Too many plecos

A

amer33

Registered Member
Mar 17, 2009
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I have a 55 gallon tank.
I have been given 4 plecos, big ones too... ahh too many.
one is about 8 inches long, the other three about 6 inches long.
I also have been given 3 Chinese algae eaters (about 3" long)
my tank also has 2 large (6 inch) bala sharks
2 rainbow sharks (3")
and about 10 other small various fish (mollies, dwarf gourami, zebra, red tetra?)

I am going to try and sell some of the plecos to a local pet store if they will take them... I don't know what to do with them. I feed them zucchini and algae tablets, but I have still caught them eating some dead mollies, (not sure how the mollies died, but that is another issue I am having right now), so I know they are not getting enough to eat.

How many plecos would you recomend for my tank? The big guy definatly needs to go. I feel bad that he is not in a bigger tank.

I have had my tank for about a year, bt I really don't know much about fish, or tank care... I am trying to learn
 
The pl*co eating the mollie has nothing to do with your feeding. Fish will always eat when there's food available IME. In the wild they never know when the next meal is going to come along so if they see food they're going to eat it. What kind of pl*co's do you have?

Others may disagree with me, but IMO a lot of those fish will outgrow that tank.
 
If it's a common, just 1. Common plecos are not true algae eaters, they are more of a herbivore (and will eat most anything except fish poo) but prefer algae when young. As they mature they like more substantial foods. CAE's can get up to 6" and may try to suck the slime coat off other fish if they don't have enough to eat.

Algae eaters of any sort should never be acquired for the purpose of tank maintenance. I realize that these were given to you. Just trying to pass on some helpful info about them.
 
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oi. i have a sinking feeling your mollies died due to poor water quality thanks to your tank being terribly overcrowded. do you have pictures of your plecos? you could post them here for some help in id'ing them. or you can check out planetcatfish.com and try to id them yourself. this could help you in finding them new homes as some types of plecos are highly desirable.

good job on recognizing they need new homes. in the future, if you want a pleco because they are neat (dont get one to clean up algae, it almost never works the way you hope it will), there are a lot of small species that can be kept comfortably in a 55 gallon
 
I don't know what kind of plecos they are, i would guess common.. they all look very similar. dark brown/black with brownish spots. here is a pic of one of them.

0109randomkarensbdaylin.jpg


I really should have only 10 small fish in a tank this big?? It would seem so empty. I know it is way too full now though.
 
inkyjenn said:
in the future, if you want a pleco because they are neat (dont get one to clean up algae, it almost never works the way you hope it will), there are a lot of small species that can be kept comfortably in a 55 gallon
Click to expand...

I am sorry to derail, but do you mind listing some plecos that would be okay in a 55 gallon? That is the size I have and I would love a pleco for it, but the only ones I have ever heard of that would fit would be a bristlenose, and I cannot find any for sale around here
 
The common plecos will get huge and they will eventually stop eating algae
 
once you get rid of the other fish, the mollies, guppies, etc (the ten "other" fish) you can add more similar types. the rest get big or are aggressive or both. the photo you put up shows a common pleco. they can get 24"+

JennLy said:
I am sorry to derail, but do you mind listing some plecos that would be okay in a 55 gallon? That is the size I have and I would love a pleco for it, but the only ones I have ever heard of that would fit would be a bristlenose, and I cannot find any for sale around here
Click to expand...

oh man. bristlenoses are good. but there are clown plecos (panaque maccus), there are the L239's (blue panaque; baryancistrus beggini), flounder plecos (dekeyseria brachyura). planetcatfish.com has a nice "cat-e-log" where you can search for more
 
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