Pletco
- Thread starter Meleemaker
- Start date
yep, high amounts of copper. You got lucky cones. You just got lucky.
they have 13% of an adults daily recomend intake of copper. It can kill your fish, I have a good friend who learned this lesson the hard way here over thanksgiving, and whiped out a large magnum pleco, as well as a beautiful (that i have been trying to buy from him for years) 13" galaxy
So yeah, it's bad news.
My plecos generally eat what im eating for dinner with the exception of brocoli because it's too messy. (veggies only)
Their favorite is zuccini, and I suplement with white potatos because it's cheaper and if you look at my stocking levals you will see i have enough fish to wipe out 1.5 zuccini in <1 day
That gets pricy for michigan in december
they have 13% of an adults daily recomend intake of copper. It can kill your fish, I have a good friend who learned this lesson the hard way here over thanksgiving, and whiped out a large magnum pleco, as well as a beautiful (that i have been trying to buy from him for years) 13" galaxy
So yeah, it's bad news.
My plecos generally eat what im eating for dinner with the exception of brocoli because it's too messy. (veggies only)
Their favorite is zuccini, and I suplement with white potatos because it's cheaper and if you look at my stocking levals you will see i have enough fish to wipe out 1.5 zuccini in <1 day
That gets pricy for michigan in december 
alright if you put the pleco in with the oscar he will most likely kill it if the oscar 6 to 12 inches and your oscar will be happy in the 55, as long as the water is 70 to 80 degrees, in the wild or larger aquariums they take a small space as there territory and once they grow to 10 " in a tank they will grow to there surroundings, thats why the oscars at the zoo get to be 18in.
Are you honestly suggesting oscars grow to the size of their tanks? Seriously? They don't. If they get lucky enough to still swim and be comfortable in a 55gal instead of being full sized and cramped, they have an entirely new misfortune of having their organs outgrow their bodies. Not to mention the waste levels that would be dispersed alittle more in a bigger tank...
I'd do research before posting something like that, TBH.
I'd do research before posting something like that, TBH.
Ok one, I don't keep SA cichlids, but my good friend is probably the largest breeder in the state for chichlids of any kind. My best friend and next door neighbor has several tanks of SA's and I know the basics of the "fish world"
1. Oscars are messy eaters, they need to eat a lot, and they are not so great at getting nutrition out of their food, causing them to have a higher intake and thus poop more. Getting really good food will help.
2. Plecos are armored fish. SA cichlids aren't biters as much as they are "thrash and smashers" I'd put dollars to doughnuts that a pleco of any kind would be just fine in the tank as long as it had caves to hide out in during day time. (drift wood and some stacked slate would work nicely)
3. Fish don't "grow to the size of their tank" their growth is stunted by poor conditions. Oscars are fast growers, and I wish petco/walmart/insert chain pet store here would stop selling cute baby oscars to people who can't properly care for them. Add common plecos to the list of fish i wish they would stop slinging as well.
4. a 55g is questionable for an oscar anything less is unacceptable. Just come up with a plan for what to do with your fish in the event he gets too big, new tank, pet store? etc.
5. your filter doesn't really remove waste... yeah its not like cleaning the poop out... bacteria does that. sort of...
in the end the OP already has an oscar and the could of would of should of's don't really matter as he has the fish! So lets be supportive and suggest solutions instead of picking at him.
ottos etc are not going to work well with an oscar (if it fits in his mouth he will eat it) they also need pretty good water quality, your oscar isn't really the ideal companion fish for anything finicky
Pleco, Snails, or magnetic algae cleaner (these don't eat at all
1. Oscars are messy eaters, they need to eat a lot, and they are not so great at getting nutrition out of their food, causing them to have a higher intake and thus poop more. Getting really good food will help.
2. Plecos are armored fish. SA cichlids aren't biters as much as they are "thrash and smashers" I'd put dollars to doughnuts that a pleco of any kind would be just fine in the tank as long as it had caves to hide out in during day time. (drift wood and some stacked slate would work nicely)
3. Fish don't "grow to the size of their tank" their growth is stunted by poor conditions. Oscars are fast growers, and I wish petco/walmart/insert chain pet store here would stop selling cute baby oscars to people who can't properly care for them. Add common plecos to the list of fish i wish they would stop slinging as well.
4. a 55g is questionable for an oscar anything less is unacceptable. Just come up with a plan for what to do with your fish in the event he gets too big, new tank, pet store? etc.
5. your filter doesn't really remove waste... yeah its not like cleaning the poop out... bacteria does that. sort of...
in the end the OP already has an oscar and the could of would of should of's don't really matter as he has the fish! So lets be supportive and suggest solutions instead of picking at him.
ottos etc are not going to work well with an oscar (if it fits in his mouth he will eat it) they also need pretty good water quality, your oscar isn't really the ideal companion fish for anything finicky
Pleco, Snails, or magnetic algae cleaner (these don't eat at all
Week it's been year since he moved into that tank and he was quite happy. He is also mug bigger. I do have a potential place that will Yale him off my hands should the situation arise.... Yet I'm actively looking for a very large new tank for him. Someone suggested a pleco and I decided to google it and found this old thread lilz..... but I don't need one but my glass algaes up after about a week and I would like to keep it clearer.
Anyway don't feed Sweet potatoes to cat fish
Anyway don't feed Sweet potatoes to cat fish