Just how many people have bought a common pleco

Has anyone else ever had the issue of an algae eater you got for free from Walmart back in the day out growing your tank???
A year ago, My husband’s grandma passed away, and she kept this fish in a 10 gal tank. We recieved him and put him in a 20 gal tank not knowing that he needed well over a 60 gal. So A year ago I gave mine to Petco. They kept him and used him as an example to show people just how big they can get. I’m glad he’s in a much better tank than he was when I had him.

 

Wayyyy toooooooooo many unfortunately. Including myself …

 

I made that mistake years ago. I like the idea of using it as an example of how big they can get!

 

Not me, but my Dad put one in a 20 gallon and I watched him get bigger and bigger until one day he was gone... I never asked what happened to him.

I've kept a couple clown pleco's and was quite happy with them.

 

I have 2 in my 55 gallon tank. I know I will have to upgrade to a bigger one later on but for now they are doing good!

 

Far too many people purchase fish without prior knowledge of the species.

How much trouble could be avoided if people simply did proper research before purchasing?

 

The blame also lies on the fish industry who does know about the fish but sells them to beginners every day.
They sell many fish they know they should not.
Most people do not enter with a 'full' cup of keeping knowledge and the industry know that also.
Keepers learn but the industry only counts $$.

 

The first one I ever saw was about 40cm and at a zoo on a school trip. I told my dad to not get one. And this is how I haven't kept a Pterygoplichthys ever.

 

The blame also lies on the fish industry who does know about the fish but sells them to beginners every day.
They sell many fish they know they should not.
Most people do not enter with a 'full' cup of keeping knowledge and the industry know that also.
Keepers learn but the industry only counts $$.

It's actually sad!! When I first got in thr hobby the big box fish store tried to sell me many fish at once and also told me you can put fish in an aquarium after only 24 hours of setting it up!! Totally fake and false but they do this bc they know the fish will die and u will be back to buy more. Makes me so sick plus on top of that they sell sick fish by the dozens!

 

The blame also lies on the fish industry who does know about the fish but sells them to beginners every day.

You can make a whole list of fish to which this applies.

 

That is a comment I fully endorse. They are sold regardless , for cheap , with no warning of the size they reach with zero regard for their care.

Yet dogs / cats / hamsters etc are held to higher regard. Even charities and shelters will make sure that pets you’re taking have the care and space they need. Yet fish are sold so easily. I respect the places that refuse to sell fish , the ones that ask about tank size and the ones that give advice. I don’t care that it annoys people , I respect the diligence for their care that the refusal tries to offer. Unfortunately they usually just go to another store / shop and buy the same fish.

common plecos or other large species of plecos are intelligent enough to recognise faces.what else can they feel and learn ? It’s not their fault they grow large. They need to be sold with full and clear information of how large they get. It saddens me that the industry doesn’t care enough for the welfare of fish. A dog or cat etc can express discomfort/ pain /distress, fish can’t. Well they can, but only if you know what you’re looking for. To the untrained eye they are “thriving” …

 

I have 2 in my 55 gallon tank. I know I will have to upgrade to a bigger one later on but for now they are doing good!

Wow they are so beautiful!

That is a comment I fully endorse. They are sold regardless , for cheap , with no warning of the size they reach with zero regard for their care.

Yet dogs / cats / hamsters etc are held to higher regard. Even charities and shelters will make sure that pets you’re taking have the care and space they need. Yet fish are sold so easily. I respect the places that refuse to sell fish , the ones that ask about tank size and the ones that give advice. I don’t care that it annoys people , I respect the diligence for their care that the refusal tries to offer. Unfortunately they usually just go to another store / shop and buy the same fish.

common plecos or other large species of plecos are intelligent enough to recognise faces.what else can they feel and learn ? It’s not their fault they grow large. They need to be sold with full and clear information of how large they get. It saddens me that the industry doesn’t care enough for the welfare of fish. A dog or cat etc can express discomfort/ pain /distress, fish can’t. Well they can, but only if you know what you’re looking for. To the untrained eye they are “thriving” …

It’s so sad, because we really loved that fish, but we didn’t have plans to upgrade any time soon and he’s in a better place. Honestly I never thought about the people who refuse to sell fish. There was this one lady in town who used to sell fish and I always thought she was so stingy because she stopped and every time we mention it she gets all mean about it. But thinking about it now and learning more about fish I definitely respect her decision now cuz it’s a lot of work.

