How long until I will need to buy a new tank for my pleco

I purchased what I thought was a rubber lip pleco from PetSmart, but my roommate informed me he thinks I was given a common pleco instead, he is currently in my 29 gallon community tank, with one 3 spot gourami a school of 7 or 8 tetras and 5 African dwarf frogs, and 2 nerite snails, I had planned on upgrading them into a 55 gallon next month maybe January, but since I probably have a common pleco I am wondering if everyone would be okay in the 29 gal for maybe an extra month or 2 so I can afford to save up and buy a 75 or 100 gallon tank to keep the pleco more comfortable

 

If that is a common pleco I would wait and save up for the 100g. It should be fine for now as long as your water changes are large enough to deal with the bioload.

 

Yeah, you got a few months. But i would definitely go for a 100gal + for that guy. He gonna get BIG. But if you don't have the space for that, a 55 or 75g should keep him happy for a couple years, anyway.

 

Yeah, you got a few months. But i would definitely go for a 100gal + for that guy. He gonna get BIG. But if you don't have the space for that, a 55 or 75g should keep him happy for a couple years, anyway.

Awesome not exactly what I was planning for but I’m glad to hear he will be fine for a few months, on average how quickly do they grow? He(she) not actually sure is only maybe 3 inches now but I am thinking it will likely be March before I can afford a 100 gallon

 

Awesome not exactly what I was planning for but I’m glad to hear he will be fine for a few months, on average how quickly do they grow? He(she) not actually sure is only maybe 3 inches now but I am thinking it will likely be March before I can afford a 100 gallon

Mine certainly wasn't that fast. I think he was around 8-9" after the first year.

 

Well if it’s a common you should return it. They can grow to 14+” and will need a big tank. They are waste machines. Now yours looks a little brownish in color so it could be a rubber lip. Some more pics will help. A pic of the whole body will help.

 

Well if it’s a common you should return it. They can grow to 14+” and will need a big tank. They are waste machines. Now yours looks a little brownish in color so it could be a rubber lip. Some more pics will help. A pic of the whole body will help.

I had planned on buying a much larger tank in a few months 100 gal most likely , so I was wondering if he would be fine for a few months, and I will try and get a better pic of him to post once I am off work

 

Just saying if he’s a common and they sold you a rubber lip. I’d return him. Just cause they get big. If you don’t get the 100 he’s still growing big . To me they should give you what you bought

 

I had a common pleco purchased as an adolescent in an 85 gallon years ago, he grew more rapidly than I anticipated and I had to rehome him with a friend that had a 200 gallon tank. He grew from 2 to 13 inches in about a years time and man oh man was he a poop machine. I’d say to return it unless you plan on upgrading even further from the 100 gallon. But that’s just my opinion. I’ve not housed any plecos since then because I can’t fit a tank that large in my house.....yet

 

Research says a common pleco will grow 3-5 inches in first year. However research says my two BN plecos should have taken two years to get to 4-5" and they are already there - and I have only owned them since June when they were under 2 inches. They are in a 75G so I'm not sure if the bigger tank is making them grow faster.

 

Research says a common pleco will grow 3-5 inches in first year. However research says my two BN plecos should have taken two years to get to 4-5" and they are already there - and I have only owned them since June when they were under 2 inches. They are in a 75G so I'm not sure if the bigger tank is making them grow faster.

My guy was definitely an anomaly but these things do happen. He, Mufasa, was accompanied by a mating pair of green severums, and a few yellow parrot cichlids. My experience might be 1/million but even that small percentage has steered me away from keeping them without having a massive tank. It’s always better to be safe rather than sorry because having to rehome a fish you’ve had in your care is difficult, not only to find someone to take them, but also to part with your pet.

If you’re in the mindset to always to what’s right for your fish, hang on to him/her and see how things go. Either way, you definitely have some time to decide. Most LFS will allow you to return fish no matter how long you’ve had them if they can accommodate them themselves and you’ll get store credit, which we can always use right?! A better picture will definitely assist in identifying if it is indeed a common pleco or not as another commenter suggested.

 

Just saying if he’s a common and they sold you a rubber lip. I’d return him. Just cause they get big. If you don’t get the 100 he’s still growing big . To me they should give you what you bought

Well I called pet smart they said after I am off work I can return him, guess I’m gonna return him and maybe go check out the wet spot and see if they have any bristlenose, should have gone there from the start instead of PetSmart

 

Yes that’s the best move. Good luck. Bushy nose are a muck better choice.

 

Well I called pet smart they said after I am off work I can return him, guess I’m gonna return him and maybe go check out the wet spot and see if they have any bristlenose, should have gone there from the start instead of PetSmart

Unfortunately, at larger chain stores we can run into the issue of being sold something that’s not properly ID’d.
Good luck finding a bristlenose Post pics too!

 

BN are so **** ugly they're cute. I never wanted an albino but got it for free and now he's one of my favorite fish.

 

Well tomorrow I will be taking him back, got off work later than expected today

 

Yeah it’s a shame they really are great looking fish. Years ago I had a 12+” one in a 200g. Tank broke it survived but it was just to big for any other tank I had. Gave it to a neighbor with a 125 and he had it for around 10yrs.
I also never liked albinos but need a bn pleco and all they had was one albino. Happy I got him. Even bought a female for a different tank. May mate them in the future.

 

Love my albino bn, Boss HOGG...he got serious attitude for such an ugly fish!! Just ask my snails...my biggest super red male bn is sitting on eggs right now though.

 

here are some better pictures of my pleco been calling him ugmo can you guys tell for sure if it’s a common?

 

View attachment 823384View attachment 823385View attachment 823386here are some better pictures of my pleco been calling him ugmo can you guys tell for sure if it’s a common?

