getting a nice large tank

[mpmistr]

I'm getting a 55 gallon for him and my pleco. I also have a apple snail and a few breeder guppies, He won't eat the adult females, only the little babies. though he is not fully grown, I think I will get him a mate, this time it will be a natural, not a possibly altered albino. thanks for the info.

Is it a common pleco? They get too large for a 55 gallon. My ACF do well with fish too since they're babies but full grown adults are much different.. also ACF grow quickily, if he grows faster than the pleco and becomes large enough to eat it, the ACF will try to swallow it and they will both die. :\

[unico]

my pleco is already 6 or 7 " ... he's a big boy, and when he out grows the 55 gallon I will worry about it then, I have had him for 5 or 6 years already. regardless of how big my acf gets there is no way he is fitting that in his mouth. giggle. just didn't know if anyone had any experience with community fish and the acf.

[mpmistr]

my pleco is already 6 or 7 " ... he's a big boy, and when he out grows the 55 gallon I will worry about it then, I have had him for 5 or 6 years already. regardless of how big my acf gets there is no way he is fitting that in his mouth. giggle. just didn't know if anyone had any experience with community fish and the acf.

Well it's generally the same as asking what mice should I keep in my snake cage.. I suppose fast moving top of the water swimming tetras would work. Or larger non aggressive fish could work.. I suppose larger goldfish MIGHT work but the frogs would probably harass them and they're both waste machines.. I think I read that black skirt tetras are good at avoiding getting eaten. A 55 gallon is 21" high so really any fish that stays near the surface and is not big enough to get eaten and in return is not aggressive towards other fish or frogs would work, in theory.

[Jenste]

Problem with your pleco, in addition to the fact that it is stunting in too small of a tank, is a lot of species of plecos, especially including commons and the larger species, are slime coat eaters - - meaning that as the pleco grows it will develop a tendency to suck on things other than wood as it claims its territory - this means tank mates also.

With other bottom dwellers, such as frogs or other plecos/slow moving fish, this can cause a very large problem.

[mpmistr]

I had to rehome a common pleco not too long ago after unwisely purchasing a small 3 inch one, I kept it housed with my froglet ACF in a 20 gallon but then I read up on plecos and how big they get and how they become once they get larger. I do not regret rehoming it, I also have a 55 gallon myself and I felt that was too small for a pleco and I do not plan on getting a 125 gallon tank to accommodate it when full sized.

Honestly ACF should be kept with other ACF there are no suitable tank mates for these guys. The only fish I keep with my ACF are my feeder guppies, which I breed myself.