18 year old pleco suddenly got bigger?!

[FreshyFresh]

You have great parents if they're doing weekly water changes for you in your absence.

Or like said, maybe they're not and they did the ol' one-two switch-a-roo on you. LOL!

A fella on another forum I used to participate on had a very old common pleco he kept in a 55gal by itself. One day he found it passed, wedged between the glass and a piece of driftwood IIRC. He assumed it got stuck and died from that.

 

[fishorama]

Uh oh we may have overwhelmed the OP with our fun ideas.

I don't see why a "common" pleco couldn't live for that long. Unfortunately I've rarely lived in any 1 place for 18+ years as an adult fish keeper. Moving house, even just across town can be stressful to both people & fish. But most plecos are pretty sturdy & resilient, given good food & water.

I'm giving the OP's parents a pass on the old switcheroo...Maybe it's their good care that has allowed the pleco to live so long & so big.

Klayski, I think you're going to have to update us regularly with pics if you can every few months maybe. We are all hoping he continues to grow & thrive for whatever reason.