Please Help With ID

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meanddoxie

New Member
Dec 9, 2014
3
0
1
Kenora, Ontario, Canada
Hey Everyone!
I am new here even though I joined about a year ago! I still have no clue what my Pleco is. He is almost 3 years old now and is about 10 inches long. He has a BEAUTIFUL sailfin and his color tends to be a bit patchy. I have been told on other fish forums that he is a species that won't get any bigger and I have been told he is a common and will get to 24 inches. I only have a 30g right now, yes I am TRYING to save for a larger tank, but knowing how big he is going to get would really help in that decision.
The town I am in only has one person that the LFS knows of who has a large tank and that guy keeps Cichlids. He was looking for a large Pleco after his Cichlids ate his other one so I refuse to give mine to him when it is a death sentence.
My Pleco loves green veggies and some fruit and berries. He eats dying snails and fish. He is very peaceful, loves his driftwood, is really active, does not try to escape and is a gentle giant who is often being cleaned by the albino Corydoras. He WAS a more expensive Pleco when I bought him but I have no memory as to what his name was, and by expensive i mean he was about 15 dollars instead of 5...
He has 15 spines in his sailfin, not sure if that means anything!

Thank you for your help! I hope these image links work!





 
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meanddoxie

New Member
Dec 9, 2014
3
0
1
Kenora, Ontario, Canada
Thank you!! Am I feeding him/her properly? I will do more research now that I have a name but want to get advice from the experts!! Also, do these fish do spawning motions? This fall he has been flopping a bit like he is having a seizure but seems perfectly fine before and after. I asked my dad and he said it looks like when fish spawn in the river but I want to be sure this isn't a health issue? Thank you again!!
 
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Warborg

Member
Oct 17, 2009
183
0
16
Austin,Texas
I've always had alot of luck feeding these plecos(commons) with shrimp pellets.

I had one that was 19.5 inches...so yes they can get big. However for some reason I have seen some stop around 12inches (even with enough food and tank space).
 
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meanddoxie

New Member
Dec 9, 2014
3
0
1
Kenora, Ontario, Canada
@Warborg I was orginally told he looked like he had some rhino in him and would stay small. He is a very slow grower from the sounds of things. He is already about 3 years old and is still growing but it is slow. I wouldn't have noticed his growth at all had I not taken photos of him from the start. He actually doesn't seem to like the shrimp pellets BUT they do get eaten so maybe he prefers to have them make a mess first! His favorite still seems to be fresh veggies and spirulina tabs -which are hard to find in our town. He also eats snails and any fish that are weak/dying. I am always amazed by how stable the tank is because he is so big for a 30 gallon... then again, Pleco's past always were pooping and he never has that poop string going for him so maybe his healthier choice in foods helps with the bioload! Whatever it is I am happy he seems to be happy and healthy. He is such a calm fish even when the lights are out he has always been quite docile. I run the lights in the evening for a few hours instead of having other lights on in the house to be more economical. He is just as active with them off and he is with them on and unlike other Pleco's i have had he doesn't trash the tank or try and escape!
 
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Warborg

Member
Oct 17, 2009
183
0
16
Austin,Texas
There's no Rhino in him. He's 100% Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus.

Rhino's can also get big...I had a 13inch one and knew someone with a 16incher.
 
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