I really enjoyed this video. It's sad to see how some humans treat fish. My sailfin pleco is 15" now. I gave him a very large home. Most of my fish are surrenders or trades. Some have been with me since I got back into the hobby after keeping reptiles for 10 years. Interesting animals to research indeed.
As a petsmart worker, I just wanna say: I refuse 99% of common Pleco sales and point them towards much more manageable species, or tell them that they don’t actually need a catfish at all!
You are one of the rare ones. I swear, every time I'm in petsmart I see the employees bagging up and selling certain fish to people who have no business owning them. Idk if petsmart employees have any type of training on aquariums and products, but the advice I hear come out of their mouths is horrible and only makes the company look bad. I've been very tempted to pull people aside after they talk to the employees and tell them to forget everything they just heard.
My PetSmart fish people are very knowledgeable, smile when they see me coming as though they are thinking 'oh good, these fish have a chance to live', and they will still quiz me about stocking choices and tank size, which I appreciate.
@@pbking442my local PetSmart employees are smart about fish, but management unfortunately tells them not to refuse a sale unless the tank size is ridiculously small. For example, an employee told a customer that an Oscar needed more than a 40 gallon, but since that was technically the minimum that PetSmart corporate allows the employees to sell Oscars for, they have to do it anyway. It is frustrating.
I work at a box store and always shut down common pleco, Óscar, bala shark, or anything that would be thrown in a dinky tank by some impulse buyer. I actually don't sell fish to people till they have cycled their tanks. That usually pisses many people off because they done want to wait.
Whilst it will penalize responsible fish keepers i think some sort of licensing system needs to be brought in for monster fish , Just to stop them being sold to the average Joe that has no hope in hell of keeping them correctly
Agreed! After becoming more educated about plecos, I no longer keep any of the larger plecos unless I know I have life long accommodations for them. The first time I had a common pleco I bought a baby and had it in a 30 gallon tank with 6 baby koi 😢 I was young and completely uneducated when it comes to fish. Eventually I learned more, rehomed all but 2 of the small goldfish/koi hybrids, bought a 180 gallon tank moved all 3 into the tank and kept just those 3. By that time I had friends with ponds that would be able to take them in, unfortunately they didn't make it that far because of a several day power outage that resulted in me being unable to keep them alive in severely cold temps 😢 I am not proud of that. It happened over 15 years ago and after my experience with the koi/goldfish hybrids I learned how to properly research
I completely agree with all of this plecostomus abuse. However, I also believe that some of it is on the sales floor or the vendors in some cases for not asking what these animals are going in.
When I was setting up my 20 gal my husband insisted he wanted a pleco because he had one growing up. I knew a 20 was inappropriate for a common. I did a lot of research before we went to the store. We walked through and talked about which ones would be appropriate for that size tank. We ended up coming home with a cute little clown pleco. Research is very important, the animals well being comes first.
I have 2 clowns in my 55 long, my favorite fishies. Lots of plants and driftwood, lots of hides, lots of shrimp and bloodworms for snacks, low light, happiest little campers ever. Pleco's are the best, just know what your getting into, and how long they live, before you buy. And their beautiful! Don't think so? Fight me LOL :)
Had one for over 15 years. Bought before I knew better. Had to build him his own indoor pond and added my neighbors pleco so he had a friend. They should only be sold rarely to people with monster aquariums. They both passed away last year. One was almost two feet long. The pond now houses my goldfish.
Thank you for standing up for these fish. Most people would just say "lighten up, they're just fish!". Fish feel pain and fear and are deserving of kind and appropriate treatment.
You know what's sadder? It's not just that people are ignorant of proper fish keeping, but the fact that more than half of those people when you try to educate them, they don't care. I keep Koi, and I am on FB groups and forums and people will get on there and 'show off' Koi in tanks or koi in tiny puddles. When they are then told by others that their set up is not appropriate for Koi, they get mad! They will cuss you out, then will play the victim; tell you, you're a bully, that you're self righteousness, blah blah, etc. They don't care, because hey! 'Its just a fish'. Imagine if this was a dog or cat, chained to a fence or stuck in a tiny crate, or starved. The story would be different because for some reason THAT'S animal abuse. Well, guess what? A fish is an animal, too, and just like people shouldn't buy a dog or cat or any living animal before researching proper husbandry, they shouldnt do it with fish. Sorry but let's call it what it is: Animal abuse. Maybe one day, those of us who see these animals as living things and not just ornaments for houses will band together to evolve animal cruelty laws, and there finally will be consequences for people who also abuse fish. Thank you for making this video
I hear you, I have an outdoor planted pond that is approximately 4,500 gallons. It has two koi and a school of minnows. I love seeing dedicated koi ponds with lots of koi, however that takes a huge amount of work, knowledge and maintenance. I'm more into the tranquil look myself, so I don't overstock, ever. I don't do forums or anything, because I don't like or want people's goldfish that they don't want anymore. I'm the same with my aquariums, I like the tranquil look. My 75 gallon has six fish, geophagus, a Bolivian ram, and an electric blue acara.
