"Small" Concern with Fish Getting Too "Big"

[ktk4beees]

I have had these two since 4 of them fit in a 10 gallon tank. One stayed in the 10 gallon and never got large. I gave one away at a small size and these two guys moved to a 55 where they lived for 2 years keeping the tank sparkling clear. I finally got a 75 gallon tank and these two and the gold fish you see all moved to the new home.

Their size exploded. They grew almost instantly and now are over a foot long. I am hoping the growth spurt has ended and they do not get any larger but that does not seem to be happening. I really do not want to re-home them yet.

They are gentle giants. They have never attacked anything but the algae in the tank. They are in with a group of Panda Cory Cats, Otocinclus cats, 6 (very much clowns) Garra Rufa, a Cobalt Blue Lobster, and 4 assorted large Goldfish. Everyone has a space but these two out grew theirs. So far no issues but I know if they keep growing I may have to re-home.

I live 125 miles away from mostly anything so taking them to a "local" pet store is not an option. Does anyone know where when and if I want to re-home will take large fish? 

[Biotope Biologist]

They get to about 2 feet, some more than that. Eventually people move them to outdoor ponds. They seem to do fine with water temps above 60 F 

 

Common pleco are really not great pets for most people just due to sheer size and waste. If it is in the budget and space you can move up to a 125g tank and they will be comfortable in there.

[ktk4beees]

On 11/25/2023 at 6:42 PM, Biotope Biologist said:

They get to about 2 feet, some more than that. Eventually people move them to outdoor ponds. They seem to do fine with water temps above 60 F 

 

Common pleco are really not great pets for most people just due to sheer size and waste. If it is in the budget and space you can move up to a 125g tank and they will be comfortable in there.

I live where it get to -35 in the winter so a pond is out of the question and the house is old so a 125 tank is ify but I have a bearing wall I am saving for such an tank. Now, I just have to wait till spring is warmer and one of the pet stores in Idaho Falls has a sale. I was thinking of a 150 tank for that spot so if their growth spurt will slow down some, I may have them covered. These two grew up together and they were always with Goldfish so I would hate to see them split up. For now although a bit cramped, they seem happy with the situation.

I got these guys when I was pretty ignorant about fish tanks. So, chalk them up to one of the few (thankfully) mistakes I have made so far. I am sure as I learn more there may be a few more oops along the way.

[madmark285]

On 11/25/2023 at 9:51 PM, ktk4beees said:

I got these guys when I was pretty ignorant about fish tanks.

To be fair, the buyer beware attitude with fish store is a problem. The Bala shark is a classic example, so cool looking when young but they grow into monster over a foot long. These should be hard to buy as you need a 100 gallon tank for them. 

[madmark285]

On 11/25/2023 at 9:51 PM, ktk4beees said:

the house is old so a 125 tank is ify but I have a bearing wall I am saving for such an tank.

Understood, I have an old house. One cheap and easy fix to strengthen old floor joist, cut some 3/4" plywood into ~10" planks and glue them to the joist using clamps. You can also nail the plywood just in case. I made my own stands, I attached it to a load bearing wall using lag bolts. 

If using a metal stand with 4-6 legs, I would cut a 3/4" piece of plywood and set it on the floor. Put the stand on the plywood, this will reduce the pressure points from the legs. 

 

[Tanked]

I love the prehistoric look of the common pleco.  If they were mine, I would keep them.

There is a difference between can grow and will grow. My first common topped out at 16" and seemed quite happy when upgraded to the 75.  It took almost 12 years to get to that point.  I've never had one get close to that in subsequent years.  This may be due in part to getting only a single daily feeding, or genetics.  

I saw a YouTube video for a fish rescue in Ohio. You might try doing a Google search for fish rescues in your state/region. 

[ktk4beees]

On 11/26/2023 at 9:39 AM, Tanked said:

I love the prehistoric look of the common pleco.  If they were mine, I would keep them.

There is a difference between can grow and will grow. My first common topped out at 16" and seemed quite happy when upgraded to the 75.  It took almost 12 years to get to that point.  I've never had one get close to that in subsequent years.  This may be due in part to getting only a single daily feeding, or genetics.  

I saw a YouTube video for a fish rescue in Ohio. You might try doing a Google search for fish rescues in your state/region. 

There is a fish and pond rescue about 365 miles away from me in Boise. I will contact them and see what they think. I really am not ready to get rid of them yet as I am fond of the "little" big guys. Some Plecos can get mean when they get this big but these two have stayed pretty mellow. If that changes, I would have to do something and your suggestion of a fish rescue was a great one so thank you so much for that. 

[nabokovfan87]

@ktk4beees once you get to 50 posts, you should have the buy/sell/trade section open up on the forums and you can post it as a free fish to try to rehome it as well.

Check on the co-op website for a local partner store and maybe that's the best way you can find a good place to rehome it to.  Unfortunately, every store knows that common plecos are a bit too.... common for their own good.