ok, help?!

[bblove124]

Alright, for starters, I have no idea what kind of pleco I have. I know its not a zebra, cause those are kinda easy to figure out but I wanna know if it a common or whatever. And if its a boy or girl. I've had it for 6 months and I still have no idea. So please help.:dk:

 

[Kingtiger]

Is the Pleco in question in your Avatar?

 

[bblove124]

Yeah. I should actually change that because thanks to some very helpful people on here his/her finrot is now gone

 

[Big-B]

it looks like its a Common. Either Pterygoplichthys Pardalis or P. Disjunctivus. P Pardalis has a spotted belly. Either way they can both get pretty good size, 14 inches or better, and can produce an equally large amount of waste so good filtration is in order. Petstores sell alot of them without telling buyers of their potential size full grown. As far as being male or female. They are notorious for being hard to sex. Its a little easier to tell when they get closer to maturity. From your pictures, I cant tell.:dk: Hope this helps out a little. :thumbup:

 

[Lornek8]

Common
P. disjunctivus

 

[bblove124]

How will I know when it reaches maturity? Right now its about 6 inches.

 

[Irene0100]

well he/she has a lot of growing to do yet, and will need a big tank. they are not a type you can tank breed, so if you want to breed plecs try some smaller species.

 

[bblove124]

I don't want to breed I just want to know if its a boy or girl.

 

[scatz]

they are very hard to sex, even when they are mature. People dont tend too try to sex them either as they dont plan to breed them, i always say just go with your gut feeling, if you refer to it as a he, then i'd just think of it as a he

 

[bblove124]

Is there anyway I can try to figure out the gender though? Cause its been really bugging me that I don't know the gender.....

 

[scatz]

not at that size

 

[bblove124]

How much longer do u think?

 

[Mooo]

Apparently they are really hard to sex ..You may have to wait a while...

 

[bblove124]

Now I know this isn't the health forum but he's been getting pale and when he's on the floor of the tank he like starts to float. This has happened before but it stopped... Does anyone know what's goin on?

 

[Warborg]

The pale color is most likely from the whitish gravel. Plecos(commons at least) tend to blend in with the surroundings.

 

[bblove124]

Ok... And what about the floating when he's tryin to eat?

 

[Warborg]

Does he have food in his mouth at the time? I've had them do this before. They just get carried away enjoying the food.

 

[bblove124]

Lol yeah. That's kinda cute