Hello.

I bought a 10 gallon warm water aquarium kit for my cat to look at. Like most things I get for him, he quickly decided he had no interest in it. Still, after a little time with my purchase, I quickly learned to appreciate my little family of fish consisting of 3 pictus catfish, and 2 plecostomus.

Then... they started growing... like weeds. My Plecos are now at least 6 inches long each and my pictus catfish are at about 3 inches each.

I was reading through some of the material here and elsewhere and learned that plecos can become fiercely territorial. I think I may be seeing some signs of aggression between my two (about equal size) plecos. In addition, they hardly fit in the decorative arches I got for them. I used to have a small fake stump with fake plants attached to it, but nothing has really been able to fit in the small openings very well anymore so I removed it.

There is plenty of open space at the top of the tank, but since my fish are primarily bottom dwelling aside from the plecos making the occasional venture up the side of the tank.

Still, I am curious if my current setup is too cramped. My fish seem to be in good health at the moment at least. I would like to keep it that way though.

Any advice would be appreciated.

You say you have a 10-gallon tank & 2 6-inch plecos & 2 3-inch pictus? I'd say your tank is too small. When I for my 3-inch common pleco I was told it'd grow fast & that it would become territorial. I had mine in a 10-gallon w/11 tetras & 2 dwarf frogs. He very quickly got 7 inches long & bullied all the smaller fish. He could barely swim for all the stuff in the tank. I got $15 store credit for him & got my 2 paradise fish with it. The guy at the pet store told me 1 pleco in a 10-gallon is good. As for the pictus I wouldn't know but my bet is your trank is too small. More than one pleco is asking for trouble because they have to compete for food as well. Good luck :)

"Still, I am curious if my current setup is too cramped. My fish seem to be in good health at the moment at least. I would like to keep it that way though. "

Yes, the tank is overcrowded even if you just had the Pictus or the plecos in there.

Alright then. What do you recommend?

Should I go for a larger tank or try to relocate some of my fish or what?

Edit: I read somewhere that pictus catfish are social fish that apparently don't do well unless there are at least 3 of them.

I do not have a ton of money to throw around on this though. I would prefer something that won't cost me an arm and a leg.

I think you should get a 40 to 50 gallon and get rid of 1 of your plecos because if you want two you would have to have a VERY large tank. At petsmart they sell 55 gallon aquarium sets for around $150. It comes with all the equipment and stuff except gravel.

That seems pretty expensive. Also, I doubt I have enough room for a tank of that size.

A 30 gallon would be to small for all those rapidly growing catfish. You could get one but you would have to get rid of some catfish. the 40 or 50 gallon is probably the best option though.

I think a 30 gallon might be within my size limits and price range. As for the fish, would finding another home for one of my plecos help like that?

I realize it might be a little crowded, but even in their 10 gallon they have plenty of room to swim around along the upper portion of the tank.

a 30 gallon is good. The plecos get to be about a foot so a 30 gallon can barely support 1! Also plecos cant tolerate each other after a while. I dont know that much about pictus cats though.

I don't know much about the Pictus catfish either. Certainly any tank larger than what you have will be an improvement. My 14" pleco is cramped in a 40 gallon breeder tank but they're a nice size because they have a larger surface area (more floor space) than most tanks of the same volume including both width and length. While a 55 gallon tank holds more water, it's pretty narrow.

I say buy the largest tank you can reasonably afford (don't forget the cost of the lid, lighting, heater, filter, gravel, ornaments, etc.!). The size to which your plecos grow depends on which species that you have. There are so many ranging from only a few inches to a few feet long! It would help to identify your pleco species. If you post a photo, I can take a guess at it. Or, you can look at some of the galleries of pleco photos on the net such as at http://www.planetcatfish.com or look at a fish atlas. Keep in mind that any one book or site does not contain all the pleco species.

i think a 30 gallon would be good for your pleco now but eventualy you will need a larger tank.pictus cats get to be around 10 inches and they need at least a 75 gallon tank so maybe you should just give the fish you have now to the pet store and start a small 10 gallon community. Go to www.liveaquaria.com to find out more about the pictus cat.You could also keep both of your plecos depending on what type of species you can find plecos on liveaquaria too.

you should consider the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule because your tank is way over crowded. the plecos can get up to a foot depending on species and the pictus can get up to 10 inches. I think you should get a 30 gallon and get rid of one of your plecos and all your pictus cats and add some top fish like danios or you could get rid of all the fish you have now and start a small 10 gallon community with fish that wont out grow it.

First off, I know my plecos are of the common variety.


Also, I am grateful for the advice. Still, it should be noted that simply getting rid of my fish would not be an easy matter. I am planning to inquire about anyone interested in taking at least one of my plecos in. I should point out that there are no local pet stores where I live. I got all my fish from a wal-mart.

I suppose I could see if they will take fish in for credit, but somehow I think it unlikely.

I really don't like either the ideas of completely removing my fish or spending on a huge tank. Still, I am hoping I can find some sort of compromise.

There was a suggestion of getting rid of some of my fish and replacing them with smaller ones. Unfortunately, Pictus Catfish are known for eating smaller fish, so that wouldn't really work well.

Still, I will look into my options. Maybe I will be fortunate enough to find a good home or two.

