# Plecostomus questions?



## bambijarvis (Jul 15, 2012)

I've been trying to find a fish I can put in with my guppy fry to eat the left over foods.
I know they can grow quite large and I do not intent to keep it in the 10gallon forever. It can be moved to a 20 with the adult guppies and then(come spring) moved out to a pond that I'm setting up out back.

My questions are how fast they grow? If I bought a 'small' one, how long could I keep it in the ten/twenty gallons inside before moving it outside into the pond?

I have a few algae wafers to supplement it's diet, but do they really eat the left over food that reaches the bottom?

Should I buy more than one,or are they fine being the only one of their kind?

How worried should I be about them eating the fry? Will they actively hunt them or only if they're starving? Again, I'll be buying a small one so this really depends on how fast they grow I suppose since the ones I saw looked too small to eat any of the fry while they're alive.

I keep my fry tank at 78-ish degrees, is this too high a temp?


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

I don't know how fast they grow but I do know a common Pleco can reach 2ft in length. Maybe try a bristlenose? That would be a good on for a 20g IMO. They usually get to 4". I've heard sometimes 6" if I'm not mistaken, but eiher way not too big.


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## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

Plecos will usually reach a foot long within one year. I have two in my 1200 gallon koi pond. They were just 3 inches when I bought them two months ago appx, and are now at least 5 inches. 

I don't really feed mine, and they survive...I do put some algae wafers in my pond once in a while, but the goldfish eat them before the plecos even know they're there. So I imagine they are eating any leftover food they can find, and the algae of course, which there isn't much of at this point. 

They can be alone I think...my plecos are pretty anti social. They only even come out at night, and if they see me they dart. And are never together. I'm sure they don't mind the company though, but I dunno for sure about that.

Plecos will generally eat anything that gets into their mouth...so it's possible that they might eat your fry if they vacuum them up in their mouths. Once my plecos get bigger I need to keep a close eye on them because they are even known to suck holes in slower moving fish, like koi. So I wouldn't really recommend keeping them with fry.

They also are tropical, so 78F would be preferable.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Bristles aren't entirely fish safe either, our male is super aggressive and would attack my female bettas, and anything that died, he was the first one eating it


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## bambijarvis (Jul 15, 2012)

Well knew they ate dead fish. xD and I won't exactly be short fry with 4 females dropping every month, more when the two drop I have growing start to color up and I pick 2 males and 4 females more to keep...
So perhaps them eating the slow ones would be a blessing in the long run.

I do plan to look for the miniatures, but I haven't seen them locally and the plecos I have found say "can grow anywhere from 3 to 18 inches" so, I'm assuming its just whatever they get in stock lol.

Winter is coming so if it's going to outgrow a 20long before february I'll put off buying one or another month or so.
I just, as mentioned, have /a lot/ of fry coming at me until the females I have finish up their stored sperms packets and was looking for some kind of help keeping the bottom of the tank free of food so I can take a day or two between vacuumings.

I have a local pet store who would take them when they're larger to re-sell, but I don't feel right buying an animal knowing I'm just going to get rid of it, ya know?


anyway, it's 1am and I'm rambling. Thanks guys. ^^


OH!
And, does anyone know how to sex them? If I buy more than one I do /not/ want them multiplying down the road.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

pygmy cories would be perfect for what you're looking for, they're also not poop machines like plecos


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

There are some species that stay small. Bristlenoses are probably the most common and they max out at about 4-6 inches. Clown Plecos are even smaller and max out at about 3-4 inches. They need wood in their diet though. If you cant find any locally, try Ebay OR Aquabid. I got my 2 off ebay. 

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/pleco/clown.php











I would NOT get a common one as they will grow HUGE.


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## bambijarvis (Jul 15, 2012)

Skyewillow said:


> pygmy cories would be perfect for what you're looking for, they're also not poop machines like plecos


They would be fine with the fry? And I've heard they need soft substrate, the fry tank is bare-bottom for ease of cleaning is this alright?


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

they should be fine barebottom, as long as they have hides.

the only thing is though, nothing but bacteria eats poop, so unless you feel ok supplementing whatever cleaning crew's diet, I wouldn't bother.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

5 or 6 Amano shrimp would be my choice for ten gal.
Many of the plecos are capable of creating as much poop daily, as a half dozen guppies so you would in effect be adding to the waste that need's removed.
LDA 25 Pleco if you can find em would work also. 
They don't get much larger than otocinclus .


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