# Plecostomus Question



## DC1 (Feb 17, 2006)

I'm new to the forums. A couple of days ago I got my first tank set up, a 10 gallon with 6 goldfish. Relatively easy. I got a small Plecostomus today to help with tank cleaning. Upon bringing it home and setting it loose in the tank, my boyfriend informed me that it might have been a bad idea seeing as how there's really no algea for it to eat yet. Questions:
What do I do about food? Will it eat fish food flakes? There are no real plants in the aquarium either. How should I handle feeding?
Also, I was told Pleco's get along well with most aquarium companions, but other sources online have said they can cause damage to goldfish. Should I be worried? Thank you for any responses!


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## Cliffizme2 (Oct 15, 2005)

DC1 said:


> a 10 gallon with 6 goldfish.


Uh oh, prepare yourself for ridicule for putting 2 goldfish in something that is under 5,000 gallons. I can hear the comments now.

I've never heard of a Pleco hurting a goldfish, they sell algae wafers at pet stores you can throw in there. I've always heard of people putting cucumber slices in there.


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## DC1 (Feb 17, 2006)

Well, they are not fancy goldfish, to be perfectly honest I got them at Walmart for 28 cents each. Well, two of them are different though the name has slipped my mind. The were of the $1.88 variety but were said to live happily with regular goldfish. They are all very small. It's an hour drive to any true blue pet shop from my town. However, we are setting them up with the best home possible!  I would imagine it would be quite a while before they outgrow this tank, or should I expect them to outgrow it at all? Forgive me, I am a noob. 
Just worried about my pleco for right now, I hope Walmart has food for him, I won't be able to go out of town for quite some time.


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2006)

DC1 said:


> :wink: Well, they are not fancy goldfish, to be perfectly honest I got them at Walmart for 28 cents each.


this is even worse. These goldfish are most likely comet goldfish which are copmmon feeders. however they can get up to a foot long. Also, if you just set this tank up a couple of days ago, there is now way it is cycled and you have a huge bioload in there for such a small tank. There is no bacteria in there to take care of the ammonia so your water parameters are going to go bad fast. Id watch out if i was you and look around this site for a post on cycling. I believe ron v made a post about it.

also, plecos do not just eat algae. try offering some zuccini. 
im assuming this pleco is a common pleco which was also not a good idea for this tank. They can also get huge and will outgrow this tank and they are heavy poopers and not good for the bioload in such a small, uncycled tank.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Careful Scuba, you know you are opening yourself up for another sarcastic comment from This Cliffme person. Besides the fact that you are 100% correct. Just put your helmet on.


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## Katwulfe (Jan 25, 2006)

DC1, 6 goldfish and a common pleco in a 10 gallon tank , Yes they will outgrow that tank Fast. As for the pleco, a slice of Zucchini is a great idea for him. You might want to weight it down with something... we rubberband it to a small rock or a piece of driftwood. Canned green beans work also, and they sink on their own.


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## DC1 (Feb 17, 2006)

By "fast", how fast? :-? They are very small now, how long should it take them to get to where I will need to get a bigger tank? Also, we put TetraAqua (I believe that was the name) into the water before we put them in to neutralize it, got a power filter, bulbs for light and heat since it is quite chilly in our house at times and an air pump. I want to create the safest environment possible, what else do I need?


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

DC1, the bigger problem right is that your tank is not cycled, as scuba said. Do a web search for "nitrogen cycle". That problem will kill or severely damage your fish long before they outgrow your tank.


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2006)

ron v said:


> Careful Scuba, you know you are opening yourself up for another sarcastic comment from This Cliffme person. Besides the fact that you are 100% correct. Just put your helmet on.


as long as im giving good information and advice to someone who wants to get into the hobby, im not really worried about someone else's sarcastic remarks.


