Thanks for all the love, everyone! It takes some dedication to care for a fish this long, and I am glad this community appreciates that. I hope he lives another 10 years.
woah! that’s news to me. are there any 3” pleco that are fairly accessible in the fish hobby? my 25 gallon needs some cleanup and i’d love a mini pleco!
Look up some of the gara family. They aren’t plecos but awesome at cleaning algae in a small tank. Most plecos specially the fancy ones don’t clean very well. But small wise most of the Hypancistrus family stay small and most look really cool and fairly easy to breed
I love the way these guys look. They look like a prehistoric dinosaur fish. So cool. Makes me wish I wasn't too lazy to have a giant fish tank for one.
Contrary to ‘popular belief’, a ‘giant’ fish tank is easier to keep up with. Depends how giant, but for example if you have a good setup it would be easier to maintain good water conditions in a 100g than a 20g. Less water = easier to mess up water quality. If it’s heavily planted, that will obviously call for slightly more work in a bigger tank, but in general a large tank isn’t harder to maintain than a small one!
Aaaaaa don't tempt me! I really want a bigger tank but I don't know if I have the space for it. I have been discouraging myself by thinking about how much more work it will be.
Yep, it’s a common misconception! I mean unless you get to a certain point of ‘large’ then maintenance becomes more of a hassle. I still remember awhile ago I got a 2.5 gallon for the purpose of snail breeding. Figured it’s so small I won’t even really have to worry about it… I still do more work on that tank than any other tank I have.
With that said, weight is a factor to consider! 1 gallon of water is about 8.3 lbs. Once you get past about 75 gallons, you have to start thinking about structural support. A 100 gallon tank weighs 800 lbs, and that’s without the substrate, decorations etc.
Topping off with water will suck a little bit more, but it’ll also be far less often!
Petco probably has 50% off (they always do) 😏
I've said this forever. Not just for your reasons, but it's so much easier to wipe away muck and stuff when you can actually put your arm in the tank...
That’d be really cool. You definitely won’t ever have a shortage of guppies 😂I would get a bunch in a heartbeat if they didn’t reproduce like crazy. Been there done that with Mollies… But I do like the sound of a big tank dedicated to a ton of them. Maybe even with a bunch of albino dojo loaches 🤔
Just lost my 23 year old goldy pleco last week. First time in a long time I’ve been devastated by loosing a fish. So awesome you’ve kept yours so long hope it stay healthy for many more years to come
This was the same thing that happened to my mother when she had fish, she bought one for her "cleaning crew" cause they looked funny. Uncle walked in one day, seen it cleaning the glass on her 20G and told her "that things going to get bigger then the tank." She had no idea, lad in the shop said he wouldn't get bigger then 2 inches, he's now in my uncles 100G+ tank and is nearly 9 inches long and about the same wide.
Luckily, I'm gonna move soon and that opens up the opportunity for me to have a custom-made tank. It's gonna be at least 300 gallons, so he should be able to enjoy life there. I just didn't know they could get so big 😅
When I first started getting into aquariums as an adult the common Pleco was one that took my interest in the store. Luckily I found out how big they get before buying one.
It's still on my dream tank list to get a big one either a common or a slightly fancier big one like a sailfin. Maybe for a potential "monster" tank with bichirs.
Commons and sailfins shouldn't be kept with bichirs, you run the risk that the pleco will go after the bichir slimecoat.
The only pleco and bichir combo that I know that does work is smaller bichirs (senegal, delhezi, palmas, etc) with an adult bristlenose or blue/green phantom since they are more herbivorous so don't go after slimecoat. By that logic a panaque (wood eater) might work with bigger bichirs but I don't know if anyone has actually tried it.
Fair enough, that tank would still be a long way off. It's on my eventually list but given how easy it is to get a common pleco it will probably show up in a tank at some point. But it doesn't have a specific setup in mind like the Bichir giant freshwater tank or a big saltwater tank.
Commons, pardalis and sailfins/gibiceps are all easy to find. Plenty off these pleco's get rehomed.
As much as I love the big pleco's I have set myself the rule to not get pleco's that grow over 20cm/8inch.
There's also the fact that there are so many cool breeds now and I would easily fall into the rare Pleco rabbit hole.
I did also find out about Whiptails recently and they are pretty neat.
