My Common Pleco In 55 Gallon Tank

So I been watching all 5 of my plecos and noticed of all 5 plecos the three in my 55 gallon tank there is only one that is super active no mater what time of day it is. I noticed that he really loves the bubble wand in the tank because he is always swimming in the bubbles. Everyday I watch him go up and down in the bubbles. I am thinking about naming him bubbles now because he does it so much

 

So I been watching all 5 of my plecos and noticed of all 5 plecos the three in my 55 gallon tank there is only one that is super active no mater what time of day it is. I noticed that he really loves the bubble wand in the tank because he is always swimming in the bubbles. Everyday I watch him go up and down in the bubbles. I am thinking about naming him bubbles now because he does it so much

You have 5 common plecos in a 55? BTW love the story and bubbles would be a great name but 5 is to many and they will quickly outgrow that tank

 

You have 5 common plecos in a 55? BTW love the story and bubbles would be a great name but 5 is to many and they will quickly outgrow that tank

Agree with this 100%. Common plecos can get up to 24" long and live over 10 years.

 

Agree with this 100%. Common plecos can get up to 24" long and live over 10 years.

I heard something about that and that you can stump there growth by feeding them constantly. That's what I been doing to keep mine the size they are because I can not pay for a big tank like that they all been the same size as I got them from the fish store

 

I heard something about that and that you can stump there growth by feeding them constantly. That's what I been doing to keep mine the size they are because I can not pay for a big tank like that they all been the same size as I got them from the fish store

Yes bit doing that GREATLY shortens there possible lifespan so you shouldn't do that. It will keep them smaller but there life will be shorter and will have issues later on in life.

 

I'm sorry but purposely keeping any fish underfed just so it stays small enough for your aquarium is cruel. Even more cruel is keeping 5 large fish underfed to keep them small....not just that but sooner or later they will get aggressive with each other and you will start to find potentially fatal fighting over the food you give them.

You should never under feed any fish just to keep them in an undersized aquarium.......you wouldn't do it to any other animal so its not acceptable doing it to fish.

 

Please do the right thing and re home them and get fish more suitable for your 55.

 

I'm sorry but purposely keeping any fish underfed just so it stays small enough for your aquarium is cruel. Even more cruel is keeping 5 large fish underfed to keep them small....not just that but sooner or later they will get aggressive with each other and you will start to find potentially fatal fighting over the food you give them.

You should never under feed any fish just to keep them in an undersized aquarium.......you wouldn't do it to any other animal so its not acceptable doing it to fish.

They do get feed properly I give then enough food for all of them I don't do twice a week because I also got a lot of alge in the tank to and they feed on flakes and whatever else I give them I am still trying to figure our what the do and don't like

And not all 5 live in the same tank the three smaller ones live in the 55 which is two black and white bushy nosed pleco which I believe I heard there breed stays small a one common. And in my big tank is two common and one is slightly bigger then the other and had them all well over 2 or 3 months now and the are getting along fine whit there feeding and everything

 

And not all 5 live in the same tank the three smaller ones live in the 55 which is two black and white bushy nosed pleco which I believe I heard there breed stays small a one common. And in my big tank is two common and one is slightly bigger then the other and had them all well over 2 or 3 months now and the are getting along fine whit there feeding and everything

They aren't all common plecos? What kind of plecos do you have.

 

So two bristlenose and 3 commons? How big is the bigger tank? Either way I would rehome the commons. Feeding them leftovers and alge is not how plecos should be kept, especially if your goal is to stunt them. If you want a pleco, get one that fits the size of your tank. Rehome these ones.

 

They aren't all common plecos? What kind of plecos do you have.

There common and two bushy noes. One of the common is still a baby but I'm starting to think bubbles is not a common pleco but then again it could be he just grows to the size of the tank he is in

 

A way to figure out if your aquarium is big enough to handle a Common Pleco

Look at your forearm and clench your fist
Put your forearm up against the aquarium's front, side and depth
If you can move your arm in all dorections around the aquarium with at least 4" turning circle, then you might have space...for ONE

Minimum for ONE common Pleco is 180g

You are purposely stunting your fish.....you wouldn't do it to a child or any other pet animal....it is absolutely NOT acceptable to do it to fish of ANY kind...end of

 

So two bristlenose and 3 commons? How big is the bigger tank? Either way I would rehome the commons. Feeding them leftovers and alge is not how plecos should be kept, especially if your goal is to stunt them. If you want a pleco, get one that fits the size of your tank. Rehome these ones.

The other tank is a 75 I believe I did decided if bubbles get any bigger and to put him in there

 

The other tank is a 75 I believe I did decided if bubbles get any bigger and to put him in there

Don't bother. Three is way too much for the tank. One is even too much. Just rehome them. Look online as plecos that grow too big for their tank. They still grow huge despite the tank size.

