How Get Rid of Pleco?

Tank age: 7 weeks old.
Size: Around 37.5 cm length; 24.5 cm width; 38 cm height (excluding lid).
Fish: 1 Molly; 2 Platy; 1 Guppy; 1 Neon Tetra; 1 Cardinal Tetra; 5 Zebra Danio (1 pink); 1 Glass Catfish; 1 Pleco.
Plants: Synthetic only.
Inverts: None.
Chemicals: SERA bio nitrivec; SERA toxivec; SERA aquatan.
Maintenance schedule: Still thinking it through.
Water changes: Still thinking it through.
Water Parameters: (taken on Wednesday) pH - ~6.5-7; ammonia - <0.05 ppm; nitrite - 0.05 ppm; nitrate - was hard to tell with the test kit, but around 10-30 ppm (I know it makes a difference. Will have to post about this in a different thread).

Hello,

I recently bought an aquarium for my room for beauty, and has quickly turned into a hobby. I've grown many pets in my life, including fish. It's only now that I'm paying attention to allot more details in caring for them.

While setting my tank, I bought fish, and among them the Pleco. At the store I asked what size do they get. The seller showed me the size of a thumb-to-index distance - not as much as they seem when present in the store.
Turns out after some research and encounters, the Pleco is not built for small aquarium due to its natural maximum size.

So I'll have to get rid of it some day, the question is how.
I'm not planning on affording a large aquarium just for the Pleco. Space and money are also an issue.
I'm thinking of lending one of those thick plastic bags from a pet store, and carry it to a store which is willing to take it (if really so).
However I'd like to know more options in case some don't work.

My Pleco has around 8-10 rays in its dorsal fin, and not bristles on its nose (yet, at least). Slightly changes color from black to yellow (the gravel has that color, too).

I'll soon edit the thread with more misc. info and s.


Thanks allot for the help. Am also willing to accept critiques to other matters, if needed.

R

 

Welcome to the forum .Glad your here. If you could take a picture of the pleco that would help ID it. They sell both the common which gets huge, albino bristle nose, which are small but won't get bristles till they are about 3 inches long and also it is usually just the male that gets them. It could also be a clown pleco which stays small or a rubber lipped which stays small. What size is your tank? Your neons, glass cat fish, and cardinal tetras are all schooling fish that should be in minimum groups of 6 of their own kind. But we can't make recommendations with out knowing the size of your tank. Alison

 

Welcome to Fishlore

In addition to aliray's comments and question, can you clarify your comment regarding your water changes and maintenance schedule? Is the tank cycled?

 

On topic:




Here is a pretty decent picture I was able to take right now.

Off topic:

I have provided more information in my OP, with it the dimensions of the tank.

As for the Neon/Cardinal Tetras, they were both sold as Neon Tetra (didn't know of the difference by then), and bought 5 of them. My mistake was buying them only 3 days after beginning the tank cycle, so 3 didn't make it the day after. That's why I have 2 right now.

As for the Glass Catfish - store told me he's fine in solitude. After some internet found out it's false.

Don't worry, I don't rely on stores' information anymore.

Welcome to Fishlore

In addition to aliray's comments and question, can you clarify your comment regarding your water changes and maintenance schedule? Is the tank cycled?

I edited my OP with water parameters.
I don't have a maintenance routine right now. I'm going to test how the parameters change with time and will make water changes accordingly. Though I may start with weekly changes of 10% of water.

 

@ Hampalong can you ID this pleco from this picture? Glad your not relying on the pet store. Hopefully Hampalong can ID it for you but a clearer picture from the side would also help so that we can see the markings. Alison

 

With those tank dimensions, that works out to be about 8 gallons? If that's right, then none of those fish are appropriate for your tank size, I'm afraid. I would look into rehoming all of them and getting fish more appropriate. Anders247 might be able to help with that.

It also doesn't look like your tank is cycled as a cycled tank should have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and some nitrates (you want to keep it under 40ppm, ideally under 20ppm).

I'm not familiar with the chemicals you mentioned. Are they bacteria supplements and/or water conditioners?