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## garfieldnfish (Jan 18, 2005)

Since everyone is pussyfooting around, I'll take the plunge. No goldfish, not even a single one, should be in a 10 gal tank. Common or comet goldfish, the kind you have, belong in a pond, not in an aquarium. The minimum tank size for a single fancy (smaller type, odd shape goldfish) is 15 gal.
A common pleco can get very large and will outgrow your tank in no time.
This is going to sound very rude and sarcastic, but will most likely turn out to be true. You will not have to worry about any of that, because none of your fish are likely to survive the cycling phase of your tank. What will probably happen, is that they will die from ammonia poisoning within a few hours or days unless you do large daily water changes and that will keep your tank from cycling. I would suggest you ask your neighbors, friends or anyone with a pond to kindly take those fish or return them to the store.
But in regards to your questions, the common or comet goldfish will be ok with a common pleco if he is fed well. They are fast enough to get away. Feeding him algae wafers, sinking shrimp pellets, blanched zucchini or cucumbers or frozen algae (Formula II) will keep him happy until there is algae in your tank. But even then you will have to supplement his diet because there will not be enough food in a tank that size for him to eat.
You could get away with keeping him in this tank for a little while and add smaller low waste fish, but eventually, my quess would be within 1 year, you will need a bigger tank for him or find him a new home.


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## botany411 (Dec 8, 2005)

garfieldnfish said:


> No goldfish, not even a single one, should be in a 10 gal tank.


 really? some people say that it's 10gl per goldfish if it's the small variety. when i was keeping 6 goldfish in a 10 gl tank lots of people told me to get a 60gl tank.


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## garfieldnfish (Jan 18, 2005)

Most people recommend 15 gal for the first and 10 for each additional one. But goldfish are social fish that like each others company and can live for up to 30 years. It sounds cruel to keep a single goldfish alone for such a long time, hence I would never keep one goldfish in a 10 gal tank.


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2006)

i would think that even 15 for one plus 10 for each additional one is too small. I would bump that up to 20 gallons for the first and 15 gallons for each additional one.


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## lochness (Jan 10, 2006)

garfilednfish is 100% correct -- the person that sold you all those fish, if they knew your tank was just newly setup -- should be jammed in a small crate with 6 other equally stupid and cruel people -- and told he will be fine.

also you mention that you have *bulbs for light and heat* -- the goldfish are colder water species and do fine in temps of 65 degrees F and even colder - the pleco is a warmer species that thrives at 72 degrees or more - more bad news: goldfish and plecos are HUGE ammonia producers so the general laws of water chemistry will be twofold in this uncycled 10 gal


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Yes, it's true; you've inadvertently managed to take the two very worst species you could put into a 10 gallon tank, and put them together into the SAME 10 gallon tank. Oh well, it happens all the time, so don't feel too bad. It's Walmart's fault for selling them to you. Unfortunately, not many Walmart people have much of a clue, either.
Anyway, you should be able to find some algae wafer or pellet type food there for your plecostomus. 
If you're smart, though, you'll take either it or the goldfish back for a refund. Goldfish & tropical fish don't do very well together, having very different needs. I'd stick with tropicals, personally.


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## aaa (Jan 19, 2005)

a comet goldfish can easily grow to 1 feet when grown. the pleco can easily grow to 1 feet also if they have the space to do so. so you get the idea why it is a bad idea for a 10 gallon. only a 100 gallon pond can hold all the gold fish you have. 

no, you didn't do anything really wrong. at least you willing to ask question here. some fish store try to make max money off beginnners and you just one of the victim. go ahead and return the fish and should ask people here for help, not the fish store which only interested to make money.


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## DC1 (Feb 17, 2006)

Ugh. A 60 gallon tank is nowhere near doable right now. Even with the bulbs, the water is just about room temperature, not on the very cold side, not on the very warm side, I was hoping it would be okay. Some are telling me pleco's and goldfish are fine together, some are telling me I just made a horrible mistake. If I return my pleco to the store, is there another option as far as helping with algae? I don't even know anymore. To know that if I'd only gotten one fish, I would still be told I made a terrible mistake because a 10 gallon tank would still be too small. I guess fish aren't for me. Thank you all for your help.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

DC, please don't give up. There IS a right way to do it. The good folks here can help you. We are all here because this is a wonderful hobby. You tried because you have, at least a little, interest. It's confusing because you are getting conflicting advice from so many different people. 
I have an idea. This is presented to the forum membership in general. What if we allow ONE person to help DC1 through this problem and the rest of us stay out of it??????? Any one of the posters in this thread could help. There are so many different ways to do the same thing. Old Salt, lochness, scuba, garfieldnfish. Who will take this??? If DC1 will stay with us?


