My common plec won't grow :(

sirasoni

sirasoni

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May 18, 2004
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Palos Verdes, CA
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Well guys...I think I might have some mutant pleco. I bought him at 4 inches 3 or so months ago, and if anything I think hes SHRUNK. He's in a 60g, fed algae wafers/cucumbers/spinach/algae off the walls. He mostly spends his time in a cave which I thought he would have outgrown by now. I mean...I don't want him to turn into a 20 inch monster overnight but I have no idea why he isn't getting any bigger.
 
How are your water parameters? Nirtate level? At least once weekly partial (30%-50%) water changes?
 
what are his tankmates? umm not sure what else it could be commons arent driftwood eaters...sorry i cant really help you on this one check out are sponsor www.monsterfishkeepers.com they got a pleco section sure they can help you there
 
Is he also eating some meaty foods (common plecis are omnivores, after all)?

They do tend to go through growth-spurts, so perhaps he is between them, although 3 months with zero growth is suspicious.
 
:cool: I agree w/ Toirtis. If it is a 'Common' that you have , they are omnivores & require some meat to go w/ those veggies. Proper diet as well as water quality contribute greatly to fish growth. The only other thing I can think of is to make sure your 'cat' is actually Hypostomus Plecostomus often refered to as 'Common'. There are so many "L's" in the Loricariidae family that resemble but will never reach the 50cm of the H. plecostomus. This is an excellent site for info, photos, forums & books on 'cats'. http://www.planetcatfish.com/core/ Good Luck
 
How much and how ofter are you feeding?

FYI on "algae" wafers-I feed hikari algae wafers and they contain 32% protein. As long as you are feeding a wafer with some protein you'll be fine.

Chances are you're not feeding enough.
 
It's a liposarcus pardalis. I feed the wafers once-twice a week. No idea if they're hikari wafers as the lfs just gave me a handful of em in a ziploc bag. My tank has plenty of algae though. He's definitely eating because 1. I can see the patches where hes cleaned and 2. he craps like a maniac. I'm baffled at the total lack of growth. If he/she was growing slowly I wouldn't be too bothered.

I don't think it's a stress/tankmate thing. The other fish in the tank dont even know the plec is alive.
 
What temperature do you keep the water ate? Have you tried shrimp pellets? I have a 12 1/2 inch common, named Godzilla, took him about two years to get that big and in the time I didnt know that he could eat vegetables and I only fed him shrimp pellets.
I am a member of http://www.plecofanatics.com/forum/ they are awesome at Plecos!
 
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