"JeffinMS" wrote in
:

interested in anyones opinion (take the Pleco to the Fish Stor-Yes?
No?) and what changes they might make to this tank if it were theirs.
Here's the link, just click on the thumbnails to enlarge, Thanks. J

It is very hard to tell from the photos what sort of pleco you have. To
take a guess by the large spotted under-markings it is probably some form
of ultra-common Hypostomus sp.. If that is the case you can look forward to
this fish getting well over twice its current size. We have some trade-ins
at the store that are nearing 3' and are kept in huge ponds with our koi.

If you want to keep it a good while longer I would suggest getting a bigger
tank--the longer the better--or at least redesigning your tank around the
fish. Hypostomus plecos, like most other Loricariidae are river fish. If
you want to simulate the environment from which it was captured you should
add a powerhead to increase current and then build lots of caves and nooks
for the fish to hide in using driftwood and smooth rocks.

That said, these fish are extremely adaptable provided there is a lot of
oxygen and sufficient food. Your fish will probably be content in the tank
you have until he becomes too large to turn and maneuver without serious
difficulty.

If you trade in your fish it is very likely it will end up in a pond at
some point. At the size your pleco is now it is possible someone may buy
your fish to keep a large cichlid tank clean, but we only sell the really
big *******s (18" or so) to people who want them to eat the sludge on the
bottom of their outdoor ponds.

If you do trade in I suggest you look to get a L104 Clown Pleco (Panaque
maccus) as a replacement, provided you have at least some driftwood in your
tank. These little plecos are usually cheap and don't grow beyond 3", but
like most Panaque they require a lot of fiber in their diet in the form of
wood fiber to survive long term.

An even more stellar Panaque would be the L204 Flash Pleco--if you can find
them for sale. I have a collection of these guys I bought a year ago, and
though they get slightly larger than the clown, they are very striking.