“It’s just a fish” seems like an appropriate reaction to me with short lived species, but can’t koi live for hundreds of years? I feel like it’s more than “just a fish” when it can out live you.
I used to work at a pet store and people were always shocked when I pointed out the main ingredient of the algae wafers we sold was fish and/or shrimp and algae was ways down on the ingredients list. Also, I would try and educate the customer, but most didn't even want to hear what I had to say and would get angry for me saying anything. However, thank you to the smaller number that did listen and decide not to buy the "sucker" fish.
I currently work in a pet store all the staff are decently to extremely knowledgable about the fish we sell (im the dog trainer and can confidently talk and educate about every fish we sell) and most people i find who come are extremely uneducated but also very receptive to learning about fish keeping, i think its just the way you try to educate ppl they will be open to it, no one wants to abuse fish they just dont know any better
John, thank you for this video!! I always think that I’m the only one who calls people out for animal abuse… :/ A year ago, I saved a 16” pleco from a 50gal 3ft tank… he couldn’t turn around without bumping its tail and nose into the front and back glass. Living on 1 pleco wafer, every other day… for 22 years… unable to swim. I know very well my 135gal isn’t nearly big enough for him, but he can SWIM.. and he gets fresh vegetables, various frozen foods and mussels and cockles, every day and he’s always out and about, happily swimming! A completely different fish from what he used to be! I plan on getting a 10ft tank once we’ve moved houses. Whether he still lives, by that time, or not, he’s able to sit out his old day, swimming and eating to his heart’s content! 🖤
You've done what you could, and plan on doing even more, so that's fantastic! :D Please give an update, maybe a pic? I love pleco's, but I have two 10 gallon tanks, so they're not possible right now. :3
@@BreakerIncYeah, I’m trying. I just wish I could’ve given more now. But for now, all I can do is give my best. And well, from a 75gal and up, you could go for a bristlenose pleco :) they can still grow up to become 8”, so, that’s still a commitment, but much better than 20”! And, I have no idea how to show a picture or give an update with a picture/video 😅..
Great video John! U can be the PIONEER of awareness regarding abuses and misuses in the aquarium hobby and hopefully some fish out there will be in a better place!
When I worked at a pet store, we sold the Gibbiceps Pleco. But we had to say no to customers that wanted them if they had tanks that were too small. I loved that.
This was so hard to watch. 😢 Thank you for being the Lorax of the fish! I have a 125g and I still don’t think I should keep a common Pleco. Someone please save these fish!
In my option the first big box stores shouldn’t even sell commons or Oscar’s or any fish that get really big. Most staff don’t know or care to warn the consumer.
@@willowravenwright5518 I made this mistake early early in my fish keeping path with a Raphael Cat. Never purchased fish from one again. In fact other than $1/gal sale I’ve never bought anything outside a mom and pop store! Except of course KGT
We live in an age where we have the most powerful research utility ever invented, yet, people still fail to understand how to use it. I present you, the internet. If any of these people looked up information on the animal before bringing it home, most of them wouldn't bring it home in the first place.
Box store sold my 17 year old granddaughter a pleco for her 6.5 gallon tank! They told her it would only grow to the size of the tank. We did some research and learned the body stops growing but not the organs. That’s why the die. I asked both box stores in town to take him back but neither would. I finally found a lfs an hour away that took him. We were so happy to see him thrive in their giant tank. Also no one tells you they are a pooping machine! Thank you so much for making this video!!!!!
The “special needs” jokes were really unnecessary and rude. Not to the fish abusers, who cares, but in the sense that you’re stigmatizing intellectual disabilities and using them as insults. Not a cool part of the video.
I actually do have a large pleco that i see go to the top and eat the floating turtle pellets every once in a while lol. But i drop in several xtreme catfish wafers everyday plus some veggies every once in a while. And theres always pleco poop everywhere so i know theyre eating real good lol.
