How many plecos is to many?

Yes. Orion girl has a serious point. I'm attatched to my fish now and wouldn't want to lose any by adding a "bargain" fish that brings a plague to your tank. (I have bought the 'bargain' fish too, with no probs, but it is courting disaster...I know) A quarantine tank is ideal, of course.

Btw, did the store tell you that your common pleco would grow up to be a huge fish? :o
 
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I already knew that they grow pretty big......but no mention of that from the sales associate.


Does anyone know.....how long does it take for a common pleco to reach 12"?

Whats the minimum size tank i could use for a qaurantine.......10 gallon? At petco they have a starter kit on sale for $40. How long would i keep a fish in quarantine? ( I guess you guys make a great point. I would hate to loose my German Rams and Plecos....they are my faves.)
 
I already knew that they grow pretty big......but no mention of that from the sales associate.


Does anyone know.....how long does it take for a common pleco to reach 12"?

Whats the minimum size tank i could use for a qaurantine.......10 gallon? At petco they have a starter kit on sale for $40. How long would i keep a fish in quarantine? ( I guess you guys make a great point. I would hate to loose my German Rams and Plecos....they are my faves.)

Could i use a 5 gallon for a quarantine tank? ( Prob not)
 
I guess a ten gallon is large enough, most new fish are quite small and reach full size after transfer to your established tank anyhow, I would presume. I'd like to know too. :)

I'm only guessing, but I think it takes about 6 months to double in size, depending how much they eat.
 
For small fish, a small tank is okay--youjust have to monitor more closely. Having established media in your main tank that you can pull and use for filtration is important, and easy. A full setup is not required--a tank, a filter, and a heater will work for most fish--a cover may be needed for some fish, and some chunks of PCV or fake plants to provide cover.

I usually quarantine for 4 healthy weeks. This means if the fish gets sick after week one, the 4 weeks don't start until it is again healthy. Quarantine allows you to ensure the fish is eating, and observe the fish for behavior. This way--you know what to expect when it is added to the tank.
 
Salty,
I think she means 4 straight weeks of NOT seeing any problems. Things you may often see is: ick, velvet, fungus, parasites, droopsy, bloat etc. It isn't limited to those but IME those are some of the commonly encountered ones and the stress on the fish of moving to new quarters often brings out whatever the fish may secretly be harboring.

One note on the quarantine tank:
If possible, keep a quarantine tank cycled by keeping some cheap livebearers in there so the biological bacteria is well establised when you introduce the new fish. If you set a new tank up as a quarantine tank you will most likley get at least a mini cycle and more likley a full one which will last for about 5 weeks.
During this time the new fish , which is already stressed from new surroundings and new waterchemistry, is likely to experience ammonia burn , nitrite poisoning and shortage of oxygen to name a few.

As was mentioned above, a quarantine tank only NEEDS the following: Tank, water, heater, airpump , spongefilter and cover. Try to pull a mature (old) sponge filter from another tank. Also some artificial cover for the fish is a good idea - plastic plants, PVC pipe or flowerpots.
 
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