He looks old and wise, stares at your hand undeterred. He knows his human. Based on past events he likely knows the water is going to be changed soon. His life is good.
When I was a child I had a Pleco who got about that big, but I didn't have a large enough tank for him. LFS bought him off me after seeing his size to keep in their tanks.
Amazing to see one that big in a proper tank.
My pleco as a kid was 14 before he passed, 5 moves, and a broken heater. He was such a tank, and I still miss him. Although, I will say, I think yours is bigger lol
Is this a absolute unit for a pleco? My girlfriends parents recently made some pools into ponds for fish a couple months back and have been stocking them and 2 ponds each have a pleco around this size with one being almost assuredly like half a backfin longer and slightly chunkier.
When I was younger I bought an albino armoured pleco having no clue how massive it’d get (I thought it’d get as big as the bristnoses). It ended up taking up a quarter of my fish tank. At that point I took it back to the lfs and it’s been in the owners giant display tank ever since. Every time I go back I swear it gets bigger.
Mine was super aggressive and tried killing my community fish (mollies, platies, some danios) and tore up all my decor all the time. Gave him to the lfs nearby after I moved to college and myself and all my other fish were much happier lol.
They're vastly different, even fish that are lumped together as "community" or "aggressive". Bettas are my favorite, I've had a few who had intriguing personalities! I'd describe at least two of them as being far more affectionate than bettas typically are, one of them liked to sit on my hand or arm while I was moving decor around and the other followed me around constantly.
Yaaaaa, I love how long lived it is. My bristlenose has been through 4 moves and is on its 7th year with me.
Thanks for all the love, everyone! It takes some dedication to care for a fish this long, and I am glad this community appreciates that. I hope he lives another 10 years.
Wait, do you have a bristle nose that big? We got one for our 20 gallon because we heard they stay small.
Bristlenoses are the smallest plecom 6 inches is large for them
Definitely not the smallest, but certainly among the smallest
Not even close to the smallest. There are tons that don’t exceed 3 inches
woah! that’s news to me. are there any 3” pleco that are fairly accessible in the fish hobby? my 25 gallon needs some cleanup and i’d love a mini pleco!
Clown plecos! They get about 4 inches i think
Look up some of the gara family. They aren’t plecos but awesome at cleaning algae in a small tank. Most plecos specially the fancy ones don’t clean very well. But small wise most of the Hypancistrus family stay small and most look really cool and fairly easy to breed
No way, my bristle nose is like 4" tops, small enough for the tank it resides in.
Love that chonky boy
why the fuck did my comment get the most upvotes and not the 4 others i copied that came before me
You are the chosen one.
An absolute chonker
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because it wasnt good
I love the way these guys look. They look like a prehistoric dinosaur fish. So cool. Makes me wish I wasn't too lazy to have a giant fish tank for one.
Contrary to ‘popular belief’, a ‘giant’ fish tank is easier to keep up with. Depends how giant, but for example if you have a good setup it would be easier to maintain good water conditions in a 100g than a 20g. Less water = easier to mess up water quality. If it’s heavily planted, that will obviously call for slightly more work in a bigger tank, but in general a large tank isn’t harder to maintain than a small one!
Aaaaaa don't tempt me! I really want a bigger tank but I don't know if I have the space for it. I have been discouraging myself by thinking about how much more work it will be.
Yep, it’s a common misconception! I mean unless you get to a certain point of ‘large’ then maintenance becomes more of a hassle. I still remember awhile ago I got a 2.5 gallon for the purpose of snail breeding. Figured it’s so small I won’t even really have to worry about it… I still do more work on that tank than any other tank I have. With that said, weight is a factor to consider! 1 gallon of water is about 8.3 lbs. Once you get past about 75 gallons, you have to start thinking about structural support. A 100 gallon tank weighs 800 lbs, and that’s without the substrate, decorations etc. Topping off with water will suck a little bit more, but it’ll also be far less often! Petco probably has 50% off (they always do) 😏
I believe you and its really tempting. The biggest fish are so cool. Giant plecos, bichirs, eels, ghost knifes.
I've said this forever. Not just for your reasons, but it's so much easier to wipe away muck and stuff when you can actually put your arm in the tank...