You should do a video explaining,(although you did in this video), what is the purpose of owning a pleco ect ,like a pleco 101 to teach your younger audiences.
my bristlenose is my absolute favorite fish and i love her! i have a 35g so i definitely didn’t get a common pleco, but it really hurts to see these fish treated as second class. what’s worse is when people don’t want them and dump them into streams and rivers, causing a huge shift in the ecosystem. they are very resilient animals and therefore outcompete many native fish. i really think education on fish at ALL pet stores should be heavily enforced.
John, please don't confuse special needs people with dumb and undereducated people. There are differences. The first may be able to care for a pleco very well when properly supported by a well developed care system. The others don't qualify for such a support system because they have, like, 'normal' potential, but have never used that potential. These people in the first tik tok are a clear example of people who have never used their ability to expand their horizons.
When I first started my fish keeping journey almost 3 years ago I rescued 3 angelfish and put them in a brand new 50 gallon tank. I went and bought a pleco to go in the tank because I remember having one as a kid. It was one of your videos that made my decision return that pleco and correct that horrible decision
Not that big of a deal of course but I recommend not calling people special needs. That implies innocence, in a way, that they don't fully know what they're doing. These people can't possibly be into the hobby and be unaware of how much they're hurting the animal. They are cruel.
Simply shocking ...considering they have the knowledge to go show their badly treated fish but no idea to even Google their fish ... Hey check things on RU-vid. ... You are doing the fish gods work by showing the appalling treatment of living animals 👊👍
I wish common plecos would stop being sold in franchise corporate pet stores. Most people don't realize just how big they get, and the employees usually don't care enough to ask the proper questions before selling the fish.
To many personal attacks here john. I love your channel, but these people clearly have no idea what they’re doing but no reason to make it personal. In their heads this is ok, and that’s fine, just how things are. All you can do and we can all do is try to educate.
Great rant! You're right...TT is educating the masses - not folks (like yourself) that really know from first hand knowledge - and that is downright scary!! Even scarier, the generation watching that stuff will be taking charge of the country someday. Yikes!
You know... I'm so damn glad that I came across your channel because although I KNOW that Plecos need food apart from the algae in the tank... I never knew they were carnivorous. I've been researching as much as I can before bringing home a betta... but i did entertain the idea of getting a bristle nose as a tank mate. I think ill stick with snails. I'm just going to sit and binge watch your videos now for added info. I'm planning on aqua scaping and have been researching like mad on plants - I've had fish before but it was when I was very young. My last Betta didn't have a heater (I didn't know any better at the time) but it wasn't this that got him - Cat managed to knock the tank and he died of shock. I was devastated and only 8 at the time. Always been hesitant getting another but now wanting to take the leap again... this time ill be doing it right.
My Plecos are 18 inches and 20 inches. I have them in a 120 gallon tank. Medusa and Leviathan are my babies. I've had them since they were tiny and as they grew so did the tank. It's not hard.
The husband and I had a 55 tank when we first got married, we bought a bunch of gorgeous fish and one “algae eater” it was a common pleco as we found out years later when he had grown out of the tank!! Luckily I had a friend who was setting up a 100 gallon and swooped in for our big guy. Lesson learned!!
5:54 My pleco does this, but only when I feed shrimp, brine shrimp, and blood worms. Maybe I'll feed him more wafers but they need more than just algae wafers to round out their diet.
Wafers are definitely good though, but you might want to also turn the lights out in the aquarium at night before you drop in wafer or two because other fish will attack the wafer. Also, I might suggest some cucumber, they love cucumber.
I recently rescued a 8-10inch common pleco and a 6-7 inch dojo loach that someone was selling on facebook market place… they were keeping these two fish TOGETHER at this size IN A 5 GAL TANK that was nasty and only had large river rocks at the bottom and no plants or decor. I didn’t have a tank for them that was appropriately sized but I thought anything was better than that. I kept them in a 36gal bow tank for a few months until I moved and got them a bigger tank. They were INSTANTLY so much happier and active. They now live in a 75gal tank (that i built a stand for using your tutorial ;) ) and they are so so happy and living their best life. I’m assuming the person bought these two fish as babies when they were significantly smaller and I can’t even fathom how long they had them in that tiny tank with how huge they were when I acquired them. I’m so glad I was able to take them and give them a better life. I know that eventually he’ll outgrow the 75 gallon, but for now it’s definitely better than where he started, and once the weather warms up we’ll be setting up an outdoor temperature controlled pond that will be great for him when he gets bigger :)
If people want less algae. Plants are great for aiding you in that. Java moss is a spectacular nutrient export, light management as well as not over feeding will all make algae controlled. But you still gotta do the water changes and fertilize the plants etc. You can never really escape water changes, I don't know why people try. outside of shrimp heavy planted biosphere builds you'll always have to do it.. but with plants I hardly have algae all I have to do is vacuum my substrate, clean/replace sponge filter/ cartrage filter and dose my fertilizers. Tank is clear 97% of the time. Minimal maintenence always looks nice, fish aren't stressed. My Cory gang loves to hide in the moss or rest on the leaves of my tiger lily's. But I'm part of the crazy person group 😅
Oscars are NOT ugly LOL Common Pleco's yeah I gotta adit they are but like you that's why I like them. I just wish I had a massive pound or enclosure for them
i was mis sold a common pleco by a lfs, my fault should of researched better, however i didn't get it to clean algae, i got it as a community fish. my tank is 66 gallon's and im aware that going forward the pleco will out grow the tank, means my options are to upgrade at some stage or rehome at some point. i make sure i get pellets to the bottom as well as algae wafers. really scary when you so how quick they grow though
Can you do a video on what to do if you messed up and have fish in a too small tank and don’t have space or money to get a bigger tank? I see now my mistakes, but how do I fix them?
