what type are these? and gender if possible!

[oscar1658]

Background info..bought from the same shop in the same tank as babies but with the label 'algae eaters' :dk: gunna add this wasnt my doings, tank was started up and belonged to someone else originally who didnt want to learn the basics. I dont know what they are or gender at all... ive tried a few times but its difficult if you have no clue! if you could shed some light i would be greatful thanks

 

[Lornek8]

Pterygoplichthys pardalis or disjunctivus. Common pleco. They may not be the same either. You can differentiate between the the two by the belly pattern. P. pardalis has a spotted belly, P. disjunctivus has a reticulated pattern on its belly.

Its really difficult to determine sex of these species especially at smaller sizes. Sex is determined by looking at their genital papilla. The female's is rounded, the male more pointy but it can be relatively speaking. Without something to compare to it can be hard to tell.

 

[oscar1658]

Thankyou you have helped a lot, very informative ill have a wack at it and see of i can see the belly patterns, as for gender i'm not too fussed on knowing as long as i dont get baby plecs! Though i guess its very specific conditions if they wanted to breed like it is with some other fish species? My luck that would be :whistle:

 

[bigbird]

yup agree with Lornek. Also remember these grow large, so make sure you plan for the future the larger tank. good luck and cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[oscar1658]

Kinda worried about that and need some help... i took on these fish from someone who was neglectful..their tank mate died (another plec) alongside widow tetras, angel fish, gouramis...you name it it was a fishy massacre! Water quality was terrible...everything! I stepped in but i didnt know a thing so i did a crash course and learned along the way...not ideal at all but ive not done too shabby i know i'm in some trouble with these guys, they have the potential to grow 2 foot am i right? Do they commonly reach that size or is it a possibilty? Why i ask is since ive had them in my care they keep growing suddenly...they didnt grow much at all with the previous owner as they ate nothing other then tropical fish flakes if there was any left backtime the other fish had done. I'm at loss on what to do alittle, what size tank is ideal? Now ive explained my situation i hope you wont assume i'm irresponsible, ive done my very best for them, they seem content, they leave eachother alone, water chemistry is good, healthy guys and i'm very fond of them to say the least so will do everything i can to ensure they are well but bottom line is they do need a bigger tank since the growing and i know it wont be blissful for much longer! Wiill probably buy another tank after that so its a tank to keep them happy for now...sigh would really appreciate help with little judgement, ive posted on other sites and got quite nasty remarks but worse of all i got no help, i do just want the best for them which ever way it'll be. Thanks again x

 

[bigbird]

ok no need to get panicky or worry what others say, you saved these and are doing the best you can. There are plenty of second hand tanks around, as there are filters. I would go for a 5 or 6 ft tank. Do some nice landscaping with timbers and caves and it will be a master tank indeed. Get some additional current in there, loke a wavemaker and all will be fine. Remember, they will need more vegie based diet and in all honesty you can feed every second day if you wish. Fish will eat and eat whatever you give them, but they will not starve. So feed every second day. I do this for my larger ones, but make sure when you feed it is top notch, IE Hikari and cucumbers/ zuchinni etc. so heads up and good stuff. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[oscar1658]

Thankyou for the understanding, I was worried about a reply - i am awefully fond of them but help and information has been hard to get so its a worry ..though i wouldnt of chosen this fish for a starter fish due to their hefty size i'm glad they are here i have really enjoyed caring for both...elliot pictured on the right was very ill when i first got him so its been great to watch him grow stronger and get into quite a large and strong fish now. Ariel the left a little younger but again doing well, your the first piece of advice ive recieved in regards to tank needs so the three of us thank you! Ill go pick one up, so 5-6 foot? What width is ideal and what size will a 5-6 foot tank carry them up until? Also how do i start a big filter up? Currently have a internal box filter and a littler one to support the bigger one...ill check out this food you said, they are on king british pellets most days with cucumber but not fond of these pellets! many thanks again x

 

[Lornek8]

A common recommendation for catifsh is a tank size of 4L x 2L x 2L, where L= the adult length of the catfish. With the commons, you're probably looking at more along the line so 14-16" or so for tank-raised fish.

Not to worry much about breeding. Commons are commercially bred in mud ponds but only rarely, if ever, have been bred in aquariums. This comes partly from their practice of digging tunnels in mud banks to breed.

 

[oscar1658]

Sorry youve lost me, whats the L thing? Makes it worse as theres two! They get by now but i dont want them to fight... :dk:

 

[Lornek8]

Sorry youve lost me, whats the L thing? Makes it worse as theres two! They get by now but i dont want them to fight... :dk:

where L= the adult length of the catfish.

So if, for example, you're looking at a 12" adult length (=L) then you'd be looking for a 4Lx 2L x 2L = 4(12) x 2(12) x 2(12) = 48" x 24" x 24" tank. Just a guideline, you'd probably have a tough time getting a tank that's width is 2L for a common as that's getting pretty wide.

 

[oscar1658]

Ohh i see now..thats clever ill remember that no tanks advertised yet on websites etc

 

[oscar1658]

Ohh i see, so that gives a rough estimation? No tanks found as of yet, ive been checking facebook groups, ebay, gumtree etc

 

[zeebo]

i have been following this thread and it's cool that you are wiling to take these guys on and home them comfortably. That is great and they are very lucky to have you caring for them. By the way, yeah, they love raw zucchini and green and red bell peppers

Do you have access to Craigslist from where you are ? You may luck out there , or just keep looking and something should pop up . Good luck :hi:

 

[oscar1658]

Zeebo, its not been easy for sure, worst part is trying to learn it all from scratch - you cant put it all in your head in one night but i tried, they needed care that second... i tend to have to check what i'm going to do because my mind goes :dk: and a few times at the begining were 'this fish is going to die i think but i cant even try to save it or help it along as i have no clue' frustrating, but they pulled through they are strong for sure! now they are producing a lot and its becoming difficult keeping their tank clean but the worst of it is how rude some forums are, ive been on a ferret one since 2010 now helping people with others and...well...some posts make you want to hit your head off a table they honestly worry me some of them but if you are rude your not helping the person or the animal its pretty useless, we were all beginners at one point :yes: its very nice here and because of this site i know what to do to make the plecs lives' better and ill stop losing hair from the stress! :lol: ours is called gumtree, checked them all, so far no luck they are far away facebook sell, buy or swap groups are getting helpful, ill keep doing my rounds!