sharon - 2012-04-11 Hi I just bought a tank and it had a big plec in but it's spotted skin is dark and other parts very faded please help me
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Jeremy Roche - 2012-04-12 Some times it is just there natural camo. How is your amonia levels? This will some time wash out a fish's color if it is too high.
Anonymous - 2008-12-20 i have a pleco also he too goes to the top of the tank with the tip of the mouth out of the water is this normal or should i be worried? would like someone to try and help me figure this out thanks
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sissy - 2010-03-08 my answer is nothing is wrong its normal thats how it eats i have two of them so dont worry
travis - 2010-05-22 He will take air and food from top, I bred 1000 gold spots and 1500 commons this year.
donnarose - 2011-02-11 Make sure he's getting enough to eat!
Anonymous - 2012-03-12 I once had a 4 inch pleco and he used to do that all the time to eat and just to get air.
chrissy st jules - 2011-10-21 Hi there. I was just wondering if someone could tell me what kind of plecos I have. I bought two grey ones with a couple black spots on them and I also have a black one with no spots. thanks
john - 2011-10-05 I just got one of these a few days ago and I dont know what to name it. it is small,shy, and curious.any name ideas?
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Charlie Roche - 2012-02-29 Just a thought but how about Leo? I have no idea where that came from in my brain but just there. from Leopold the Great - history.
Chris Norris - 2011-07-08 I have a two and a half inch long fin bristle nose. When I got him, he had awesum long fins. After having him for two mounths his fins are not as nice as they were. He is in realy good conditions and he has never been nibbled on. Can you please tell me what this is?
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Charlie Roche - 2011-07-08 I included the article on Fish Disease and Treatment. It might be Fin & Tail rot which is a bacteial infection. He could have had it when you brought him home. He could have hurt himself somehow in the tank and it caused a bacterial infection. Another fish could have nipped him. It happens. Anyway, look at the article and find the symptoms and check out that disease and just look at symptoms in general. The recomended treatment is there.
tilda - 2011-01-24 NEED SOME ADVICE! I have have had 3 common plecos all at different times, however I can't seem to keep them for more than 3 weeks! I have a well established community tank of which I spoil all my fish rotten! Each pleco I have had seems to be happy and doing well and then I come home to find it dead.... have I just been unlucky with my pleco picking or am I doing something wrong? I thought these were hardy fish.....
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bluarc - 2011-02-11 Do you have smokers in the home that may be reaching into your fish tank? I use to smoke and my two boys use to put cigarette butts into my fish tank and it would kill all the fish. Some sooner than others. They did this on purpose. I didn't find out until many years later.
Donna Rose - 2011-02-11 Don't expect your pleco to survive on algae or leftovers alone! Be sure to feed him. They love the sinking algae wafers. Zucchini, green beans and broccoli are all avidly consumed by any of the plecos we own. Microwave the veggies a little to soften them, cool and drop into tank late in the day. Remove any uneaten bits the next day. We have 7 different tanks, all with their own species of pleco: common, tiger, clown and some only known by their "L" number. We love these animals! Good luck.
Sarah - 2010-03-26 I have 2 leopard sailfin plecos in my 20 gallon tank. I always thought they were corys as thats what the woman in the petshop told me. Now I love my plecos, but I don't know if they will outgrow the tank. And I have read that there are thousands of pleco varietys and mine might not be one of those, but something similar that won't get very big. I've had them for about 2 months and they are about 3 inches.
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christine - 2010-04-19 I have a pleco I have had him for nearly nine years now and he's over a foot long but I have got a 4ft tank if that helps.
mat - 2010-04-23 If these are in fact leopard sailfins, then watch out - you can expect them to reach 6 inches in a year and up to two foot over their lifetime. You need a seriously large aquarium, something like 120 gallon, if you want them together, full grown. I have one and he is a good 3 inches, I've only had him for 2 months and he's already doubled in size. Well worth the effort though, a truly magnificent and charismatic fish.
katie - 2010-07-16 What other foods do plecos eat?
Andrea - 2010-10-22 Hi Sarah, Because these plecos will most likely get over 2 feet long, I would suggest getting a 100-150 gallon tank minimum to put them in.
Plecos in general are a species of catfish, and though they are strictly herbivore at a young age, they become omnivores (eating both algae and fish products) after about a year or so. (Mine normally start eating fish species before that time).
That being said, though they are okay with eating Algae, they are not the greatest. They produce a lot of ammonia and nitrate as well that can lead to the death of your other fish.
If you want a good algae eater, you can try snails (that stay herbivores their whole lives) or Otocinclus (that are similar to Plecos except for they only get 2 inches long instead of 2 feet ;)) That being said, Ottos are also good algae eaters but will at some point eat fish products too to get their protein.
People think that most fish will grow to the size of the aquarium they are placed in. This is half true. If the plecos are not placed in a larger aquarium, what happens is the following: Their external structure, such as their skin, skeleton, and eyes for example stop growing, however their internal structure such as their heart, intestines etc will continue growing, until it gets to maximum size. That being said, the pleco will at some point "explode" since his organs are getting too big for his tiny body.
I hope this helped!
Jamie - 2010-12-30 Hi there. I have had a leopard pleco in my 70 gallon tank for three years. It is approximately 10 inches from nose to tail. They will eventually (assuming they live long enough) get up to around a foot and a half long. That is clearly too big for your 20 gallon tank. Your smallish tank will retard the growth of your pleco, but it will not prevent it. It is probably a good idea to sell it back to a pet store once it gets too big for your tank. Hope this helps.
dennis - 2010-12-17 I have had mine for 8 years he is 14 inches and still growing I have never given him anything but flakes and wafers I just changed to a bigger tank a month ago went from 35g to 50g.