Edit: You should be doing more than 10% weekly, at least 30-50% weekly is recommended but this is of course, after your tank is fully cycled.

 

I will have to wait till someone can come on that translates it into inches and gallons for me. Alison

 

sorry,its 9.2 gallons

that should be exact

 

Oh dear that is too small for for that many many fish and the kinds of fish. In the stocking forum under the grey section at the beginning there is a thread for stocking a 10 gal tank that would be well worth reading . there are lots of options and it is very well done. Alison

 

The tank volume is exactly 34.9 liter/9.2 gallons.
el337 My fish are very common fish, so it seems strange that none of them would fit a nearly 10 gallon tank. The Platys and Molly seem slow-paced, so I'm assuming they're content with the tank. My tank also has a variety of synthetic plants and a synthetic cave, which allow for maneuvering and hiding. While a 10 gallon tank is small, it's still big for a small one, surely much larger than most beginner aquariums. It's massive compared to a glass bowl.
My tank is 7 weeks old, that includes the cycle. I will give my tank some time for the cycle to complete. Ammonia is nearly 0, and I'll keep my eye on the nitrite which is still not zero.
My chemical supplements provide purification bacteria; chlorine, nitrite and ammonia removal; and conditioner which removes chlorine and chloramines.

I will upload more pictures of the Pleco.

 

You should do weekly water changes even if your parameters are perfect. Changing the water will replenish vital minerals

 

Sorry, that's still too small of a tank for that many fish. And whether they are a commonly found fish doesn't matter when you consider the size they get, bioload they have, activity level and whether they are schooling fish or not. You could possibly keep the guppy and 2 platys but that would be it. You'd definitely have to rehome the others as they are either schooling fish or get too big for your tank.

 

@ Hampalong can you ID this pleco from this picture? Glad your not relying on the pet store. Hopefully Hampalong can ID it for you but a clearer picture from the side would also help so that we can see the markings. Alison

I only found this by coincidence, as there's a space after the @.

Not from that picture, but there isn't a plec suitable for 9 gallons.

 

Sorry, that's still too small of a tank for that many fish. And whether they are a commonly found fish doesn't matter when you consider the size they get, bioload they have, activity level and whether they are schooling fish or not. You could possibly keep the guppy and 2 platys but that would be it. You'd definitely have to rehome the others as they are either schooling fish or get too big for your tank.

I understand your point.
I am well aware of the fact my tank is crowded. No plans on adding more fish, that's for sure.
I will see to relocating some of the fish, hopefully I will find a store which accepts them. Any other suggestion of relocation will be accepted.
Also, I would like suggestion on how to transfer them considering I may have to drive to a store, with all the shaking of the car, etc.
But for now, I have other things to take care of regarding the tank, but will also see to the stocking issue.

Here is a prefect side picture of the Pleco, with its dorsal fin open:

 

It's a Common plec. Rehoming fish asap will help with your other problems. Trying to deal with the issues with the fish in the tank will risk damaging or even killing the fish.

 

It's a Common plec. Rehoming fish asap will help with your other problems. Trying to deal with the issues with the fish in the tank will risk damaging or even killing the fish.

Other issues are for instance buying a bucket for comfortable water replacement, how to place new water considering my tap water comes with chlorine etc, and the molly being bullied by a platy (and now by the second one too, very sad).
Also, considering live plants for toxin control and further thriving my tank.

I will probably relocate the molly, perhaps the tetras. The glass catfish is problematic to transfer since it's ill (I've searched the entire internet with no clear answer to whatever the disease could be). I will see to the Guppy although it seems to adapt. Platys are beautiful for the tank. Zebras, though bigger than I expected, seem to show a thriving life in the tank, they swim mostly at the surface, all 5 together.

Anyways, do you have any advice on relocation?

 

how do you do water changes?

 

Any clean jug or 3-5 gallon bucket you can find at a grocery store will do for water changes.

You add the tap water to the bucket, dosed with your water conditioner. Your current water conditioner should take care of the chlorine and chloramines.