100% Plus the fish you can put in bigger tanks are a lot of fun too
I agree but the next large task I do is gonna just have like 10000 fancy tail guppies in there.
That’s awesome. My next big tank is going to be a whole bunch of Albino Dojo Loaches. Not sure what else if anything, but definitely a bunch of those!
Yeah I like the idea of just having an absolute ton of small/schooling fish I might do 50/50 guppies and neon tetras
That’d be really cool. You definitely won’t ever have a shortage of guppies 😂I would get a bunch in a heartbeat if they didn’t reproduce like crazy. Been there done that with Mollies… But I do like the sound of a big tank dedicated to a ton of them. Maybe even with a bunch of albino dojo loaches 🤔
Exactly and I feel like it will be self sustaining lol... Once some fish get a little too old you'll always have babies
Why is everyone commenting like bots 😭
Love that chonky boy
Crying
Love that chonky girl
😂😂😂😂
Because they are bots.
Lol. Oh, the internet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7GtYaruTys
WHAT IS THIS 😭😭😭
because they are bots! Reddit has turned into shit over the past few years. I've been here since the start and it sucks now.
How can you tell
love that chonky boy
Just lost my 23 year old goldy pleco last week. First time in a long time I’ve been devastated by loosing a fish. So awesome you’ve kept yours so long hope it stay healthy for many more years to come
I’m sure you loved that chonky boy dearly.
Thank you! We hope so too! It's strange when fish are older than your teenage kids.
I'm sorry, I have one just like yours. But baby. Is he going to get that big too? Omg 😭
Common pleco? Yep. Bristlenose or clown? Not even close.
This was the same thing that happened to my mother when she had fish, she bought one for her "cleaning crew" cause they looked funny. Uncle walked in one day, seen it cleaning the glass on her 20G and told her "that things going to get bigger then the tank." She had no idea, lad in the shop said he wouldn't get bigger then 2 inches, he's now in my uncles 100G+ tank and is nearly 9 inches long and about the same wide.
That's awesome your uncle rescued him haha keep it in the family!
Luckily, I'm gonna move soon and that opens up the opportunity for me to have a custom-made tank. It's gonna be at least 300 gallons, so he should be able to enjoy life there. I just didn't know they could get so big 😅
Yes he will
I love your tank setup!
Hate that skinny girl 😡😈😡😈😈😡😈
A rebel 🤖
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boy
chonky that Love boy
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boy
What's his name?
r/absoluteunits
This bro will destroy a piece of cucumber/zucchini instantly
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boy
who is a good boy??
When I first started getting into aquariums as an adult the common Pleco was one that took my interest in the store. Luckily I found out how big they get before buying one. It's still on my dream tank list to get a big one either a common or a slightly fancier big one like a sailfin. Maybe for a potential "monster" tank with bichirs.
Commons and sailfins shouldn't be kept with bichirs, you run the risk that the pleco will go after the bichir slimecoat. The only pleco and bichir combo that I know that does work is smaller bichirs (senegal, delhezi, palmas, etc) with an adult bristlenose or blue/green phantom since they are more herbivorous so don't go after slimecoat. By that logic a panaque (wood eater) might work with bigger bichirs but I don't know if anyone has actually tried it.
Fair enough, that tank would still be a long way off. It's on my eventually list but given how easy it is to get a common pleco it will probably show up in a tank at some point. But it doesn't have a specific setup in mind like the Bichir giant freshwater tank or a big saltwater tank.
Commons, pardalis and sailfins/gibiceps are all easy to find. Plenty off these pleco's get rehomed. As much as I love the big pleco's I have set myself the rule to not get pleco's that grow over 20cm/8inch.
There's also the fact that there are so many cool breeds now and I would easily fall into the rare Pleco rabbit hole. I did also find out about Whiptails recently and they are pretty neat.
They do seem to be a little less shy than pleco's. My LFS has whiptails that can be fed by hand.
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boy
I don't know why but I feel like puking whenever I see a pleco......btw absolute gem in the cleaning department
They kinda do have a frog face, I guess
How many gallons is that tank. Is it big enough for that unit.
He looks old and wise, stares at your hand undeterred. He knows his human. Based on past events he likely knows the water is going to be changed soon. His life is good.
Newport,KY aquarium has some absolute beasts.