Mel - 2010-10-27 I have a plecos and I have had him for twenty years. His name is Whopper. He is also about eight inches long and fin tip to fin tip width is at least five inches. He is also in a twenty gallon tank. -Mel
The Leopard Plecostomus is one of the hardiest and most enduring of all catfishes!
Hi I just bought a tank and it had a big plec in but it's spotted skin is dark and other parts very faded please help me
Some times it is just there natural camo. How is your amonia levels? This will some time wash out a fish's color if it is too high.
i have a pleco also he too goes to the top of the tank with the tip of the mouth out of the water is this normal or should i be worried? would like someone to try and help me figure this out
thanks
my answer is nothing is wrong its normal thats how it eats i have two of them so dont worry
He will take air and food from top, I bred 1000 gold spots and 1500 commons this year.
Make sure he's getting enough to eat!
I once had a 4 inch pleco and he used to do that all the time to eat and just to get air.
Hi there. I was just wondering if someone could tell me what kind of plecos I have. I bought two grey ones with a couple black spots on them and I also have a black one with no spots. thanks
I just got one of these a few days ago and I dont know what to name it. it is small,shy, and curious.any name ideas?
Just a thought but how about Leo? I have no idea where that came from in my brain but just there. from Leopold the Great - history.
I have a two and a half inch long fin bristle nose. When I got him, he had awesum long fins. After having him for two mounths his fins are not as nice as they were. He is in realy good conditions and he has never been nibbled on. Can you please tell me what this is?
I included the article on Fish Disease and Treatment. It might be Fin & Tail rot which is a bacteial infection. He could have had it when you brought him home. He could have hurt himself somehow in the tank and it caused a bacterial infection. Another fish could have nipped him. It happens. Anyway, look at the article and find the symptoms and check out that disease and just look at symptoms in general. The recomended treatment is there.
I have a Pleco, but I have no Idea what kind it is. It is tan with black spots, but doesn't look like a leopard pleco.
It would be highly likely to be a simple common plecostomus.
NEED SOME ADVICE! I have have had 3 common plecos all at different times, however I can't seem to keep them for more than 3 weeks! I have a well established community tank of which I spoil all my fish rotten! Each pleco I have had seems to be happy and doing well and then I come home to find it dead.... have I just been unlucky with my pleco picking or am I doing something wrong? I thought these were hardy fish.....
Do you have smokers in the home that may be reaching into your fish tank? I use to smoke and my two boys use to put cigarette butts into my fish tank and it would kill all the fish. Some sooner than others. They did this on purpose. I didn't find out until many years later.
Don't expect your pleco to survive on algae or leftovers alone! Be sure to feed him. They love the sinking algae wafers. Zucchini, green beans and broccoli are all avidly consumed by any of the plecos we own. Microwave the veggies a little to soften them, cool and drop into tank late in the day. Remove any uneaten bits the next day. We have 7 different tanks, all with their own species of pleco: common, tiger, clown and some only known by their "L" number. We love these animals! Good luck.
I have 2 leopard sailfin plecos in my 20 gallon tank. I always thought they were corys as thats what the woman in the petshop told me. Now I love my plecos, but I don't know if they will outgrow the tank. And I have read that there are thousands of pleco varietys and mine might not be one of those, but something similar that won't get very big. I've had them for about 2 months and they are about 3 inches.
I have a pleco I have had him for nearly nine years now and he's over a foot long but I have got a 4ft tank if that helps.
If these are in fact leopard sailfins, then watch out - you can expect them to reach 6 inches in a year and up to two foot over their lifetime. You need a seriously large aquarium, something like 120 gallon, if you want them together, full grown. I have one and he is a good 3 inches, I've only had him for 2 months and he's already doubled in size. Well worth the effort though, a truly magnificent and charismatic fish.
What other foods do plecos eat?
Hi Sarah,
Because these plecos will most likely get over 2 feet long, I would suggest getting a 100-150 gallon tank minimum to put them in.
Plecos in general are a species of catfish, and though they are strictly herbivore at a young age, they become omnivores (eating both algae and fish products) after about a year or so. (Mine normally start eating fish species before that time).
That being said, though they are okay with eating Algae, they are not the greatest. They produce a lot of ammonia and nitrate as well that can lead to the death of your other fish.
If you want a good algae eater, you can try snails (that stay herbivores their whole lives) or Otocinclus (that are similar to Plecos except for they only get 2 inches long instead of 2 feet ;)) That being said, Ottos are also good algae eaters but will at some point eat fish products too to get their protein.
People think that most fish will grow to the size of the aquarium they are placed in. This is half true. If the plecos are not placed in a larger aquarium, what happens is the following: Their external structure, such as their skin, skeleton, and eyes for example stop growing, however their internal structure such as their heart, intestines etc will continue growing, until it gets to maximum size. That being said, the pleco will at some point "explode" since his organs are getting too big for his tiny body.
I hope this helped!
Hi there. I have had a leopard pleco in my 70 gallon tank for three years. It is approximately 10 inches from nose to tail. They will eventually (assuming they live long enough) get up to around a foot and a half long. That is clearly too big for your 20 gallon tank. Your smallish tank will retard the growth of your pleco, but it will not prevent it. It is probably a good idea to sell it back to a pet store once it gets too big for your tank. Hope this helps.
I have had mine for 8 years he is 14 inches and still growing I have never given him anything but flakes and wafers I just changed to a bigger tank a month ago went from 35g to 50g.
I have a plecos and I have had him for twenty years. His name is Whopper. He is also about eight inches long and fin tip to fin tip width is at least five inches. He is also in a twenty gallon tank.
-Mel