pleco not growing

adam123

Member
Jun 19, 2010
15
0
1
newcastle
ive had a sailfin pleco for about 4 or 5 months ago. i was expacting it to grow really quickly because of what people had said about this type of fish. but it hasnt grown at all. it is in a 300 litre tank and i put algee wafers in every other night, and some sort of fruit or veg every other night an d then take out what isnt eaten in the morning. is there anything else i should be doing?

do commons grow faster than sailfins?
 

C8lyn

Member
Aug 3, 2010
403
0
16
Toowoomba, Qld
My brother has a sailfin. He got it at about 5 cm four months ago. It's now around 12cm or so in a 3 foot tank. He eats algae wafers and cichlid pellets that fall to the bottom.
 

Big-B

Member
Apr 22, 2009
849
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16
Kansas City Missouri
My Gibby grew about a foot in a year. I think alot of his growth had to do with not only a large tank, but frequent water-changes (30-50%)and temps on the warm side. He eats alot of veggies, 5-6 times a week most of the time because it tends to keep him from eating my plants.:wb: Veggie wafers, cichlid pellets, tropical and veggie flakes, occasional shrimp and earthworms. All these factors made him grow quickly into a heavily built fish who is still growing.:yes: I cant understand why your fish hasn't grown more than it has.:dk: Do you have any pics of your tank and the fish?
 
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adam123

Member
Jun 19, 2010
15
0
1
newcastle
ive tried to upload some photos of the tank and the pleco, but it dosent seem to be working.
i do water changes every week, about 30-40%. and i feed it algee wafers and vegetables on alternative nights.
it seems abit strange to me too. i wonder if its just that particular fish.
 

bigbird

Pleco Profiles Moderator - RIP FRIEND
Sep 9, 2010
6,306
1
36
Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Hi,

try a photo again, need to see what type you have. But as they have all stated, warm water , a lot of water changes and regular choices of veggies or waffers...cheers jk
 

Doodles

Retired Staff
Apr 8, 2009
8,786
2
36
Did you use this button to add them?

If so you need to either upload them to gallery or add as attachment using this button
, they need to be uploaded first before being shown.

ive tried to upload some photos of the tank and the pleco, but it dosent seem to be working.
i do water changes every week, about 30-40%. and i feed it algee wafers and vegetables on alternative nights.
it seems abit strange to me too. i wonder if its just that particular fish.
Sounds like you are doing all the right things. What's the temp of tank and how much aeration do you have? plus you know that the 'gibby' is def eating?
 

adam123

Member
Jun 19, 2010
15
0
1
newcastle


the tank is 26 degrees and its got a 200l/hr air pump going into it. it looks like its eating, and it goes around the tank quite alot sucking on the log and all over the glass.
i wonder if its just that particular fish, it seems abit strange though, the other fish in the tank are growing, just not the pleco.
 

Lornek8

Member
Apr 21, 2009
2,001
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36
Hawaii
What else is in the tank?
Could very well be that the other inhabitants are eating a good portion of the food, especially the algae wafers. A gibby subsisting on veggies would not see the type of growth rate ast hose that routinely received portions of animal protiens which would be provided by the algae wafers.