I have been a huge fan for a while, I can’t help but notice this channel almost taking a turn. Its just a little more negative/mean than the old days haha. I agree these fish need to be treated better but my mouth has been dropping open a lot more recently. Saying “John!” 🤣
I wouldn't recommend a common plecostomus or a Chinese algae eater to anyone. The Chinese algae eaters can get aggressive once they're over about 3 inches. My recommendation would be a hillstream loach or one Otocinclus. Some plecostomus are wood eaters and if you have wood in your tank then it will be non-stop poop Factory as long as there is a wood supply
Omg this was very hard to watch, I wanted to stop plenty of times. People out there make me so angry, treating animals (not just plecos) so horribly. We need to have more people like you to make more videos like this and call people out.
you should see the picture of the one I saw at a pet store last week ... it was a surrender of one they sold as a baby to someone who had it in a 10 gallon tank... it is literally at least 14 inches long ... and that is not even fully grown.. people also don't realize how long a common pleco can actually live for if well cared for..it is truly sad... Bristlenose or clown plecos are a much better choice for most tanks .. they stay a much more reasonable size.
I lost my Pleco a few years ago Im guessing old age. He was in my 2500gal Koi pond for just about 15years. He was just a hair under 22in at the time. They are a very misunderstood animal.
I have a school of Otocinclus, and those tiny little buggers are voracious eaters, too. They require direct feeding as well as what they can clean up in my tank.
My friend gave me a baby albino and baby black spotted plecos. I was concerned at first but they fortunately turned into the bristle noses. They’re in a 55 gallon with more wood than rocks. 🤭 I’d have babies if the voracious rosy barbs didn’t eat everything that fits in their mouths. 😂
So…I rarely see them unless on the wood and they don’t eat my algae, does that mean I’m feeding them too much? The rosy barbs eat more algae off the glass, than them!
18:25: Ramshorn snails are good enough for a 20g tank... In fact, I have to often up the lighting and algae production to keep up with these guys. I don't mind them in my tank, nor do any fish. Total symbiotic relationship.
Whenever solving fishtank problems, PATIENCE, and moderate water changing (if recently setup) is key. Small tank with some algae? Get an otocinclus. It'll take a while, but that's good, because the food supply (algae) is in some degree of symmetry with the fish's dietary needs.
I think a lot of this fish abuse stems from the myth that fish grow to the size of the tank. No one bothers to educate themselves anymore, much to the detriment of the poor pleco 😢
Those poor fishies 😢 reminds me of the mistake I made with low water for my bettas when I was depressed. I feel bad for that but my bettas are doing so well now and I’m interested in getting some Cory’s or Otto’s for mates for my bettas I have some algae wafers and plenty of tank algae for them!
What a lot of people don’t realize is that older plecos usually stop eating algae entirely. They need to be fed other food. Our pleco loves veggies and fruit as a treat. Obviously with sinking carnivore wafers Honestly too many fish or too big of fish in a tank is just an issue across this hobby.
Your rant is very good, I now some might dislike it but it's true pleco are very abused, have a 8 inch pleco (got the fish from a friend friend)in a 125g and a 1ft koi, yes its to small I agree with everything you are saying because I have seen common pleco that are 2ft. That is why I am working on a pond. Thank you for your time
My first thought was that the video was made mid- water change and cleaning, and that's when she found the bones. The conditions in the tank aren't great, I won't deny, but I don't think it's usually that shallow.