The first one I ever saw was about 40cm and at a zoo on a school trip. I told my dad to not get one. And this is how I haven't kept a Pterygoplichthys ever.

Props to the zoo for saving them.

zoo!

It's actually sad!! When I first got in thr hobby the big box fish store tried to sell me many fish at once and also told me you can put fish in an aquarium after only 24 hours of setting it up!! Totally fake and false but they do this bc they know the fish will die and u will be back to buy more. Makes me so sick plus on top of that they sell sick fish by the dozens!

Wow that’s so disturbing. I’m glad I bought my fish from a store that breeds their own fish in a pond out back. The pond out back was so beautiful. It was a completely natural process unlike other stores. The only thing I kinda hate was the fact that they never told me the fish could be pregnant.

 

I've never owned a common Pleco, but a LFS (went out of business when Petco and Petsmart arrived in town) had a 100+ gal tank with a lung fish in it. It escaped periodically. They would start each day checking the tank and then searching the store if the lung fish had escaped. But anyway, one day there was a full grown common pleco in the tank that someone had surrendered. They are quite impressive at that size!! Fortunately, a local Biology proffesor adopted it for an even bigger tank in the University Biology dept.

 

To be fair, most of the big box stores have labels on the fish tanks that give the mature size. Unfortunately too many people don't read them.

 

Had one in a 200g that started in a 30g with me having no clue how big it would get it. Grew to at least a foot. Kids loved it. In a big tank they are great. They look prehistoric. Sad thing is few make it to the big tank. But that’s the market. Not just plecos but feather fins,goldfish and even bettas. First 3 most people have no clue how big they get. Last just over sold and most of poor quality.
Big thing with plecos is they are huge waste producers ever worse than goldfish. So you must have a bigger filter system and change water more frequently. Also back when I got that pleco they were the only type available. It was many years later all these different smaller ones made it to the stores.

 

Props to the zoo for saving them.

I don't think they were rescue animals back then. The situation I talked about was in 1992. Back then most common plecos came fully or half grown as wild caughts to Europe, not as juveniles from South East Asian fish farms as today. The smallest available in the trade back then were about 15cm, which isn't too small and we kept Malawi cichlids in really big tanks.
Luckily nowerdays most stores here don't sell the big species at all. I rarely see species that grow to more than 25cm in regular stores. Specialty stores, though...

 

I've never owned a common Pleco, but a LFS (went out of business when Petco and Petsmart arrived in town) had a 100+ gal tank with a lung fish in it. It escaped periodically. They would start each day checking the tank and then searching the store if the lung fish had escaped. But anyway, one day there was a full grown common pleco in the tank that someone had surrendered. They are quite impressive at that size!! Fortunately, a local Biology proffesor adopted it for an even bigger tank in the University Biology dept

That’s amazing! And I’ve never heard of a lung fish before now.

I don't think they were rescue animals back then. The situation I talked about was in 1992. Back then most common plecos came fully or half grown as wild caughts to Europe, not as juveniles from South East Asian fish farms as today. The smallest available in the trade back then were about 15cm, which isn't too small and we kept Malawi cichlids in really big tanks.
Luckily nowerdays most stores here don't sell the big species at all. I rarely see species that grow to more than 25cm in regular stores. Specialty stores, though...

Yeah that would make sense actually. Do you have a photo of those Malawi Cichilds?

Had one in a 200g that started in a 30g with me having no clue how big it would get it. Grew to at least a foot. Kids loved it. In a big tank they are great. They look prehistoric. Sad thing is few make it to the big tank. But that’s the market. Not just plecos but feather fins,goldfish and even bettas. First 3 most people have no clue how big they get. Last just over sold and most of poor quality.
Big thing with plecos is they are huge waste producers ever worse than goldfish. So you must have a bigger filter system and change water more frequently. Also back when I got that pleco they were the only type available. It was many years later all these different smaller ones made it to the stores.

Yeah, those newer ones look really pretty honestly. But in all honesty they don’t really beat the sheer majesticness of a common plecco

 

Do you have a photo of those Malawi Cichilds?

No, we took down our old fishroom around 2001/2, so all were taken on analog camera and if there are any fotos left they have to be at my mums place. My dad died before he was able to scan any of them.

 

No, we took down our old fishroom around 2001/2, so all were taken on analog camera and if there are any fotos left they have to be at my mums place. My dad died before he was able to scan any of them.

Lol sounds legit.