Pleco Growth rate

[Bassinkorea]

I have read stories from certain people and places that plecos tend to grow big and grow fast. How true is this ??

The reason I ask is because I have had a pleco now for over one year and he doesn't seem to have grown at all.

Here's a photo of him....he's about 4 inches long.

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t74/bassinkorea/DSC01189.jpg

[angelcakes]

it is true pleco grow fast depending on what diet you give them,more fatty foods eg tubifex, oily pellets and meat such as prawns increase there growth rate,flakes algea wafers and vegtables eg cucumber will keep them at a slow but manageable growth rate.my pleco is now 12-14 inches long:19:

[Lady Hobbs]

I can't tell a pleco hardly from some of the other catfish species. They look very much the same in some ways. I have featherfins that will top out at maybe 8 inches........close to 6 now.......but there are so many different species of catfish. Is yours a common pleco? I don't know what their growth rate is per year.

[Bassinkorea]

I can't tell a pleco hardly from some of the other catfish species. They look very much the same in some ways. I have featherfins that will top out at maybe 8 inches........close to 6 now.......but there are so many different species of catfish. Is yours a common pleco? I don't know what their growth rate is per year.

I'm not sure kind of pleco it is....I posted the photo in this thread in the hope that somebody here could tell me :11:

[Billythefish]

Angelcakes has it all sorted, i dont feed my pleco i just let it eat the green slime off the glass and it gets the odd flak that the other fish dont eat, a big pleco needs a big tank and thay sure get moody when thay are 1ft+ can be tank smashers! Looks like a sailfin pleco to me

[angelcakes]

Angelcakes has it all sorted, i dont feed my pleco i just let it eat the green slime off the glass and it gets the odd flak that the other fish dont eat, a big pleco needs a big tank and thay sure get moody when thay are 1ft+ can be tank smashers! Looks like a sailfin pleco to me
they need for a large pleco a good sized tank 6-8 ft is best.......i agree , sail fin if this is the case then these dont grow as big as a common pleco.these will grow to about 12 inches and then there abouts stop growing,:19:

[mp3rp]

Wow that a nice looking fish. It looks a lot bigger than four inches in the picture. How big is you bass since it hasn't eaten you pleco?

(I'm not saying he will eat him but a bass will eat anything that he can fit in his mouth, sorta like a catfish)

[Bassinkorea]

Thanks for all your answer and help.



Wow that a nice looking fish. It looks a lot bigger than four inches in the picture. How big is you bass since it hasn't eaten you pleco?

(I'm not saying he will eat him but a bass will eat anything that he can fit in his mouth, sorta like a catfish)


Thanks. That photo was a very close up shot.
My bass is around 11 ~ 12 inches and they both get on really well, I think that's because the pleco was in the tank before the bass. I would say that my pleco would be able to fit in my bass's mouth (just), but he seems to have no intention to eat my pleco.

[donvichu]

Its a nice pleco...my guess is that its a common pleco and if that is the case then they tend to grow really big :c12:

[Bassinkorea]

Thanks, so if it is a common pleco, how come it hasn't grown in the last 12 months ??

What is the growth rate for a common pleco....??

[Deftec]

I had one for a few years and he got ridiculously huge. I had to give him away just because I didn't have a tank to keep him in.

[angelcakes]

Thanks, so if it is a common pleco, how come it hasn't grown in the last 12 months ??

What is the growth rate for a common pleco....??
it can take years for a pleco to grow to a good size

[donvichu]

Mine has grown atleast an 1/2 of an inch in 2 months...:hmm3grin2orange:

[abaigael04]

Mine grew to 5 " REALLY fast (got him at an inch in Aug of last year - he has been 5" for maybe 2 months?) but has since slowed his growth. Maybe they hit a certain size and slow down and since yours is around 4" he might grow more slowly. I give mine wafers, any algae on the tank (that rubberlips doesn't eat first) and veggies for my clowns that he shares (watermelon being the favorite at the moment). He hasn't tried to eat anything that wasn't sitting on the bottom, yet. just a thought

[cocoa_pleco]

Thanks, so if it is a common pleco, how come it hasn't grown in the last 12 months ??

What is the growth rate for a common pleco....??

yep, he's a common, since you have a 138g, he will be good there his whole life, usually 150g is the minimum for them

all of mine have been slow growers, 8 years ago i had 2 commons that were about 3" when i bought them, and 3 years later they were no bigger than 5". I sold them so i have no update for them

for my 90g, i bought a 4" pleco about 8 months ago and hes barely gained a inch, i bought another 12" pleco for my 90g off of a ad, and he has grown maybe about a inch since i got him 5 months ago