Once you rehome your molly, you won't need to worry about the aggression. Is there a fish store nearby that will take your fish? Most do. If not, you can place an ad with your local fish club.

Again, only the guppy and platys would be appropriate for your tank size.

 

I don't know if it was mentioned yet but a common pleco can get about 2 feet long and requires at least 90 gallons.

 

I don't know if it was mentioned yet but a common pleco can get about 2 feet long and requires at least 90 gallons.

More like 150+ as a 90 wouldn't give him space to turn! The true monster fish haha

 

More like 150+ as a 90 wouldn't give him space to turn! The true monster fish haha

Thanks. My god why do pet shops not even bat an eye when someone wants one for a 10 gallon?

 

I don't know if it was mentioned yet but a common pleco can get about 2 feet long and requires at least 90 gallons.

Yes, I am well aware of that.
el337
Last change (a week ago) was 30-40%, had to go back and forth from my room to a bathroom with a filter water pitcher.
I also used a siphon hose with a manual pump for cleaning the gravel, which ended up with the water out. Thing is our tap water can sometimes come dirty, so I prefer to not use direct tap.
A question - when I put the conditioner inside the new water, how long should I wait until I put the water in?
Also, when it comes to the other chemicals, is it right to put more drops according to how much water was removed?

Today I'll call some stores to see if they accept fish.

 

I'm not sure where you're located but what do you mean your tap water comes out dirty? Are you able to get a water report?

You can add the water dosed with the conditioner right into the tank without waiting. I looked up those products you listed and I would think you can use just the toxivec as your water conditioner since it seems like it also binds ammonia and nitrite like Seachem Prime does.

I don't know much about the bio nitrivec but it seems like it's a bacterial supplement? I'd follow the dosage instructions on the bottle.

Also, do you own a gravel vacuum? It would be important to suck up any debris and fish waste from your substrate as you're removing the old tank water.

 

Water may come out slightly brown. Probably happens rarely, but I prefer to not take chances for now. The filter water pitcher clears the color though. I have no equipment for water report.
Yes, the bio nitrivec is a bacteria supplement.
I thought the siphon also serves as a vacuum. I will look specifically into "gravel vacuum"

 

Well, if you are using filtered water you'll have to add back the minerals that fish need with something like Seachem Replenish. Also, what water test kit are you using?

No if you have a siphon that sucks out the water, that's perfectly fine to use to vacuum your substrate.

 

ok, I will consider the mineral additive.
I am using the JBL test kit for ammonium (manual states inclusion of ammonia), nitrite and nitrate. My brother lends me a pH strip from his research equipment when I test the water (can't lend me a whole pack of strip since it's lab property).
I'm having an issue with the nitrate test kit since one of the materials added to the vessel is a powder, which makes color IDing harder.

 

This thread will help you stock a 10 (or 9.2 in your case): https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/stocking-list-for-10-gallons.207629/

 

This thread will help you stock a 10 (or 9.2 in your case): https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/stocking-list-for-10-gallons.207629/

Thanks allot, it's very useful!
Just a question - the list is detailed for individuals. What if I want to mix a variety of fish?
hampalong how do you ID a common pleco and a clown pleco?

 

Thanks allot, it's very useful!
Just a question - the list is detailed for individuals. What if I want to mix a variety of fish?
hampalong how do you ID a common pleco and a clown pleco?

For a Common look at the dorsal fin. If it has more than 10 soft dorsal rays it's a common (BNs have 7-8). For a Clown, there are several plecs that look similar so take a pic and post it here.

 

For a Common look at the dorsal fin. If it has more than 10 soft dorsal rays it's a common (BNs have 7-8). For a Clown, there are several plecs that look similar so take a pic and post it here.

So are you saying there's a chance my pleco is not necessarily a common?

 

So are you saying there's a chance my pleco is not necessarily a common?

How many soft rays (after the spine at the front) does it have in its dorsal fin?

 

How many soft rays (after the spine at the front) does it have in its dorsal fin?

What do you mean by the spine at the front?
Doesn't the spine go until its tail..?
I'm missing something.