Name: Hypostomus, Liposarcus spp.
Hypostomus plecostomus is often referred to as the Common Pleco, and is very widely available. Unfortunately, many beginning aquarists do not realize how big this fish will grow, nor do they realize that as the fish ages, it may become more agressive, especially to other plecos. It is a very hardy fish however, and is a nice addition to larger tanks. When of a proper size is able to hold its own with most other fishes. It is often thought of as only an algae eater, but while it eats algae very effectively, its diet should be supplimented with other foods, including sinking pellets, romaine lettuce, parboiled zucchini, sweet potato, squash, and green peas. Driftwood should be included in the tank. Plecos will often eat live plants in the tank. When purchasing a specimen, do not buy fish with hollow stomachs as this indicates the fish has not eaten recently, and will most likely not survive long after the trip home.
My husband and I started off with a 40 L. We had bought community fish and the pleco was one of them. When we outgrew the 40 our fish moved into a 110 L tank and so did the pleco who was getting a little big for the 40. Then we went nuts over cichlids and got a 470 L tank and well you guessed it our pleco was more than ready for the extra room. When we finally lost him to some internal illness our pleco was 35 cm in size. Our replacement pleco is now happy to be in its new home and within 8 months has grown from 6 cm to 13 cm. These fish sure can clean a tank and boy are they cute to see when their tummies are full from the algae wafers they just sucked up. It is a blast to see them skim the top of the water sucking up flake food upside down. They sure are little piggies.
My plecostomus seems to be a real character. When I sit in front of the tank he seems to recognise its owner and comes to the front. When pellets are dropped into the tank he rushes out and looks for the food frantically. When he finds it, he seems to have a huge appetite and often chases other fish away from the food. Growth rate seems to be phenomenal, but he is a real cute fish. I find it a very interesting species.
I have had my pleco for a few months now and I find him to be one of the best fish in my tank. He is only 8 cm big but can keep my tank spotless. It is very interesting how this fish lives, and I often like to watch my pleco suck the glass in my tank or just poke around at the gravel for food. I would recommend this fish to anyone who wants to have an interesting and fun fish in their tank.
I have had my pleco for about four years now. He gracefully lives in a tank with golden pikes and snakeheads. He keeps the tank completely spotless and has just picked up a very interesting habit. While my pikes rest in the trees (huge large leafed plants, I don't know what they are) he goes up to their bellies and seems to clean the pikes. They are usually very aggressive, but when the pleco cleans them, they seem to go limp and he just goes at them like a hoover.
I've had my pleco for 3 years now and I can tell you, these are the hardiest fishes I've ever come across. When my pleco and Texas cichlids outgrew their 40 liter, I moved them to a 200 liter. After about a week, curiosity got the best of my two cats and they began fishing at night. Well, my wife woke one morning to find our 15 cm pleco lying beside the cats' food dish. She figured he was a goner and picked him up by the tail to dispose of him. He immediately began kicking and she accidentally pulled his tail off! She threw him back in the tank and called me at work to tell me about it. I was amazed when I got home to find him happily sucking away on the bogwood! His dorsal fin and tail fins were gone, he had bite marks and scratches up and down both sides and his pectoral fins were merely bones. A year has gone by, all of the fins have grown back and he is none the worse for wear. As a matter of fact, he has outlived both the Texas Cichlids and is on his third set of tank mates. I'm beginning to believe that absolutely nothing can kill these little monsters! He's become more of a pet than any fish I've ever owned and we're buying a 380 liter tank soon because he's almost outgrown the 200.