# Pleco and Betta?



## MidnightsSong (Feb 11, 2013)

I have a setup with a pleco at the moment but I was wondering how well a betta would do with her? Opinions?


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

How big is your tank? What sort of Pleco is it? How big is the Pleco?

It depends on the betta some are OK with tank mates some are not, I had a betta that ate 2 albino BN fry.


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## MidnightsSong (Feb 11, 2013)

NickAu said:


> How big is your tank? What sort of Pleco is it? How big is the Pleco?
> 
> It depends on the betta some are OK with tank mates some are not, I had a betta that ate 2 albino BN fry.


Tank is 55gal atm, but Pleco isn't even half grown yet. I believe she's a common pleco. TBH, I'm not 100% sure because a friend just dropped it on me when she moved out of state.

But yeah, I know about the Betta thing. I've had some that love tankmates/don't care and I've had others that hate everything.

I have heard before that Plecos are territorial? So I was curious how they'd feel about friends.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Common plecos get 24' and need 300g tanks (if they don't die of starvation or poor water quality from their massive amounts of poop first).

I'm really surprised they've been allowed into hawaii, they're extremely invasive in the southern states of the mainland, they'll wreak havoc if released into freshwater of the islands.
edit: pleocs are extremely territorial about other plecos. If you've manhandled you pleco you'll know it is very rough armor plated hide and has spikes.. a bettas fins are likely to get shredded if he gets near it.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

Feeding a Pleco.

Omega One Veggie Rounds
Hikari Algae Wafers
Kens veggie sticks.
Blood worm
Brine shrimp
Every now and again a tiny bit of OX heart
New Life Spectrum Thera Plus pellets.

*And they need fresh veggies.*
This is a list of vegetables and fruit that are popular with most plecs.

Zucchini/Courgette
Cucumber
Peas (deshelled)
Sweet Potato
Green Beans
Melon/Melon rind

Aubergine/Egg plant
Avocado
Broad Beans
Broccoli/Stalk
Butternut Squash+ other squash
Capsicum/Bell pepper(not the hot ones)
Cauliflower/Stalk
Carrot
Coconut
Grapes
Kale/Collard Greens
Kiwi Fruit
Lettuce
Lima Beans
Mango
Mushroom (common plecs and goldspots love mushroom)let it float,they will reach it.
Papaya
Potato
Pumpkin
Spinach
Sprouts
Swede
Tomato
Yam


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## MidnightsSong (Feb 11, 2013)

NickAu said:


> Feeding a Pleco.
> 
> Omega One Veggie Rounds
> Hikari Algae Wafers
> ...


Thank you! I am aware though! She gets cucumbers, carrots, and wafers. She hates lettuce! I also thought tomatoes were too acidic?


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## MidnightsSong (Feb 11, 2013)

Aqua Aurora said:


> Common plecos get 24' and need 300g tanks (if they don't die of starvation or poor water quality from their massive amounts of poop first).
> 
> I'm really surprised they've been allowed into hawaii, they're extremely invasive in the southern states of the mainland, they'll wreak havoc if released into freshwater of the islands.
> edit: pleocs are extremely territorial about other plecos. If you've manhandled you pleco you'll know it is very rough armor plated hide and has spikes.. a bettas fins are likely to get shredded if he gets near it.


Then maybe it's not a common? Is there a way I can tell? 
I also thought plecos only needed 75gal???!!!


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## Bettajungle (Feb 3, 2016)

I have a pleco she was with my betta until I moved him. They did fine together


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

MidnightsSong said:


> Then maybe it's not a common? Is there a way I can tell?
> I also thought plecos only needed 75gal???!!!


Only some smaller species can be kept in a 75g (like bristlenose pleco), because of their large bioloads most need 100g-200g. Common pleco is one of the largest species so it needs a bigger tank-should be 36" wide and high to give it room to turn around as an adult and 60" or longer to give a little swim room.

Can you post a clear photo of your pleco to help ID it?
Or you can google "common pleco" or "Hypostomus plecostomus" to compare photos with yours.

I kept a leopard sailfin pleco (Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps) for a time, they get to 18" and needs 200g tanks. Mine was producing SO MUCH POOP by 13" I had to re-home him, he was clogging up my canister filters constantly!

Btw plecos are catfish sooo you could always have fried catfish when it gets big.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Search images.

If you don't have a proper tank, her insides will grow but her outside will not, and she will die.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

ThatFishThough said:


> Search images.
> 
> If you don't have a proper tank, her insides will grow but her outside will not, and she will die.


^ This is called stunting, its a very painful way to die.


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## MidnightsSong (Feb 11, 2013)

Aqua Aurora said:


> Only some smaller species can be kept in a 75g (like bristlenose pleco), because of their large bioloads most need 100g-200g. Common pleco is one of the largest species so it needs a bigger tank-should be 36" wide and high to give it room to turn around as an adult and 60" or longer to give a little swim room.
> 
> Can you post a clear photo of your pleco to help ID it?
> Or you can google "common pleco" or "Hypostomus plecostomus" to compare photos with yours.
> ...


Craaaaaaaaaap. After you posted last night, I did a long google search and she looks like a common pleco imo. :blueworry: I was planning on rehoming her anyways, but now its official. 
About how fast do they grow? I want to have enough time to make sure I can rehome her to a proper place. Would you suggest craigslist or?


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Jumping in.

I think CraigsList should be your absolute last resort. The amount of sketchy people on there is through the roof. What about Facebook groups? There are tons out there, and that way you can see you're dealing with real people who are who they say they are. We also have a Marketplace thread right here. Have you tried calling the place where you got the Pleco from and see if they'd take her back? Won't hurt to try and put her up on AB too.


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## MidnightsSong (Feb 11, 2013)

Olivia27 said:


> Jumping in.
> 
> I think CraigsList should be your absolute last resort. The amount of sketchy people on there is through the roof. What about Facebook groups? There are tons out there, and that way you can see you're dealing with real people who are who they say they are. We also have a Marketplace thread right here. Have you tried calling the place where you got the Pleco from and see if they'd take her back? Won't hurt to try and put her up on AB too.


 If I had to, would shipping her to the states be a bad idea?
I also don't know where she came from. A friend dumped her on me when she moved out of state.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

If there's a fast enough shipping option (3-Day max) then it should be fine. I do know there's an AB seller operating from Hawaii. Never bought from them, but the sheer fact that their business is still running means somebody has actually received a living fish from them. I have only sent stuff to Hawaii twice, and in the form of a letter too so can't say much about packages price and delivery speed  

I can't find a Hawaii-only Pleco group, but there are plenty of Pleco sell/trade groups out there. Not sure if I can link it here but just type in "plecos" to Facebook's search bar and there you have it.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

MidnightsSong said:


> Craaaaaaaaaap. After you posted last night, I did a long google search and she looks like a common pleco imo. :blueworry: I was planning on rehoming her anyways, but now its official.
> About how fast do they grow? I want to have enough time to make sure I can rehome her to a proper place. Would you suggest craigslist or?


I'm not entirely sure for common, since I've not kept it by my leopard sailfin pleco got to 13" in 2 years (started at under 2"), it grew faster the 2nd year than it did in the first. So I's suspect similar growth or possibly larger for a common in that time frame (as long as its not stunted from being in too small of a tank).


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

If you have a yard some people keep them in ponds.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

I'd be concerned about shipping that fish as they have a lot of barbs/spikes on their body that can rip/poke bags they are kept in with water, they are harder to ship the larger they get because of this.


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