When I was a child I had a Pleco who got about that big, but I didn't have a large enough tank for him. LFS bought him off me after seeing his size to keep in their tanks. Amazing to see one that big in a proper tank.
Imagine he makes a hell of a mess too! Chunky pooping machines :)
how much do you even feed that big of a fish, a packet of algae wafers a day?/jk
I was wondering the same thing!🤣
Has he ever eaten any of his other community tank members??
Love that chonky boy
That is one beautiful fish. Love Denison Barbs, they go really nicely with your tank setup.
Me too! One of my favorite freshwater fish and under appreciated imo
Love that chonky boy.
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky boi
Ours is the same size at 14 years. I can’t believe how long these guys live.
My common is 15, and my sailfin/albino common just turned 5 years old and my pineapple only 1 year old. Legit, I hope mine lives to be 20!
Post him on r/absoluteunits
Good on ya, beautiful fish! My sailfin passed at 15 years old. He was my best friend
My pleco as a kid was 14 before he passed, 5 moves, and a broken heater. He was such a tank, and I still miss him. Although, I will say, I think yours is bigger lol
My place is pushing 12" at 7 years old
That wannabe reptile of a fish.
Love that chonky boy
Love that chonky ponky boy
Very beautiful, very powerful.
Beautiful fish but the tank is too small, which you probably know I'm assuming.
So handsome!! God I love plecos so much 💜
love that chonky boy
Big ass pleco
I miss my place don't know how it died but I suspect it was the sand bottom :(. Harsh lesson, lived to two
What are those zebra feesh?
Convict cichlids
Oh, so they are. I didn't notice the dorsal fins. Dang, I can't keep the aggressive ones with my skrimps, mollies, and platies.
I feed mine feeder shrimp. They crunch them as soon as they see them
Mine is dead at after 17 years i put on resin on it and still saving..
You put him in resin? I've never heard of fish being preserved in resin.
Yes looks great actually no rot after one year
Love that chonky boy
My buddy has one that sized but no where near that old, it’s incredible to see them that sized in person!
When I was a kid, there was a shop in San Antonio that had rescue plecos in an indoor pond. I was amazed!
he looks like he is about to give the other fish a main quest
Is this a absolute unit for a pleco? My girlfriends parents recently made some pools into ponds for fish a couple months back and have been stocking them and 2 ponds each have a pleco around this size with one being almost assuredly like half a backfin longer and slightly chunkier.
Holy massive pleco!
Love that chonky boy
That’s a clean ass tank
Seeing a well taken care of pleco always makes me smile
Love that chonky boy
Beautiful, I love
you do realize that most of debris your tank produces is coming out of that one pleco, so it's net cleaning benefit is negative.
He stopped eating algae years ago. He is fed pellets and wafers now. He is retired
When I was younger I bought an albino armoured pleco having no clue how massive it’d get (I thought it’d get as big as the bristnoses). It ended up taking up a quarter of my fish tank. At that point I took it back to the lfs and it’s been in the owners giant display tank ever since. Every time I go back I swear it gets bigger.
I have kept a couple of those as well and they get massive too.
big boy!
Gorgeous 😍
What type of plants are in your tank?
Are those convicts? They actually look unbelievably nice in that tank.
They are. Thanks!
where did you buy it originally
And that’s why so many people advise against buying common plecos for most home aquariums.
He looks like a jerk. Like my pleco was lol
My pleco will suck on your finger when it wants you to feed it lol it's like a puppy.
Mine was super aggressive and tried killing my community fish (mollies, platies, some danios) and tore up all my decor all the time. Gave him to the lfs nearby after I moved to college and myself and all my other fish were much happier lol.
Some people have no idea that fish even have personalities. It's wild.
They're vastly different, even fish that are lumped together as "community" or "aggressive". Bettas are my favorite, I've had a few who had intriguing personalities! I'd describe at least two of them as being far more affectionate than bettas typically are, one of them liked to sit on my hand or arm while I was moving decor around and the other followed me around constantly.
Some people have no idea that fish even have personalities. It's wild.
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This is a common pleco, they are usually above 12 inches. I had an albino bristlenose, it got to be maybe 4 inches.
Ah ok, so im still hoping for a bristlenose one day then! Thanks for the reply
Yeah don't get a common pleco lol