pl*cos - pelcos - and Placos......

[Purple]

OK peeps - time to get serious here.....

I'm a great fan of 'Ol Plecostamus - I've got 3 sailfins spread around my tanks, and I'm still looking for L200.

Recently on this board there has been a rash of "got to have one of these" going around, and I'd like to add a note of caution to this optimism.

Most Pl*cos are pretty hardy fish, they'll put up with a lot of abuse what with being pulled from their natural environment and being dumped in a tank - then shipped - then put in another tank - then moved to another tank - etc.......these guys have a sense of humour - but it only goes so far.

Some Pl*cos will only get to 6 inches, some to over 18 inches, some like fast water, some quiet bits, but a common theme is their lifespan. Anything up to 10 years is not uncommon.

Like getting a dog - it's not just for Christmas - it's for life. They are not fashion items, they are sentient animals, and deserve to be treated as such. If you get a Pl*co, make sure you have the right type of tank set-up for it - size and waterflow - and remember that you will be looking at, living with, and feeding the thing for a very long time indeed.

Think BIG, and think 'long term' when considering one of these creatures - please. They deserve your best attention, and nothing less. If you can't guarantee that, then maybe it's better to re-consider at the beggining rather than to change your mind later.

Don't mean to put a downer on geting a Pl*co - they're gorgeous creatures - but think hard first - you are the one who has a choice in the matter - the fish doesn't, so you have to be responsible for the whole situation.

OK - end of sermon - just putting my mouth where my heart is..............

 

[catfishmike]

here here,cheers to purple.you sound like me a year and a half ago.when i first bought my pleco 4 years ago i was naive and fell into the crappy fishkeeping myths.i kept my pleco in a five gallon tank.then i read a few things then i found planetcatfish.com and i was blown away.thats when i started planing for my new tank.now my lovely pleco resides in an 84 gallon tank,it's long,but not too narrow,so it has room to turn around.it's heavly filtered with a high flow rate so the waters well oxygenated.i gave it wood to rasp on.i get veggies for it from time to time to keep my plec regular and well fibered.i have other fish in the tank,but i keep my tank for my pleco.i look forward to a long time with my pleco.as a small aside,considering the invalidity of the name plecostomus,shouldn't we call them lorries,as in loriicarid.not plecostomus.

 

[Leopardess]

Exactly. Fish are living beings and not a decoration or tank ornament or something just to "have."

And it's not just plecos. It's all fish.

 

[Purple]

There's just something about 'Pl*costamus' that will always stick i think - kinda suits them...even tho we use terms such as L200. Strange to re-think all those searches tho....

 

[Lotus]

Well said, Purple.

Another point I would like to make about pl*cos is that their only purpose in life is not just to clean your tank.

For one thing, not all species are big algae eaters. For another thing, it's up to you to clean your tank, not the fish's job. They are fish with a beauty and charm of their own, not just a garbage collector for your tank. Getting a pl*co is more reason to do regular cleanings and tank maintenance, not a reason to get lazy.

 

[TaffyFish]

Hear, hear! I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment, but I think people will always get plecos for the primary benefit that they offer the tank rather than for any aesthetic reason. People like catfishmike are not rare, the dear old pleco wins many hearts eventually, but they are not in the majority either. The majority of fishkeepers are pretty irresponsible IMHO. (...and I don't inlcude any contributors to this thread in that btw, it's preaching to the converted, right?)

Mike is spot on about planetcatfish.com too, a fantastic site and resource. Sites like that are the reason why no hobbyist should be without access to the internet.

A much more difficult can of worms is opened by Lotus's comment about a fish's "only purpose in life." Leopardess used the term ornament too, but we are talking about the ornamental fish trade here aren't we? So, what is the purpose of an ornamental fish?