Pet guy wrong about fish?

Your mistake is going to a "Cat & Dog" pet shop,, Find and go to an Aquarium store, where clerks know what fish are.

As to it's growth, to a degree, it will be stunted in a small tank you have. Most Pleco's can get larger than a 10 gal tank's width. He was wrong. Don't get rid of it yet, unless they'll take it back. Get a corydoras cat. None of those grow too big for a 10.

One pleco I have in my 150 gal tank is there because it kept outgrowing every tank it was in. That Pleco is about 15" long.

Well technically he's correct. The pleco is not going to get very big in a 10gal tank.

Unfortunately it WILL grow a bit, and eventually start producing too much waste for the tank system to process. You won't be able to keep the water quality up in the tank, you will probably start randomly loosing other more delicate fish, and eventually even the pleco will die. OK this may take a year or 2. But that fish should have grown to 12-18" and lived for 15 or more years, so it's a bit of a fish keeping fail.

Bottom line - don't get ANY algae eating fish for a 10gal. An apple snail or some shrimp are more suitable.

This is my Pleco - he's about 12" long and 10 years old. He lives with an Oscar. That's the sort of fish the pets shop guy is telling you to stick in a 10gal until it gets stunted and dies/

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u255/ianab_phot...

Ian

He is partially correct. The fishes body on the outside will stop growing but the organs inside will continue growing. This is called stunting which will eventually kill the fish. A common pleco can easily get over 18 inches long with a proper tank.

I highly suggest you return the pleco and get a snail depending on what you have in your tank. Otos would be an option if your tank was bigger as they require 15+ gallons and schools of 6+ fish.

Depending on what kind of pleco it is. I wouldn't put anything other than an otocinclus in a tank that sized though. My friend has a foot long common plecostomus that can barely move around in her tank. Certain plecostomuses only get to be 3-4 inches but the common ones get to be huge, no matter your tank size. And just so you know, pet stores will lie about things to get your money. They really don't care most of the time (there are very few who do care and have the knowledge). Heck, there's some people who work at local fish stores here who have never owned fish. So it's best to look up information online before you buy.

The thing with fish is their growth development in tanks is interesting and unfortunate.

He is right and wrong. The Pleco will not out grow your tank, but he will grow a little. Fish can actually adapt to the size of the tank and stop their growth at a comfortable rate. I have had a carp in my 20 gallon and I got him when he was about 5 inches long, it has been 2 years and he is only 7 inches long. Carp get HUGE incase you didn't know. It is also unfortunate these poor fish can't grow to their natural size and be the fish that they are but it is a plus that they will not out grow your tank.

However, if he magically does get bigger and does outgrow your tank I don't suggest to give the poor guy away, look into getting a bigger tank and new fish in it too :) Getting new tanks and fish is always exciting and could make your little guy happy.

the pleco will in fact grow to fit your tank, but that is only because it has to. It will stunt its growth once it feels too cramped in your tank and die. If you want the pleco to live a happy and long life, i highly recommend you invest in a larger tank.

They get huge they will grow bigger then your tank. I have a full grown oscar and a pleco and they are exactly the same length. My oscar is about 12 to 13 inches long. You will end up buying a bigger tank. Right now I have both together in a hundred gallon tank. i have gone though three tanks as they grew bigger. Hopefully im done. Im very sorry he gave you poor information. Seriously they get huge, no joke.

Hes right. The pleco will only grow to about 3-4 inches in your tank.

edit:

Many people buy plecos for 10 gal tanks. Hes not going to grow over night. He will be fine for well over a year and will probably die before he gets anywhere close to being big enough to need a bigger tank.

Buy a bigger tank its going to grow