AnyOne know About Plecotomous Suckermouth catfish

[radrich114]

Iv wanna know about how big will they grow in there first year of life.

[onyxeyes]

i suppose it would depend on how big it is to start with. my friend's grew from about an inch to about 4 inches in the first year they had it.

[cathair]

I hear they grow according to the size of their tank. I have had several of them.After nine years in a 20 gallon tank, my last one was about six or seven inches long.
They feed mostly on the algie in your tank. However, mine eventually ate fish food. He laid on his back and funneled the food into his mouth. My tank sprung a leak, so he is in a large upright tank in my Doctors office. The patients think he is neat. His name is " IGGY" Hope this helps some. cathair

[Squawksx3]

They do grow to the size of their tank... the bigger the tank, the bigger they'll get. I have one in an 80 gallon tank and its about a foot long. we've had it for about 8 years now and it was a little guy when we got it. We feed it algea chips, cucumbers and it also eats fish food and the algea in the tank. many pet stores will take them and trade you for a smaller one if it gets too big for the tank and not enough food.. they put the bigger ones in ponds. I dont think I could part with my guy since we've had it for so long... probably just get a bigger tank :D .

Try the cucumber... they really like them.. our other fish eat it too :D

[krazy4birds]

Those things look scarey to me...hahahaha...we had one when the kids were little and he grew and was getting pretty big and I started having nightmares about him....so I ended up giving him to a friend of ours where he lived a few more years and died. We don't know why. That's just me though I also get squeemish around lizards and when I was a little girl we lived in Texas and I remember playing with lizards, horned toads and everything....don't know where I made the turn but I can not do it now lol

[Squawksx3]

LOL Judy... They're not scary... they're kewl dudes that eat the crud in the tanks so the fishies can live in a clean home hehehe :p

[krazy4birds]

Yes....I know their job is very important.....but they still give me that look that say...."someday" :eek: ooooooh boy....guess that is why I do not have my aquarium anymore. I admire all of you who do :o

[SnowWhite]

There are a lot of misconceptions about common plecos (Hypostumus Plecostumus). The will not just 'grow to the size of their tank.' They have a full size but most die before they reach that size due to improper conditions. When you keep a fish that is supposed to get large in a small tank what happens is their growth gets stunted, they grow slower and eventually die. They die because their internal organs do not grow (goes with the stunting) which shortens their life span. Plecos will ony eat algae when they are young. As the grow, they stop eating it and will eat fish food (like some of you found out) and they will eat their live plants and some people have even seen them eat their smaller fish. There are many types of plecos tho. You can go to Liveaquaria.com to get profiles on many different species of plecos. Some dont get as big, but most do.

[krazy4birds]

What an interesting thing to share.....I was like everyone else...I thought they only grew to what their envirement let them then just live like that untill natural death! Thanks for letting us know that!

[Squawksx3]

Wow.. its great to have you here Amber, thanks for the info :) . So, is an 80 gallon tank ok for my guy for awhile?. Maybe I should start thinking about putting a big pond in... can they live outside in the weather changes?.

[SnowWhite]

No problem! Krazy4birds... I used to think the same thing too before I really got into fish so dont feel bad ;)

Jan... yeah he should be fine in an 80 gallon tank. I'm pretty sure that their full size is about 23 inches (like 60 centimeters) I think the minimun tank size for a full grown was 180 gallons. I think that the reason for this minimum is because sometimes they can get bigger than their 23". I would just watch and if he starts to get aggressive, or seems cramped or lethargic.. just not acting normal.. I would consider a bigger tank. He would not do well in a pond. They are tropical so they need their temp between 75 and 80. It would get too cold in the winter.