Tank Size Min To Small???

[GEV83]

Ok I was looking up info on P. pardalis and some sites say it gets 12" but the majority say 18". I know they cant get 18" so thats not really the issue here. Ive seen this while looking up P. gibbiceps as well but why is it that they all say the min tank for these guys is a 55gal??? I thought a 55gal didnt have the depth required for these giants to properly turn around. Am I missing something here???

 

[Lornek8]

P. pardalis can get 18" total length if you include the tail length, often sizes listed are for Standard Length (SL) which is measured from the nose to the base of the tail.

55gal is one of the most common and affordable "large" tanks so is often recommended for housing big fish. You are correct though, at only 13" width its quite narrow for even a fish 12" long. A common recommendation for housing is 4L x 2L x 2L where L is the length of the fish.

 

[GEV83]

So in other words a 75 gallon should be the true minimum???

 

[Lornek8]

75gal would be still be a bit small for a full grown Common but much better. A 24" wide or better would be an even better choice.

You don't necessarily need a 75gal initially but eventually it'd be nice for a full grown adult.

 

[GEV83]

What size of tank is 24" deep? I cant think of any right now I barely woke up for work. I got to baby gibbys right now there like 3-4" max but need to know what size tank there gonna eventually need.

 

[Lornek8]

Sorry misread you initally asked about tank depth. Depth isn't the main consideration, its more important to have the width as plecs & other catfish are bottom oriented so maximizing the floor area of the tank is the most important concern when purchasing a plec/catfish tank.

Something like a 150gallon or 180gallon would be great tanks for Gibbys, even larger if you have the room & money.

 

[Big-B]

Go as big as you can for Gibby's, esp. multiple ones. :thumbup: Great fish, mine has a ton of personality.:yes:

 

[GEV83]

Oh ok then if its floorplan wouldnt a 100 be as good as a 150??? I looked on a site that give the average dimensions to a tank and 100, 125 and 150 all have the same dimension with the exception being hieght. The 180 on the other hand 24" deep rather then 18".

Ive been debating wether or not I should get 75 gallon tanks and seperate my loisellei pair or get a 125 gallon and keep them together. I think this may pursuade me to get the 125. Just want to find a person who welds professionally and have a double stand made to house the 125 gal tanks.

 

[GEV83]

Ok so you said its the floor plan that matters most would that mean a 40gal breeder would be suitable for a pleco that maxes out at 12"? Seeing how the tank is 36x18.

 

[Lornek8]

Oh ok then if its floorplan wouldnt a 100 be as good as a 150??? I looked on a site that give the average dimensions to a tank and 100, 125 and 150 all have the same dimension with the exception being hieght. The 180 on the other hand 24" deep rather then 18".

Ive been debating wether or not I should get 75 gallon tanks and seperate my loisellei pair or get a 125 gallon and keep them together. I think this may pursuade me to get the 125. Just want to find a person who welds professionally and have a double stand made to house the 125 gal tanks.

Ok so you said its the floor plan that matters most would that mean a 40gal breeder would be suitable for a pleco that maxes out at 12"? Seeing how the tank is 36x18.

Common aquairum sizes can vary sometimes depending upon manufacturere & even country. Seems the onw I was looing at had differnet sizes for the tanks I was looking at. You're correct, a 100gallon would be the same as the standard 125 & 150. The 180 is great as its 24" wide. Other good ones are 48x24x24 & 60x24x24.

A 40 breeder is 38x18x16. While nice at 18" wide, still a bit small for a 12" catfish. Please see previous recommendation of 4Lx2Lx2L. Thus for a 12" catfish your looking at 48"x24"x24".

 

[GEV83]

Oh ok Hmmm never looked at it like that. Ive seen so many pics of Panaques in like 125gal when some get huge and they had multiples in 1 tank. Figured a solo pleco with a smaller floor plan would be ok if kept well solo. I guess I got way more research to do.

 

[littlebristlenose]

It better to have a wider tank than height,that said i think the fish should have double the lenghtof maxium growth of the fish than add x 2 to allow fish to swim naturally.

Next problem is you allways wont more than one fish per tank so the tank size needs to grow with each fish.

Even smaller fish are better to have as much room as possible when growing out as it allows them to swim with speed which leads to a healther fish.

Once you get into 30 cm plus fish you need a big passion to care and love your larger fish if your unable to give a large tank its better to keep a smaller type.

Most keepers will custom build their tank with extra width and lenght to allow room for swim this is the best choice if your going to keep them.( but still not good in my eyes )

 

[Lornek8]

Oh ok Hmmm never looked at it like that. Ive seen so many pics of Panaques in like 125gal when some get huge and they had multiples in 1 tank. Figured a solo pleco with a smaller floor plan would be ok if kept well solo. I guess I got way more research to do.

Just because you see it on the internet doesn't make it right. Not everyone shares the same opinions on aequate tank sizes and stocking levels. Many keepers in a particular area of the globe are infamous for the stocking levels they maintain. Think of it in terms of other animals. If someone were to keep a dog in a kennel of proportional size as the fish/aquariums, i'm pretty sure they'd have the SPCA knocking on their door.

 

[GEV83]

True true. Well Ive been thinking of building a pond outside my room and got a friend from another forum who gave me ideas on a DIY filter so if I could pull it off then the pond would go to my pleco's Ide only need tanks for them indoors during the 3 months of winter just encase a heater went out. Even though I live in So Cali it can sometimes get kinda cold like 45F sometimes lower not often but sometimes. Im thinking if I do, do the pond it would be like 2-2.5 in hieght 5' width (max i can go since any bigger and Ide be in the neighbors yard and a fence seperates us) and Im not sure on legth yet I got to see how much room I could afford without destroying my XeriGarden.

Oh and some of those pics were from users on PF. Not sure who since it was yrs ago that I got on there but yea. I dont plan on getting rid of my Gibby's or keeping them in small tanks. 40B had me wondering though due to its dimensions despite its lack of length. Well gonna have to price stuff at lowes soon for materials.

Oh quick question. My gibby's and P. Josel oh and P. weberi are from 2.5-4.5" long so 4 fish in that size range. How long do you think they would be ok in a 40b? I need to buy two of these tanks for some BN's I plan on getting but figure they would make good temporary holding tanks for the baby Ptery's in the mean time. You think they would be ok in there for bout 3-4 months? Dont feel good bout having them in a pond outside with winter already here and them being at such a small size.