The Third Most Abused Fish?

[Rue]

Goldfish are Number One and bettas are Number Two.

I think common plecos are Number Three.

I'm trying to get more info. about their care but off the top of my head I find many people think the following.

1. Plecos are good algae eaters. Every tank needs one.

As far as I know, they're okay algae eaters when little, and poor algae eaters as adults. Every tank doesn NOT need one.

2. They're good for goldfish tanks.

No. They're tropical. Goldfish are coldwater.

3. They eat poop.

No. NOTHING eats poop. YOU clean poop by removing it.

4. You shouldn't feed them, or they'll get lazy.

No, they'll STARVE and die.

5. If they outgrow my tank I'll put them in a pond.

If it's not warm enough in the pond, they'll die.

6. If they outgrow my tank, my petstore will pay big bucks for them.

No they won't.

7. If they outgrow my tank, someone will pay big bucks for them.

No they won't.

The other really sad thing is, that there are small species available that do make great community tank members. Yet, the LFSs seem to mainly carry the large species. And there's so little good advice given about their care.

[Incredulous_Ed]

I think you're right. Plecos are very abused. Another word on plecos in goldfish tanks, they will often harrass the goldfish by sucking on their sides.

[gm72]

Rue, nice post. I agree wholeheartedly. Thankfully we knew what we were getting into when we got our plecos, but so many people see these cute little guys and add them to their tanks having no idea what they will become. This is also a problem with VERY large fish like red belly pacus. No fish store should even sell them, IMO. They can get up to 4 FEET long in the wild.

[cocoa_pleco]

plecos are abused too much. This thread needs a sticky for sure. ive seen fullgrown plecos in 20g long tanks for sale, and the poor things couldnt even move.


Pacus, oscars, jack dempseys, and convicts also get big, yet people keep them in small tanks

[Drumachine09]

To add to this, during the recent years of the hit animated movie "finding nemo" came out, i was talking to the guy at petco, and he said clownfish sales skyrocketed, and the next day TONS of people came back with dead fish. Turns out, they put them in freshwater. Its a no-brainer people, come on.

I will never get a clownfish....EVER, for the simple fact that i cant STAND it when people call them, " nemos"

[cocoa_pleco]

i know, calling them nemo's ticks me off. i went to a lfs a year ago, and i said "how much is the clownfish?" the guy said "oh, the nemo, hes 40$"

I as like WTF, how is that a nemo?

[GoldLenny]

Good article/post!


Goldfish are Number One and bettas are Number Two.

I think common plecos are Number Three.

100% AGREED!!!!! I've owned all three and still own goldfish. You'll read about my pleco a little later in this post. My betta died earlier this year at the age of 6 years.


I'm trying to get more info. about their care but off the top of my head I find many people think the following.

1. Plecos are good algae eaters. Every tank needs one.

As far as I know, they're okay algae eaters when little, and poor algae eaters as adults. Every tank doesn NOT need one.
Agreed for the most part but my four year old 10" Common (Liposarcus Pardalis) did keep my 65G goldfish tank spotless except for some algae that would grow on the flimsiest of plants. He got too big for doing flimsy plants.



2. They're good for goldfish tanks.

No. They're tropical. Goldfish are coldwater.

Depends on the temp of the goldfish tank. Many fancy goldfish are kept in tanks in the mid 70's F and since they are kept at room temp, often times the water is even in the high 70's F. Most of the common plecos are good with mid 70's water according to PlanetCatfish and PlecoFanatics. In July 2005, I adopted/saved a 4" common pleco that had lived in a 10G tank for it's first two years. I thought it would be permanently stunted but in the two years I had it, it grew to 10" in my 65G tank. My goldfish tank was only supposed to be a temporary home until I could buy two 125G tanks (one for my goldfish and one for my tropicals) but Hurricane Katrina changed my plans. BN plecos are more common tank mates for fancy goldfish but in either case, as the pleco matures, it should be rehomed since they are mostly nocturnal and when they go lumbering around the tank at night, it keeps the goldfish up and stresses them out causing potential health issues. When they are smaller than the goldfish, they aren't usually a bother to the goldfish.


3. They eat poop.

No. NOTHING eats poop. YOU clean poop by removing it.

99% agreed although there is the "Scat" (Scatophagus argus - scatophagus means "eater of feces") which will eat fish waste but it should be kept in BW tanks as adults but can be kept in FW as juvis. http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile56.html


4. You shouldn't feed them, or they'll get lazy.

No, they'll STARVE and die.

100% AGREED!!! My pleco was an eating, pooping machine... they might be the only fish that can out eat and out poop a goldfish on an ounce for ounce contest.


5. If they outgrow my tank I'll put them in a pond.

If it's not warm enough in the pond, they'll die.

Agreed unless you live on the equator and have the pond heated for occasional times where the temp may drop.


6. If they outgrow my tank, my petstore will pay big bucks for them.

No they won't.