I love that you conned Ugmo into pictures by dropping a zucchini slice into the tank I’d say yes, that is a common pleco. But you’ve named him now..sooooo you have to keep him right?

 

I love that you conned Ugmo into pictures by dropping a zucchini slice into the tank I’d say yes, that is a common pleco. But you’ve named him now..sooooo you have to keep him right?

I had planned on getting a bigger tank anyways, I have space for it might as well get 100 instead of a 55, he should be fine in his current home for a few months I would think right?

 

Commons can get 3ft mine are in a 135 and I have plans for a 1500h build! Always research the fish before getting it

 

Commons can get 3ft mine are in a 135 and I have plans for a 1500h build! Always research the fish before getting it

They usually max out around 15" with 24" being unusual in captivity. But I suppose if you give it 1500g it might grow bigger.

 

I had planned on getting a bigger tank anyways, I have space for it might as well get 100 instead of a 55, he should be fine in his current home for a few months I would think right?

I’d say you have a few months, yes. Maybe try to splurge for a tank larger than 100g or find one second hand that’s more affordable. But in order to keep Ugmo comfortable, you’re committing to something much much larger than the 29 gal you’re used to. However, I wish you luck on your quest. Watch that boy grow

 

I’d say you have a few months, yes. Maybe try to splurge for a tank larger than 100g or find one second hand that’s more affordable. But in order to keep Ugmo comfortable, you’re committing to something much much larger than the 29 gal you’re used to. However, I wish you luck on your quest. Watch that boy grow

I had a few larger tanks as a kid and teenager that I helped my dad maintain I think I am up to the task, good idea on the second hand I will have to check into that and see if I can get something bigger second handI have the space to put a 125 in my room, I was wondering how y’all think he would do in a pond? My grandparents who live just up the road have a 400 gallon pond in the back yard that’s inhabited by nobody anymore
Side note about the pond, not really planning on him living there but if he were to outgrow even the 125 would the pond be an option I could put a heater in it

 

I had a few larger tanks as a kid and teenager that I helped my dad maintain I think I am up to the task, good idea on the second hand I will have to check into that and see if I can get something bigger second handI have the space to put a 125 in my room, I was wondering how y’all think he would do in a pond? My grandparents who live just up the road have a 400 gallon pond in the back yard that’s inhabited by nobody anymore
Side note about the pond, not really planning on him living there but if he were to outgrow even the 125 would the pond be an option I could put a heater in it

I’d say yes, he could if you put a heater in the pond. They do need a stable temp of 75-82 as most tropical fishes do but they can withstand a little lower. What is the weather like during the winter months in your region? Would be cool to see how big he would grow in a pond!

 

I’d say yes, he could if you put a heater in the pond. They do need a stable temp of 75-82 as most tropical fishes do but they can withstand a little lower. What is the weather like during the winter months in your region? Would be cool to see how big he would grow in a pond!

Wet but not much snow often, will occasionally drop down to 30 I could get a large heater though, I’ve never seen the pond freeze, or maybe during winter move him back inside?

 

Wet but not much snow often, will occasionally drop down to 30 I could get a large heater though, I’ve never seen the pond freeze, or maybe during winter move him back inside?

I have heard of people overwintering their fish by bringing them inside but if you were to heat the pond, you wouldn’t have to worry about that. Although I’m not sure what it would cost to heat that much water..hmm.

 

My LFS has two commons that are over 2 feet and a Royal that is about a foot and a half. You don't appreciate the size of a fish that large until you actually see it. A lot of people misjudge the aquarium size they will need because they don't understand the dimensions of how big the fish get.

 

The place I stay at in Aruba has a pond with 3 in it. Great looking fish 1000+g pond. These guys are well over 2’. The 12” guy I had at 6” would turn the water yellow in my 55 in about 5 days. Just a waste machine. Again great fish but unless your willing to do the work it should be returned. It’s definitely something I hate about pet stores. They know what they become. But they’re cheap as can be and they falsely sell them as smaller plecos. They doom the fish from the start for profit. Same with paco’s and red tail cats.

 

The place I stay at in Aruba has a pond with 3 in it. Great looking fish 1000+g pond. These guys are well over 2’. The 12” guy I had at 6” would turn the water yellow in my 55 in about 5 days. Just a waste machine. Again great fish but unless your willing to do the work it should be returned. It’s definitely something I hate about pet stores. They know what they become. But they’re cheap as can be and they falsely sell them as smaller plecos. They doom the fish from the start for profit. Same with paco’s and red tail cats.

Definitely true for red tail cat fish. A friend of mine has had hers for a few years now..guy at the pet store told her it wouldn’t grow past 6 inches. He has since then eaten every tank mate he’s had and forced two tank upgrades with another one soon ahead. I believe he’s in a 90g right now and roughly 18 inches long. He is absolutely stunning though

 

Definitely true for red tail cat fish. A friend of mine has had hers for a few years now..guy at the pet store told her it wouldn’t grow past 6 inches. He has since then eaten every tank mate he’s had and forced two tank upgrades with another one soon ahead. I believe he’s in a 90g right now and roughly 18 inches long. He is absolutely stunning though

Lol these are game fish in southern states. Growing well past 10 lbs.

 

Lol these are game fish in southern states. Growing well past 10 lbs.

Holy carp. Why are they selling these in pet stores?! Will they still grow to that size in a tank setting?

 

Holy carp. Why are they selling these in pet stores?! Will they still grow to that size in a tank setting?

Same reason pacu, red tail catfish and other monster fish are sold. The problem is most people don't realize how big they get and they need to be rehomed

 

Same reason pacu, red tail catfish and other monster fish are sold. The problem is most people don't realize how big they get and they need to be rehomed

It really is so sad The fish deserve better
I’m glad we have this community to keep educating each other. Everyone is so helpful and informed. It’s awesome.