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## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

I agree with Ron, you really do need to stay around. This forum has helped me more then any petstore could.

Personally, If I were you I would take the 6 goldfish back and keep the pleco (if you are going to keep one). Our walmart sells algae wafers or you can put in zuccini or cucumber. Someone gave me the tip to microwave it for 10 secons and my pleco seems to be eating it better now. You may check out walmarts other fish, you could get a nice school of tetras for the tank. It would need to be cycled first, but that is not horriably difficult to do and you can find tons of information on this form for it. There are also things like biozyme that aid the cycling process.

Give it a little time, and you'll find that your obsessed with fish keeping . Learn how to do it correctly and you'll find confort in knowing your fish are happy.


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## RockabillyChick (Nov 18, 2005)

the trick is to research before getting the fish. do you know about fishless cycling?

i would take all your fish back and read about fishless cycling. get your tank working on that, and then reasearch fish that can live happily in a 10 gallon tank indefinately.

i had a 10 gallon as well, and i kept a red honey dwarf gourami and 6 glowlight tetras in it. i did have a problem with algae, but there are ways to deal with it, like limiting light in the tank, and some elbow grease (it does scrub off) plecos aren't very good algae eaters anyway. 

there are many options for fish that will live in a 10 gallon, like most small tetras, a betta, white cloud mountain minnows, rasboras, even small cichlids like shell dwellers. you just have to research BEFORE buying to make sure your making a decision you can live with.


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## lochness (Jan 10, 2006)

ronv is right dc1 - dont give up - our posts reflect disdain and disappointment in places like walmart that rarely care for anything but a profit - it is not YOU we are upset about - if you read the posts here, we all basically agree in the fact that the types of fish and the combination of fish that you have are not suited to the size tank you have. there is no conflicting information here about that. keeping the goldfish is not the best option and a 10 gal with just one pleco that may grow to 10 inches or more is also not the best option. the store should be able to take all of the fish back - there is an excellent post here about fishlesss cycling by ronv that is a must read. yes read and research a bit before your next fish purchase and your situation will be much improved and you will enjoy this wonderful hobby. it is unfortunate that your introduction to it was a poor one, but all is not lost and you can start from scratch the right way  the size of a tank limits how many fish and what kind of fish a person can reasonably keep in order for the fish to be happy and healthy. that is what all the posts here are attempting to explain. also, we are trying to prevent even more frustration for you because of the bio-load in the tank setup you have will guarantee fish deaths very soon and we sure wouldnt want you to experience this nor have the poor fish suffer due to the store's desire to sell. many hobbyists here have 10 gal tank setups and have posted their info and even some wonderful pictures - there are plecos you CAN buy that will not grow much larger than a few inches and there are fish like tetras that you can keep a school of 5 and be happy with. you can even purchase a pair of dwarf gouramies or a male betta (all fish that require a heater purchase) i've even seen a mini cichlid setup with a pair of blue rams (1 male 1 female) in a 10 gal - so your options might be limited but you can still get interesting fish and make the tank their habitat. so please do not give up and read all you can - a great guide to fish and their tank size limitations and tankmates can not only be found on these forums but also here at Liveaquaria.com

by merely posting on our forums you are well on your way to becoming an informed, educated and knowledgeable hobbyist. welcome to the hobby and please do not hesitate on posting again


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## botany411 (Dec 8, 2005)

FYI:i got 2 goldfish from school and 4 goldfish from a friend that was keeping them in a 2 1/2gl tank. AND it was some people HERE that told me 10gl per one goldfish. the goldfish are the olny fish in the tank. dont make asumptioms people.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Which assumptions would that be? Sorry, I don't understand the post.


