I adopted a HUGE Pleco!!! What now?

[shooter]

Hey I got a HUGE! Pleco given to me at Petco the other night I asked if they had any large Plecos ( 3-4") and they led me to a tank full of live Plants and there he was...*BOUNCINGS they said he was brought in by a customer who could not keep him anymore and he was up for adoption. He is at least 10" long and his head is huge so far he just hides alot any advice on making him feel at home and happy & healthy?

 

[rhoymand]

two words: huge tank! youre gonna need at least a 55 gal to house him alone. cuz eventually hes gonna get bigger. good luck with it.

 

[prettypleco]

Yup! A big tank!! Lucky you though. I bet he is gorgeous! I love plecos. A nice piece of driftwood to rasp on and some algae disks will make him feel at home. They also like zuccini, cukes, yams, lettuce, peas and shrimp pellets.

 

[Pure]

To help him settle in try increasing the current and adding an airstone. Nice find!!

Also you my find that your filtration may not be enough any more, so upping that may not be a bad idea.

 

[shooter]

YES, HE IS GORGEOUS!

Thanks for the advice. I'm still pretty new at this. My tank is a 40 gallon hex shaped tank, not real wide but very tall. 11 tiny Neon Tetras. (new) 1 chinese algae eater who was the sole survivor of my first encounter with "Ich" *thumbsdow I have been in morning for several months... I was getting the Tetras to try to start over when I found this big Pleco. I have a large fake stump which he has been hiding behind since I brought him home and a long bubble stone behind it. He seems to like to hang out in the bubble flow. I wish he would come out in the open so I could get a good look at him and maybe some pictures to show ya all. Is it normal for him to be so shy? How can I get him to come out from his hiding place?

 

[prettypleco]

Plecos are nocturnal. I have a large black lace pleco i only see for a moment when i turn the lights on in the morn. I have a clown pleco who lives under a bridge..he comes out for food only. I have a very large chocolate pleco who is too darn big to hide so i see him all the time. And various others i only see from time to time. They like it dim.

 

[DarkMuse]

I'm not sure how wide a 40gal Hex is, but I would suggest getting a regular (short and wide) tank for the pure fact that he will get bigger and they tend to stay at the bottom alot more than the others.

Also, as it has already been suggested, get a piece of real driftwood because they use it to keep their teeth "filed" down and also for their diet (fiber).

My bristlenose is always (well, 90% of the time) on the peice in the tank. She'll (assuming its a girl) either be on top, hanging from the bottom, or laying at the end in the corner. She lays around most of the time. She's about 3 to 3-1/2 inches long. I know she'll be alot happier when I get my 55 gal in 4 months!

Amanda

Amanda

 

[cybersymes]

crazy...wot a bootiful 'monster' you have found...
all the info above is spot-on...
i'm no expert...but you'll need a bigger tank for sure...
driftwood...sinking wafers...cucumber sections...
check out my... 'see your ple*o' ...thread too...

my guy is only 5 inches long...
not sure what to do when he is 10 inches...