50% Agreed. Most petstores will not accept trade ins but many LFS will accept trade-ins of large plecos and give you store credit for 50% of their resale value. I just moved and since my pleco was getting too big for my 65G tank, I decided to trade him in (since I didn't know anyone with a large enough tank to rehome him) and my LFS gave me a $25.00 store credit since they sell my sized plecos for $49.99 to people with large cichlid tanks. My guy will make someone a GREAT algae eater for the next 20-30 years! Not big bucks considering how much money I spent on food in the past two years.

Some LFS even encourage this trade-in deal to their customers so the LFS can sell baby plecos to folks with undersized tanks and tell the people to bring them back in a year. Then the LFS can resell the larger pleco for a much higher price and didn't have to spend the money feeding it or buying larger specimens. This should not be done with a newbie fish keeper since it would be more likely that the pleco will get sick or die... but for experienced fishkeepers who want an inexpensive algae eater in their 20-30G tank for a year, it's a win-win deal.


7. If they outgrow my tank, someone will pay big bucks for them.

No they won't.

Agreed. It's hard for the average fish keeper to find someone to buy the fish but see above.


The other really sad thing is, that there are small species available that do make great community tank members. Yet, the LFSs seem to mainly carry the large species. And there's so little good advice given about their care.
Agreed about the smaller species. The various "common pleco" species got the name because they are so "common" and such a hardy fish and a great algae eater as a baby/juvi. They are still good at keeping the glass clean as adults but they don't do as good on the flimsy plants and smaller ornaments. I've read stories of them jumping out of an uncovered tank or a tank busting, etc. and the dang fish lives for hours out of water only to be put back in water and be back to normal within hours... when most other fish would be belly up.

[Drumachine09]

Agreed unless you live on the equator and have the pond heated for occasional times where the temp may drop.



I have to dissagree with that. You should never, and i mean NEVER, release an aquarium fish into any body of water. Not only is it irresponsible on your part, but it is quite possible that it could change the entire ecosystem. To add a link to the middle of a chain, you first, must cut it in half.

[cocoa_pleco]

wait, goldlenny, do you mean a natural pond or a man-made koi pond? a natural pond is VERY irresponsible, and it ruins the ecosystem, but a man-made koi pond with a pleco could work

[Drumachine09]

wait, goldlenny, do you mean a natural pond or a man-made koi pond? a natural pond is VERY irresponsible, and it ruins the ecosystem, but a man-made koi pond with a pleco could work



Still wouldnt do it.

[cocoa_pleco]

Still wouldnt do it.

Thats right too. It CAN be done, but shouldnt. the temperature could fluctuate at night

[Chrona]

Still wouldnt do it.

If it's a self contained man made pond, it makes no difference. It'd be no different than a koi pond.

[Drumachine09]

If it's a self contained man made pond, it makes no difference. It'd be no different than a koi pond.


Still wouldnt do it.

[Rue]

Good points guys...

Lenny...you're right, of course. I was making broad generalizations...

...there are always (generalizing! ;)) exceptions to the rules!

I have always liked plecos! I'd like to see them 'wanted' instead of being 'used' as a tank maid service...

[Drumachine09]

Good points guys...

Lenny...you're right, of course. I was making broad generalizations...

...there are always (generalizing! ;)) exceptions to the rules!

I have always liked plecos! I'd like to see them 'wanted' instead of being 'used' as a tank maid service...



I want a zebra pleco. But if i had $2,500 to spend, it would be on a 125 reef tank with sump and HUGE lights........*droools*

[GoldLenny]

I was replying to an "owned" pond not connected to a natural waterway. People all around the world have ponds with various non-indigenous species of fish kept in them (Goldfish, Koi, etc.). Sure, a hurricane could come through and flood the entire area releasing all of the fish into the wild (this happens in Florida on a regular basis with all of the tropical fish farms down there and happened in my area in 2005 with Hurricane Katrina) but this could also happen if you have a regular aquarium in your home and flood waters cause the fish to be release from your tank (the flood waters from Hurricane Katrina were 6 - 10 feet deep in some areas of the City Of New Orleans).

[Severus]

Great post! You brought up some very good points! I have a common pleco in my 100gal and he is in there because i got him for his beauty and i enjoy plecos. i didnt get him just so he can eat algea. Too many people buy fish for a purpose/ job. Which is obviously not how it should be.

[Zerileous]

Ill second that, I was at my cell phone store when one of the workers came in and asked the other if he could take some plecos (one 5" and one 9"). Unfortunately his tank(s) were too small, and the person who owned them (hopefully in the posession of a responsible aquariast) would have to kill them if she couldn't find them a home. Very sad.

While the LFS and whatnot bear some responsibility for this, people need to do some research. I mean even as simple as reading the tag at wal-mart would tell you that you shouldn't get the pleco for your 10 gallon tank.

[RobbieG]

My wife's favorite fish out of all the fish in all my tanks is a 6" pleco I have in one of my 30's - It was destined for the 72 - but my wife like the fish so much that I get to get a bigger tank just for the pleco

*crafty smile*