How To Care For A Sailfin Pleco?

This is my first time maintaining an aquarium by myself. A week ago I bought a small sailfin pleco, currently about 2 inch long.

Foolishly I thought that oh, he'll grow to the size of the tank, it wouldn't be a problem, but after some research I realized he's going to get BIG in the future.

After a lot if tears I made the decision to return the little guy to the store, but after I called them it turned out they don't take fish back. I couldn't find any organizations for fish in my country.

So as it turns out, now I have to take care of this pleco. I already got attached to him, and I want to give him the best life possible. I thought about selling him, but many people don't know about the true size of this fish, just like I didn't, and many don't have an aquarium big enough to let him grow and live happily. Big plecos aren't really in demand, seeing as you can get small and medium ones for a fairly low price in the stores.

I'm willing to do everything I can to give him the best life possible. What size tank would be good for a sailfin pleco? How fast will he grow? How old is he now, if its possible to know?

Currently I'm feeding him one chip every two days (JBL novo pleco, for suckermouth catfish). Is this good for his current size? When should I change this schedule? Which vegetables are safe for him and for balloon mollies?

Thanks in advance.

 

Thank you for taking care of him. Shame on that store for selling a giant fish without making sure you knew what you were buying, and for not taking the fish back when you found out. I have a soft spot for big plecos and that’s the first fish I would get if I had a big tank.
Unfortunately, he will eventually require a big tank, over 100 gallons. It is my understanding that he would currently be quite young, and he will need his large tank by the time he is two years old. Someone else will be able to help you with the more specific aspects of care, but my impression is that they are not fussy eaters.

 

Mine reached 12" in ten years with me after being purchased at 1".

I regrettably sold him in order to concentrate on my Clown Loaches.

I say regrettably because it was a fantastic fish to keep.

As a male, he grew smaller than a female and I believe he had stopped growing in my 6' x 18" x 18" = 110 gallon aquarium.

He was trained to come to the top corner of the tank for food and would wait there when hungry.

I would grab a large pinch of 30% spirulina enriched flake and force it to stick on the glass and he would eat it from here. He would also eat from my hand. This was his main diet although he may have got a share of the other foods fed to the other fish.

He was aggressive to other fish and chasing took place at night when some other fish were at a disadvantage. I realised when some fish appeared battered and unwell and I stayed up at night to observe the behaviour.

He also killed a Common Pleco which was a good size, possibly through stress.

 

They are beautiful fish. My LFS has a blue-eyed panaque that I covet.

 

I was going to write out a sappy speech on my sailfin but I'll get to the point, within 4 months mines doubled possibly tripled in size.. currently in a 30 gallon switching to a 75 gallon, I've read 75 gallons being the minimum but something bigger is always better. For food... I use top fin algae thins, also frozen brine shrimp (seems to love this) I normally feed every day or every couple days, for veggies you just gotta try different stuff... zucchini, cucumber, broccoli, pumpkin, etc. You can blanch it for a minute or 2 or just rinse them in some tank water in a separate bowl before adding to the tank

 

Thanks for the replies! Are plecos always so aggressive with other fish? I read that they usually get along with other fish.. I think in a few days when I have time, I'll try to stay up and see if he's getting along with the 3 balloon mollies in the tank, although they don't seem to interact much, also he's small so I don't think he's going to fight with them in the near future.

Are there any vegetables that are a big no-no? Also, I read you should boil the vegetables then cool them before putting them in the tank- is this necessary or is it just to soften the veggies?

 

Thanks for the replies! Are plecos always so aggressive with other fish? I read that they usually get along with other fish.. I think in a few days when I have time, I'll try to stay up and see if he's getting along with the 3 balloon mollies in the tank, although they don't seem to interact much, also he's small so I don't think he's going to fight with them in the near future.

Are there any vegetables that are a big no-no? Also, I read you should boil the vegetables then cool them before putting them in the tank- is this necessary or is it just to soften the veggies?

My sailfin is about 10 inches and he's not aggressive at all! Have him in a very understocked 125 though so lots of space for him.

You're going to love raising him; I inherited mine when I bought a used tank and didnt know much about them, but he has become one of my favorite fish!

 

My pleco seems to leave my fish alone, 3 guppies, 1 angel, 1 ram... I wouldn't get another pleco or corrie catfish but something that's mid or top tank should be fine. My pleco never liked the veggies I gave him so I gave up, Google pleco veggies and you'll read a bunch

 

ZucchinI is usually the go-to veggie for most plecos boiling then cooling allows it to sink easier but you can add raw veggies as well but would need some type of clip or fork or skewer to hold it down and the fresh will last longer in the tank as opposed to the blanched. I personally get a bag of frozen zucchinI and all I do to prepare it is put it in a cup and run hot water over it till it sinks in the cup then run cold water and just drop it into the tank.

 

My 12" male was mature and was territorial with fish near his size. This is the case with most 12" male adult fish within the confines of the aquarium.

He beat up my 8" male Jack Demsey at night. This would not have happened in the daytime when the Jack Dempsey was dominant.

Its important to realise he never ever harmed any small fish.

Veggies were fed but were limited as they played havoc with water quality when fed continually.