Original Pleco

[ottawa11]

What size of Pleco would be suitable for a 42 gallon tank?

[Nerine]

a bushy nose pl*co would be a good fit!

you don't want a 'common' one you find in most pet stores as they grow quickly! mine out grew a 75!

but check out the bushy noses...they are great little critters!

don't forget to feed it often!! sinking foods and algae wafers. the pl*co I have right now comes up to eat flakes off the surface of the tank and will sneak cichlid pellets when the others arent' looking. they eat a LOT and produce a LOT of waste!! I go through a lot of fish food with them!!! my large one was 20" when he passed and ate everything you put in the tank including small fish eek

[magnosis]

+1 on the bushy nose.

I have two of them in my 59g, lovely little guys, mine are 1.5 inch now and I enjoy watching them giggle around (whenever they're not hiding !)

[ottawa11]

The reason I'm asking because I kind of bought a common pleco that is about 10" long.

[Nerine]

whoops!

wellll at 10" he's kinda big already for your tank!!! are you planning on upgrading your tank?? I'd skip right to a 75! hahahaha that will hold him for a while
I was just about to upgrade Spike to a 220 when he passed... but he started off in a pond, then went to a 30, 55, 75!

They are really really awesome creatures do you have any photos???

at 10" make sure you're feeding him enough, a common mistake is people don't realize how much they eat!

[ottawa11]

Sorry Nerine for the late post but here is a photo of my pleco.

[elk]

what goes in must come out

what kind of filtration are you using

[Nerine]

no worries He looks very nice!!