JteSchertz]

Thanks all : ).
I feed Hick-Up pellets and bloodworms. I hope he starts growing soon. However he might be growing because I have been measureing him next to grudgetta my oscar and it looks like he is not growing at all when I size him next to her.

Well I hope your little guy starts growing for you, sounds like he has a great home!! Love the name you picked for him.

 

[AL E KAT]

Well I hope your little guy starts growing for you, sounds like he has a great home!! Love the name you picked for him.

Thank You . I really adore him. I just laugh to myself everytime I see him. I think he looks like a little muppet swimming around the aquarium.