Ive always been a fan of plectostomus. Well I didnt know much about fish, have never had any. But I was in walmart last week and saw a albino plectos. Ive heard walmart fish suck. But its alive and I want to keep it that way. Hopefully for years to come. This species of plectos is only supposed to reach 5 or 6". So I got all the things I thought it would need. Just the basics for now. But I am a animal lover and try to research and keep all my animals 100%. The fish is tiny right now. I believe its female. Have heard the males of this species plectos have tons of barbs on the face. The fish is a little over a inch long at the moment. But i got a 10 gallon aquarium. A light hood for it. And i got a filter that sucks water in the bottom and pours it out the top to move the water. Didnt do much for decoration at the moment. Just gravel and a fake coral thing. I washed the gravel,tank,and fake coral with distilled water. Then filled the tank with distilled water. Hooked the filter up so it would run. Then let it sit for 24 hours before putting the fish in. I know these things eat algae. But I was told to feed it tetra color tropical flakes as well. So thats what ive done so far. I tried to read the tanks for beginners section on here. All this nitrits and nitrates make no sense at all to me. Its like you guys are speaking a forgein language. I just need to know how to get the water right for my new pet. And what to feed it and how often to feed it. Also i did read that fish are ectothermic like the reptiles I keep. So plan to get it a tank heater and a thermostat to make sure its dead on. I tried looking up caresheets online for this species but had no real luck. After im sure this guy/girl is ok, Ill probably add a few more fish. And maybe some more decoration of some sort. I did read these fish can live for 15 yrs. So thats what im trying for to give my pet a long happy healthy life. Plectos are very common fish. All the aquariums ive ever seen have one in it. So im hoping someone can give me some great tips for my new pet. Thanks for reading, And thanks in advance for those who give advice.
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beginner first fish first tank ?'s
Replies (1)
Welcome to the boards. 
I have a link below for you to read over. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Nitrates and nitrites (as well as ammonia) are part of the cycling process, and you don't really need to know what they are just that they are important to keeping your fish happy. Ammonia should be 0, nitrates less than 40 ppt (parts per thousand), and nitrites should be 0 also. Ammonia is the worst thing to have because it will kill your fish faster than anything else.
Are you feeding the pleco algae wafers? There won't be any algae in the tank for a while, so if you aren't, you should feed him/her some of those.
All fish are not ectothermic, but your pleco is. It's safe to bet that most fish are ectothermic, but in the back of your mind just remember not all are. As far as information about plecos, general pleco information pertains to your pleco. I can't really find a lot of info on the albinos either. Feel free to stop by the fish chat on Tuesdays at 10 pm EST.
Setting up a new tank
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