The video was mid water change as I do a 50% water change every week. These fish are both special needs fish with chronic swim bladder and deformities. I got stuck with this aquarium after I got out of an abusive relationship with my ex so I've been caring for them as best as possible. They have a bigger and better set up aquarium for special needs koi fish now🙃 none of these fish would do well in a pond they would be picked on and stressed by other healthy fish. When I was finally able to get this aquarium and fish back after my ex left it abandoned in an apartment with no power for months they were near death. The small one had scoliosis and chronic swim blatter. The big one has chronic swim bladder and fin deformities. This video was made by my ex before he abandoned them when he had access to my tik tok. So I really don't appreciate the harrasment I've received from this video when this RU-vid user had no clue of the situation. This is an older video video as well, and how my ex set up the tank. They were all going to be killed at a local pet store before they were acquired because they can't sell fish with health issues. My ex had the tank at this point and hadn't seen the pleco in a few days. I got the fish back a month after this video and I'm surprised they weren't all dead due to his neglect
My pleco swim up to get the blood worms from my hand. I am not sure if I am feeding my pleco enough. The fish store “Big Al’s” in Canada told me to give him a algae wafers twice a week.
My common pleco is very well fed. Both meat and vegetables. She still eats from the top when I put in freeze dried food in. After she has her fill of the freeze dried food she goes down and eats her sinking food. I am convinced if a fish has a favorite food they will eat it from anywhere in the tank.
@@tinyonvibrationtrainermach8729 I feed sinking carnivore pellets; krill flakes; freeze dried tubifex, brine shrimp, and daphnia. The pleco seems to like the tubifex the best of the freeze dried foods. I also feed Repashy when I am not too lazy to make it.
Thank you for this video. I’m new to the Hobby and bought what I was told at the store was a “Dwarf Pleco”. I didn’t get him to clean , I got him because I love how he looks. I’m afraid now that he is a common pleco. I don’t want to abuse him 😢
Don't panic, there are many different types of pleco and several of them do stay small. What size tank is he in, what is he eating, did the store say anything more specific about the species than dwarf? Chances are you're fine, but remember that plecos are messy critters so stay on top of your water changes. If it looks like he's going to outgrow the tank, well, that's a great excuse to buy a new tank.
@@christianleeperrr7641 I have live plants and a small driftwood but it’s a 10 Gallon tank. So now I have a new 37 Gallon tank that is cycling now to move him into. Thank you so much for your reply.
@@KhaeLikesCoffee no they didn’t say anything about him. I have bottom feeder tablets, blood worms, and brine shrimp to feed him. And this started as a tank for my Granddaughter who is 7 and stays with us at Holidays and 2.5 months in the summer. And shame on me I didn’t do any research to start, bought a fish bowl at Walmart - 1 Gallon and thought we could put a Goldfish in there, went to PetSmart to get the fish and found out NOTHING can live in there - so went 5 gal (which now has no fish in it) … then I fell in love with fish/tanks …so the Pleco is in a 10 Gal, with some Velvet Wag Swords, and 2 Mystery Snails, and it’s not big enough so I have a 37 gal tank cycling now to move the Pleco (and I think I should have gone bigger but space is limited 😂 …and I think if I think if I buy one more tank (this is the 4th 🤣) I’ll be Divorced 🤣🤣. Thank you for the info I really appreciate it.
it is amazing how polite person you are towards this proof of a plain stupidity. We live in times when access to valuable information is so easy, and despite this, people are so brainless.
God bless the bristlenose. Finally got my local pet store to sell them instead of the common pleco since they just don't grow that big and are still affordable.
If you want to have a common pleco in your aquarium, the reason must be that you are interested in the species. Nothing else. They don't clean one bit, quite the opposite, a fish that hogs down properly! I love them! Have several different plecos in my largest aquarium (about 400 gallons).
I think koi are probably the most abused. My dad and I rescue koi from people who couldn’t care for them. We raise them in a 125 until they’re big enough to go into our 30,000 gallon pond. (Yes we feed them in the pond)
I had a common pleco that ate pellets, wafers, and had drift wood to graze on. He lived 12 years from when I got him. I'm not sure how old Tank was when we got him, but he stayed with us for a while.
I've had aquariums for over 50 years. I am by no means an expert and have learned a lot and made plenty of mistakes on the way. Pleco's are not for everyone. All your comments are spot on. Keep up the good work.
Common plecos are great fish with loads of personality, and I really like the way they look... but they do get big and they do need proper care. I'm in the process of moving a large pleco right now into a much (5x) bigger tank where he'll have plenty of room. Right now he's in a tank that's much too small and I'm desperate to get him upgraded as soon as I can - my parents got him many years ago when good information was harder to come by and my dad couldn't really take care of him properly anymore so he's come to me.