Finding a home for some of your fish would be great or if you can get credit. You might want to get rid of all your fish except for maybe one of your plecos. Common plecos can be territorial with each other. They also get 12 inches long so if you keep one you will eventually need a larger tank about 40 gallons. You should also get rid of all your pictus catfish because theycant be kept with small fish and they get 10 inches and 3 need like a 125 gallon tank!! So you sshould geta 30 gallon and keep one of your plecos and add some top feeders like danios.

Check your newspapers classifieds, for cheap set-ups that people are getting rid of. At least in Portland, Oregon there are usually a lot of aquariums listed. They are a lot cheaper and usually include everything, even a stand, for a small percentage of what you would have to pay at major pet stores like Petco.

Amanda

He said he doesnt have enough money and space for a large tank. He will probably geta 30 gallon.

I have contacted some friends and family and have given them first pick of my fish. After they get a first shot at them, I am going to take the rest to a local pet store I was until recent unaware of where I was promised credit. I will probably stick with my ten gallon tank for now unless I can trade it in for some credit toward a bigger tank.

After that, I am just going to go for smaller fish that won't tripple in size on me.

Thanks again for all your help. I will keep everyone informed.

You did the right thing in this situation. If you need help with any types of fish for a new tank just ask.

Thanks, I intend to make a topic in the fish subject to do just that.


Unfortunately, I can't get credit for my tank. Apparently they get too much trouble with damaged or otherwise impaired tanks when they do tradeins.

Anyway, I am going to trade off all my fish it seems. I will drop them off next monday. Got a couple 1 gallon pet carriers for the job and the guy at the store said they should do fine for the job.

Aside from that, I am buying a 20 gallon tank which the guy is going to order for me and should arrive by thursday.

That gives me some extra time to clean up the tank completely, salvage the additions and gravel, and figure out what I want for new fish.

why would you clean the tank if you are getting a new one? any way i can help you with compatibility and how many fish you should have in it.

I am cleaning out my old 10 gallon tank because it will be empty of fish and I intend to try selling it. Also I need to make room for the 20 gallon tank that I am ordering.

As for fish, I just made a new thread in the fish section.

i posted in your new topic. I am not sure of any fish besides lemon cichlids that will do well in hard water though.

I am not sure it is a huge issue. My Pictus and Plescos did fine in my water, and if I remember right neither is specifically fond of the stuff.

Not that many fish prefer hard over soft. The types of fish you want would do better in soft.

Well, it is over and done with.

My fish are now the property of the local pet store and I have about $14 credit total.

All of them made it alive and well, though their little carrying tanks sloshed on me during transit.


Unfortunately, the store seems to be trying to rip me off with my 20 gallon tank price. It just seems excessive to pay $70+ for something like that. I am looking into other options at the moment.

Still, they have all the fish I want, and I intend to buy my next fish from them, if not necessarily my tank.

you dont need to buy a new tank if your 10 gallon equipent works well. Just get new fish.

No, I definately want a bigger tank. There just isn't enough room in a 10 gallon.

70 dollars is too much for a 20 gallon unless it comes with supplies

A 20 gallon long by itself shouldn't cost more than $30.

Well, it is a 20 high and it comes with the lid, but nothing else.

I thought it was a bit excessive as well.

Where do you think I could get one at a decent price?

i dont know where you can get one unless you live on long island. I got my 20 gallon high with lid, light, heater, filter, extra co2, and the tank for $100.00. You are definetly being riped off.

Well, actually it sounds like you got ripped off a bit too, but I will get to that one later.

I think about $40-$50 is reasonable for a 20 gallon tank with lid. At Wal-Mart, where I got my first tank, you can get a plain ten gallon for about 10 dollars. An appropriate lid costs an additional $20.

I figure, going by that, the tank itself should cost somewhere around 20 and the lid should cost somewhere around 20-30.

Now, Pet stores have high markups on everything by comparison, so I am not really that surprised. In the end it is only a 10 dollar markup on either piece, given bad circumstances which is bad, but not horrible.

Since walmart doesn't have the 20 gallons, my only option is to go for a retailer like a pet shop, which makes its money by forcing you into decisions like this.

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The reason I think you got ripped off as well is that at my local Walmart you can get a 29 gallon tank with all the essentials except gravel for just under $100.

So, in reality, we both get to stare down the barrel of the markup cannon.

I guess it might depend where we live because mine was a good deal i live in New york. How about you?

I live in Minnesota. I bought my tank in Grand Rapids, which unless you are familiar with minnesota, you have probably never heard of.

Of Course ive heard of Minnesota. You bought your tank in Michigan? In New York things are more expensive than in other states.

I bought my tank in Grand Rapids Minnesota. There may be other towns with the same name in other states. When I said that earlier I was referring to our Grand rapids, which gets little more attention other than being big enough to show up as a land mark on weather reports. As such I doubt you have heard of it and hence my comment.

i havent heard of grand rapids minnesota but there is a city called grand rapids in michigan.

As I said, it is not well known as it is relatively small by city standards. Suffice to say, there is not always a lot of selection.

ok lets change the subject because this is a fish forum.

I know, we got a bit off topic, but the main point is, I don't always have as many choices as to where I buy my fish and supplies as you probably do in a large city.

As far as I know, there are only 2 local places where I can get fish tanks and/or fish.

So, if one place charges a high price for something the other does not have, I have little choice but to either buy it, or look outside of the local area to get what I need.

That is the only reason they can get away with selling things at the prices they do.

Anyhow, perhaps we should just go back to the original question with a slight rephrasing: "Aside from local shops, where could I get a reasonably priced 20 gallon fishtank, preferrably with a lid?"