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Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their ponds?
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Posted by michelle_pndlvr2 8 (My Page) on Sun, Sep 14, 08 at 16:45
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I have read through the forum and haven't heard or seen pictures of people with Plecostomus' or algae suckers in their ponds. I have two who have grown pretty big in such a short period of time (within a couple of months). They are very pretty and aren't any trouble at all. I don't feed them because they feed themselves and they don't bother the other fish or creatures. (I am surprised though, because my koi and goldfish are mischievous little rascals and pester everything in my pond, especially pestering or chasing my two bullfrog tadpoles..lol) They keep the rocks holding my plant containers clean, the roots of my floating plants clean and also the liner clean as well.
Anyway, I haven't seen any pictures or heard anyone speaking about having them in their ponds. I was reading comments from people who have them on badmanstropicalfish.com and the people who commented on these fish had nothing but good things to say about them and loved their plecos.
If you have them, and have pictures of yours, I would love to see them. My plecos are the brownish colored ones with lights spots on them.
Happy Ponding...and Thanks for your comments in advance. : ) |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| Michelle...I had a pleco in my pond until the recent redo...then I scooped him up and put him back into the 55 gallon aquarium where he came from....they wont survive winter here.......Dave |
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| I did have them once upon a time. Then I heard that they would sometimes suck the slime coat off goldfish. Didn't want to take any chances. And they got so big they were eating all the fish food before the fish could get to it. They just swim upsidedown and scoop all the food off the surface. And I heard they were tropical and would not survive winters in the pond. As fast as they are, I was not about to try to catch them every fall to bring inside. But if you have no problems with them and you like them, by all means enjoy them, just be aware they might die when the water gets too cold. Glenda |
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| Thanks Glenda. It's great having a forum like this to get feedback from the experienced. I just read some other forums about them. I have read a lot of comments that people submitted who had them. One person mentioned that he had two that he leaves in his pond all year round and that they have made it through several New York winters in his pond. I haven't seen anyone mention first hand about them sucking on fish, but I have seen it listed that they could. I sure in the heck don't want to be chasing fish around in the pond..I was hoping that the only real maintenance I had to do is clean the filters and occasionally drain and fill it up (partial water changes or for severe rainy weather) Looks like I am going to have to be a warden and make sure all those critters behave in the pond. I'll keep everyone posted how it goes with them in my pond. I am also hoping to hear more experiences other people have with them too. : ) Happy Ponding Everyone. |
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| Hi Michelle, I have had one since the summer of 2005 and he is very large. He stays in the pond during the summer and I bring him inside to a 55 gal aquarium where he stay through the winter. I have had no trouble with him in my pond and add two more this summer. To catch him I usually do it at night where the flash light will catch his eyes and I can found him a little faster. Teresa :o) |
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| I had a pleco for a couple of years. I live in IL. They are a "tropical" fish, and don't tolerate water temps much below 60F. Around 50F they tend to suspend animation, and float to the surface. If you notice them in this state, bring them inside in a bucket of cold pond water. After about an hour or so, the water temp rises, and the plecos re-animate. This method is not without problems, most notably the high chance of killing your fish. It is best to try to take them out before it gets to this stage. If you let the water cool down a bit however, they do swim much slower, and are easier to catch. They can get quite large if you manage to keep them for a long time. |
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| Thanks for the information groundbeef. Your tip will be helpful. My liner is black and I have a lot of aquatic (underwater) plants and other fish. I am afraid to freak out the other fish if I crazily try to chase two of them around with a net. Don't want to hurt any of the other fish by accident if any of them get in the way either.. I guess I will wait 'til this MS weather cools down a little more and will have hubby get them out for me. I have been wanting an indoor aquarium anyway. They rarely come to the top tier (when we are looking) so being in an aquarium during the cold weather will give us a chance to be able to see them. I have only seen them maybe 3 times in months and it was only a glimpse..my husband has only seen them once. |
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| Frankly, they are a rather boring fish. You need to get alge tablets at the fish store to feed them. Mine didn't move very much all winter in the aquarium. I was rewarded for my 4 months of dutiful care, by the Pleco dying in a cold snap in April after being replaced. My other one was too slow, and his half eaten carcas floated to the top shortly after that. I can swear the turtle was smiling, but then it swam away. |
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| We had two in our 700 gallon pond (during summer months only) for years. They both got to be about 15 inches long before they passed away. They were both about 12 years or older. They can be quite a pain to catch cuz they can blend in so well, but it was something interesting to see other than goldfish or koi. |
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| Michelle...Years ago I had a small 10 gallon tank and my pleco would suck on the goldfish and leave holes in their sides...Dave |
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| Looks like Dave and I get our share of aberrations! Michelle first a disclaimer:
If it's going to happen to someone, I'm it! I can't even grow a lotus. I found this out the hard way, there are all types of plecostomus. Very few only eat plants and algae, most eat a combination of plants and meat, most of the spotted ones eat more meat. I put two in our pond years ago. A few years later, when the plecostomus got bigger, most of my fish came down with some sort of bacterial infection on their sides. Big open sore places. After tons of money for meds, and water changes, etc, someone finally asked me if I had any plecostomus in the pond. I removed them, and never had a problem with the fish again. Corrie |
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| They survive the winters here in Southern California in Lake Balboa. I don't know how they do it but they do. The babies and smaller specimens like to hang out under the bridges in the shade. Sometimes they'll peak out and you can spot them with a careful eye. The big fat ones live in the lake themselves. They get to as big as a small thy and as long as 18 inches. I have caught them repeatedly with my cast net. I've kept some big ones to clean my tank otherwise i gently put them back in the water. They get a lot of attention when I catch them because everyone else catches tilapia. -Travis |
RE: Does anyone have any Plecostomus (algae suckers) in their po
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| I have one and he does the snowbird thing come cooler weather and he moves to an indoor tank. Just moved him last night as a matter of fact. I drain my pond, roughly 1700 gallons, to clean out the muck (Stone lined). I bring all the fish in now as i do nothing special for the winter and everything died last year. I'm a bit short on depth here in Z5 (about 30") so without a heater or some other device to keep the ice off, i doubt anything will survive. The pond is shaded by the house so it freezes deep and stays frozen and is the last thing to thaw. I've had my plecco for 3 years now and he's about 11".
I never had an issue with him bothering the goldfish. He is a spotted type. Poppa |
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