 

This is bubbles

 

It’s probably swimming up n down the glass cause it is stressing out

 

Don't bother. Three is way too much for the tank. One is even too much. Just rehome them. Look online as plecos that grow too big for their tank. They still grow huge despite the tank size.

To be honest I didn't want to get bubbles at the time my mom picked him out because she believed that I needed another one when I had a smaller tank. But in the end I began to like bubbles. she got a him because she had plecos like bubbles and the did fine and lived a long life before she had to rehome all our fish because we where moving when I was a little girl and I believe they where the same size as bubbles all there life and they where in a much smaller tank so that is why I am also starting to think bubbles is not what I think he is

 

Good luck with them. I can’t watch this thread anymore

 

I'm not saying you guys are wrong so I will keep watch for any change. Bit as I know so far I have not seen anyone have any problems since the upgrade after so much research I done on all my fish but I will keep watch

 

Thing with fish who can live more than a decade ...

A few months of doing "fine" is but a blink of an eye. Things can change fast.

I would save up for a 180g for Bubbles, and find new homes for the other common plecos.

Bristlenose are okay in a 20+ but they produce lots of waste so bigger is always better.

Stunting a fish is very painful. Their bodies stop growing but their insides do not, so they start having painful side effects years down the line.

 

No offense, but we are not wrong. There is a lot of experience here trying to help you not only have a successful tank, but also healthy and happy fish. You need to re-home all of the common plecos. You simply do not have the tank size to accommodate them.

And please don't take this the wrong way. We are just trying to help. We have all made mistakes in this hobby. If not, this forum wouldn't even exist.

 

To be honest I didn't want to get bubbles at the time my mom picked him out because she believed that I needed another one when I had a smaller tank. But in the end I began to like bubbles. she got a him because she had plecos like bubbles and the did fine and lived a long life before she had to rehome all our fish because we where moving when I was a little girl and I believe they where the same size as bubbles all there life and they where in a much smaller tank so that is why I am also starting to think bubbles is not what I think he is

This is my last reply to this thread. I'm not going to keep going around like this. If you like bubbles, you should rehome him. Stunting and living in a small place is not going to do him well. Hopefully you do what's right.

 

As long as their small you shouldn't have a problem. It will probably take quite a while for them to grow. You'll know when their getting too big for the tank. At that point you need to upgrade or give them to a pet store that will take them [maybe in trade?]. For now enjoy them.

 

As long as their small you shouldn't have a problem. It will probably take quite a while for them to grow. You'll know when their getting too big for the tank. At that point you need to upgrade or give them to a pet store that will take them [maybe in trade?]. For now enjoy them.

Yeah they are small and have not grown much since I got them I which was some months ago I have not had them as lo g as my other fish. It was some time in the summer I got them I think

 

It would be good to get good clear photos of each of your plecos so it can be determined exactly what you have.

There are true common plecos, the ones that can grow to tremendous sizes. And then we have some that are called common bristle nose plecos. They are much smaller when grown.

Plecos come in lots of different kinds and sizes so knowing exactly what you have would go a long way toward determining what you should do with yours.

I had a common pleco named Jethro. I knew when I got Jethro as a tiny fry that I would not get to keep him very long. I got to enjoy him for about a year. During that year he grew from that little bitty creature into an 8" long 2 or more inch wide very active fish that was much too big for my 55 gallon tank.

When I got Jethro I already had a place lined up for him to live out the rest of his life. He is now in a HUGE above ground pond.

 

I'm just going to echo the sentiments everyone else has already said here. I understand getting attached to fish, looking at them and thinking they're doing just fine. When in reality they are not fine and if you really care about them you would either return or rehome those common plecos.

Keeping a common pleco in a 55 or even a 75 is like keeping an elephant in a cage it can just barely turn around in. Sure that Elephant can live for years and years as long as it's fed. But it's actually living an absolutely miserable existence. Same goes for your common plecos in a small tank. Even if your commons are small now they grow very fast and live for up to THIRTY years. You can't keep an animal in a tiny enclosure compared to it's size like that for decades. It's just not right.

You can keep your Bushy Nose Plecos no problem! The Commons however.....need to go.

 

These are the three in the 55 gallon

And one of the two in the other tank. The other one is hiding in the boat like always unless it is eating

 

Shay1431 you have been given good advice by others, probably easier to re home the common pleco's while they are still smaller.. return them to your pet store. Better to see them get a chance at living their lives out in 100 gallon+. Hard to ID your pleco's from the photo's unfortunately. Your tanks are beautifully kept!

 

Yeah I'm seeing 2 longfin bristlenose and 3 commons.