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wschmitt3

Converting 29 gallon gravel aquarium to planted

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I am not sure how to ship one, but I can get you one in the 1 to 2 foot range any time you want. (if I am home, that is)

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As tempting as a two foot pleco sounds Ill have to pass, thanks though.

 

Steve - Both times I used the jungle ich treatment I didn't see any signs of the ich (the white dots) after 24-48 hours but I have heard that it can be a difficult to shake off once it gets established.

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The pelcos we used to shoot with bows in Lake George in central FL got up to about 4 feet long. And once you shot one you sometimes had to use another arrow until you could get home and use a knife to dig it out if the armour... Invasive, made good crab trap bait... smile.png

I am calling shenanigans on a 4' pleco. Pics or it didn't happen

 

Once I get a house I am going to set up a tank with the blue phantom pleco and probably some discus, possibly an arowona if I have a 260g+ tank

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The pelcos we used to shoot with bows in Lake George in central FL got up to about 4 feet long. And once you shot one you sometimes had to use another arrow until you could get home and use a knife to dig it out if the armour... Invasive, made good crab trap bait... smile.png

I am calling shenanigans on a 4' pleco. Pics or it didn't happen

 

 

 

Yeah, Fisher ... I'm going with WV on this one. I've seen plenty up to 20 inches ... and a few that might get to 2 foot. But I've never seen one longer than 2 feet.

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The pelcos we used to shoot with bows in Lake George in central FL got up to about 4 feet long. And once you shot one you sometimes had to use another arrow until you could get home and use a knife to dig it out if the armour... Invasive, made good crab trap bait... smile.png

I am calling shenanigans on a 4' pleco. Pics or it didn't happen

 

 

 

Yeah, Fisher ... I'm going with WV on this one. I've seen plenty up to 20 inches ... and a few that might get to 2 foot. But I've never seen one longer than 2 feet.

 

 

There actually are a few pleco species that do get close to 4ft long. The majority of plecos max out around 2ft, but some like the Acanthicus Adonis do reach about 40" long which is pretty close to the 4ft mark.

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I don't doubt they exist, Steve ... just not in Florida water. Although I suppose it's possible ... I am not sure what species is actually living in the St. Johns River ... I need to check that.

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I wouldn't doubt it at all that they were in FL Mike. FL is actually one of the states that are starting to impose stricter laws on importing fish and live plants and making thing harder for aquarist to get some things because of the laws now. The problem is that people import/buy plecos without first researching how big the species they are buying actually get. Then a few year later they end up with a pleco that is getting 12"-15" long and they can't keep it any longer, so they take it to local pet shops. Problem is most pet shops won't even take in big plecos even when people are willing to give them to the shop because they just don't sell well when they are that big.

 

So what happens then is people will just release them in the local waters, and places where it is warm year round like FL and Cali they end up living and cause issues. There was actually just an article in one of the aquarium keepers magazines recently where some people went and cleaned out a local waterway where plecos had been released and were breeding. They showed a pile of about 30 plecos that ranged from 1-3ft long. Can't remember what state it was but it was one of the warmer southern states.

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So far, as far as I can find, this is the only species found in the St. Johns.

 

"Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus (Sailfin Suckermouth Catfish) - This species was first seen in in Blue Springs run in 1999.Armored catfish are usually 20-50 cm (not counting the tail), have very large heads relative to body size, large pointed fins, and spiny armor plating. You will see these fish draped on or around fallen trees, on the floor of the spring run, in the boil cave, and coming up for air."

 

According to one report, a local college goes to Blue Spring once a month and pulls out about 100 each time.

 

I've seen Ospreys with them, so they do have, at least, one predator.

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Steeldrifter, it is true that there are species out there that would be that large. I am thinking more of the common plecostomus that I have seen up to 20-22" in large set ups, 1000g+. But those other species are more rare and would require research before they would buy them. I personally wouldn't buy a $90-130 pleco, such as the adonis, and then release it if it got too big. With a specialty species like that it shouldn't be too hard to find a pleco enthusiest who would take it off their hands.

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I personally wouldn't buy a $90-130 pleco, such as the adonis, and then release it if it got too big

 

I agree, and I'd never release any aquarium species into the wild, but people do it more often than you'd think. When you get deeply involved into the hobby the species that become available to you for a fraction of the cost of normal shop prices is unreal. The same ones that would be $90-$130 as mentioned are actually much much cheaper once you join clubs and get to know/become friends with local breeders.Once you can start getting the larger more rare species for low prices that makes some less ethical people not think twice about releasing them when they get too big. Gives all the good ethical aquarist a bad name when those less ethical ones do that.

 

While we are on the topic, I just picked up a new pleco last weekbiggrin.png . L114 Demini Leopard Cactus. He should max out at about 8-10"

WJMhDb.jpg

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Tank update....

 

I did away with the DIY CO2 setup I had it was not reliable. I purchased a small fulvial CO2 setup and it is perfect. I feed the plants with Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium as well as a iron supplement and organic carbon and micro nutrient supplement. The plant growth that you see, as full as it is, was just very liberally trimmed about a week ago. The plant on the right was cut down to the level of the middle plant and has since exploded. The middle plant was cut down to about an inch from where it is now, I cut each stem down to a node at about the same level on each so it will split off into two stems.

 

I am considering pulling the grass and covering that area with river gravel because the bigger plants are shading too much and turning the grass brown.

post-52247-0-32924500-1426090686_thumb.jpg

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Yea the water sprite is crazy. I think that the micro and macro nutrients (seachem flourish and NPK plant packs) are the key to the plant growth. I have noticed a huge difference in growth rates between when I dose and dont.

 

I think that the main benefit to the CO2 is no algae.

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