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## lochness (Jan 10, 2006)

we didnt say goldfish couldn't _survive _in a too-small environment, we're saying it's not the BEST environment. There are some *feeder* goldfish that only grow 2-3 inches and it's most likey the hardiness of the fish that has allowed 4 in a 2 1/2 gal bowl and not the choice of your friend's aquatic containment. 

there are dog forums on the internet and cat forums and bird forums - if you posted that you had a studio apt and 4 beagles living with you or that you had a 19 inch high and 10 inch wide cage with 5 canaries in it, or as we see on some animal shows in unscrupulous pet stores with several mixed breeds obviously in too-small cages, you would get the same response there: the environment is too small for that type of pet, for that many to thrive, avoid disease, and their overall happiness, cleanliness and health. And so for fish, we will also bring to the attention of those less knowledgeable that anything less than 10gal for a fish that produces more waste than the avg fish that same size is comparable to the above said living conditions of the other animals... just because some people are lucky or that certain fish are hardy, does not make it right - these are not assumptions.


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## glhs422 (Mar 22, 2006)

lochness said:


> there are plecos you CAN buy that will not grow much larger than a few inches and there are fish like tetras that you can keep a school of 5 and be happy with. you can even purchase a pair of dwarf gouramies or a male betta (all fish that require a heater purchase) i've even seen a mini cichlid setup with a pair of blue rams (1 male 1 female) in a 10 gal - so your options might be limited but you can still get interesting fish and make the tank their habitat.


Hey Everyone! 

I'm pretty much in the same boat as DC1, except (luckily) I stumbled across this site before I bought the tank and fish. I want to start with a 10 gallon tank, 2-4 "regular" fish and 1 "bottom feeder" (pleco, etc.)

Lochness, could you explain how to find the fish (plecos or otherwise) that are REALLY cheap and will not grow more than 1-2"? I was planning on buying 2-3 of the $.25 fish but some are saying that even they will grow to be 6" long? 

For example, someone mentioned you can school a few "pygmy cories" together in a 10G tank?

Any help for the super newbie!?!

Thanks in advance!
_____________
Eric - I'm *Brand New* To Fish!
No Fish Yet
Doing Research on 10G Tank


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## msdolittle (Mar 4, 2006)

DC1......don't give up. I'm a newbie too, totally clueless, did EVERYTHING wrong (had no clue about cycling, size of fish,temps, all that jazz).....but I'm working on it, I haven't lost one fish (I've had to return a couple....loaches, sharks). But my original 9 (3 tetras, 3 gouramis, 3 swordtails, in a 30 gal) are all here still. Battling ich, and winning (YAY!!!!), but all here. I even have 4 cories in a quarantine tank.......looking cute as hell I might add. 

Anyway, I made a ton of mistakes but I am becoming addicted. Do what these folks tell you, its no big deal! Don't be discouraged, you can do it. And you'll probably find that you love it. Everyone here has great advice and have a good (and funny) way of giving it to you.

Stick with it, don't feel bad, everyone makes mistakes.


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## little (Mar 10, 2006)

ok I got to get my 2cents in here, I made the same mistake.Got 3 feeder goldfish in a 2 gallon tank, and tossed and pleco in there too!! oh boy I got the 3rd degree!!! Well all I can say in your defence to all the others out there, You know now, there are millions of people who are clueless and do the same thing, putting goldfish in small tanks. finding this site, I am learning what is ok and is not. I also went as far as tossing everything <3 goldfish and pelco > into a 60g tank, then thought i was going to toss some tropical fish in there too!! they dont mix, so I have heard, had to find them a new home again and scrub my 60 g tank, they all lived, and are happy now, still need to get a bigger tank for the pleco since they get huge!!! finding this site and other ones too is a huge step in the right direction. my advise is Read, read, read, ask, and ask, and watch out this fishy thing can become a habit !!!!!


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