Please Help Identify This Sailfin Pleco

[Mikey1]

They only get aggressive to their own species and other pleco's.

are you trying to tell me that my pleco was not attacking my fish?

when i was the only one there to see it?

x100





..

 

[Paradise3]

They only get aggressive to their own species and other pleco's.

are you trying to tell me that my pleco was not attacking my fish?

when i was the only one there to see it?

x100





..

Also they reach maturity at about 12" not 4-5". I'm not sure what was up with your pleco but I've yet to see one being aggressive to anything but another pleco which is well known. What size tank was he in? They get aggressive if the tank is too small sometimes, very rarely but it happens.

[background=rgb(249, 249, 249)]Plecos are usually only aggressive towards other plecos. When they grow larger, they do not like having other fish in their path. When the pleco is the largest fish in the tank this can look like aggression, but it is really just going about it's business.[/background]

 

[Mikey1]

They only get aggressive to their own species and other pleco's.

are you trying to tell me that my pleco was not attacking my fish?

when i was the only one there to see it?

x100





..

Also they reach maturity at about 12" not 4-5". I'm not sure what was up with your pleco but I've yet to see one being aggressive to anything but another pleco which is well known. What size tank was he in? They get aggressive if the tank is too small sometimes, very rarely but it happens.

a 180 gallon tank, i doubt it was too small

 

[Paradise3]

Read my edited post. Pleco's are not aggressive to anything but other pleco's. I know that for sure. Also, as I said. They reach maturity at about 12" not 4-5" like you said. My only other thought is he was hungry.

[background=rgb(249, 249, 249)]An adequately fed pleco won't fin nip. A common won't even pay attention to other fish, unless it is hungry and starts going after slime coating.[/background]

 

[Mikey1]

Pleco's are not aggressive to anything but other pleco's. I know that for sure.

boy....you have lots to learn.....

there are MANY different species of plecos, for you to group them all into the same category and say "Pleco's are not aggressive to anything but other pleco's" is absolutely absurd

 

[Paradise3]

Read my edited post. Pleco's are not aggressive to anything but other pleco's. I know that for sure. Also, as I said. They reach maturity at about 12" not 4-5" like you said. My only other thought is he was hungry.

[background=rgb(249, 249, 249)]An adequately fed pleco won't fin nip. A common won't even pay attention to other fish, unless it is hungry and starts going after slime coating.[/background]

you have lots to learn.....

No, I have lot's of experience with fully grown common pleco's. I am telling you exactly what could have caused it. My partner says he has had 1 customer bring back a common pleco that was about 16" long because it had apparently(needed correcting) eaten his fish. You know what he was keeping it with? Guppies & Neons. Common Pleco's are not aggressive to anything but other pleco's. Do you have a picture of the pleco? Do you have pictures of him in the tank with the Tinfoils? And if you are referring to the fact that they do not reach maturity till about 12" then I'd like to see someone breed a pair of Common Pleco's under that size.

there are MANY different species of plecos, for you to group them all into the same category and say "Pleco's are not aggressive to anything but other pleco's" is absolutely absurd

I'm not grouping them all together, I mean Commons. I know there are species of pleco's that do get very aggressive to other fish. Carnivorous species being top of the list.

 

[TaurineLittle]

Looks like a pretty little Pterygoplichthys Parnaibae to me. And yes bigger is always better. Though according to Planet Catfish if he is a Pterygoplichthys Parnaibae then he'll only get to 12" long

I find that hard to believe since I've seen them bigger... I'd say minimum of 6x2x2 and if he still only get's to 12" then you know he's a Pterygoplichthys Parnaibae.

I thought he was, glad to hear someone else agrees

thanks for your responce. I doubt 12" is their max size as well, the shop I bought him from had one that was around 15-16" but he didn't know the species of them.
Do you know how fast this awesome little fella will grow? I'm looking at getting a 200L in a month or two and then going up to a 7x2x2L in maybe 6-8 months...
Also when I get the large tank would he be happy in a well planted tank? and would he prefer a clearwater or a blackwater setup?
Sorry for the questions, just want to give him the best environment

 

[Paradise3]

Looks like a pretty little Pterygoplichthys Parnaibae to me. And yes bigger is always better. Though according to Planet Catfish if he is a Pterygoplichthys Parnaibae then he'll only get to 12" long

I find that hard to believe since I've seen them bigger... I'd say minimum of 6x2x2 and if he still only get's to 12" then you know he's a Pterygoplichthys Parnaibae.

I thought he was, glad to hear someone else agrees

thanks for your responce. I doubt 12" is their max size as well, the shop I bought him from had one that was around 15-16" but he didn't know the species of them.
Do you know how fast this awesome little fella will grow? I'm looking at getting a 200L in a month or two and then going up to a 7x2x2L in maybe 6-8 months...
Also when I get the large tank would he be happy in a well planted tank? and would he prefer a clearwater or a blackwater setup?
Sorry for the questions, just want to give him the best environment

Well if he get's past 12" then he may end up ripping plants up by accident just by swimming so I'd wait to plant it out and wait till you know his full size for sure. They grow pretty quickly when young but slow down once they reach about 8". I had one when I first started(admittedly kept him wrong but have seen him since and WOW!) that grew from 1" up to 7" in about 4 months in a 2ft tank(again, I admit he was kept wrong but now he is in an 8ftx3ftx3ft tank and happy as Larry) so they grow pretty quickly to start off but slow down after a bit. Clearwater would suit him but pleco's like bogwood to rasp on to help them digest food so you'd end up with slight blackwater from the bogwood leaching tannins(which are good!) so either would suit him really. Pleco's are hardy fish.

 

[Mikey1]

I'm not grouping them all together, I mean Commons. I know there are species of pleco's that do get very aggressive to other fish. Carnivorous species being top of the list.

you are contradicting yourself too many times.....first you say plecos are not aggressive toward any other fish except for other plecos.....then you tell a story of a pleco eating guppys and neons.....and now you say "I know there are species of pleco's that do get very aggressive to other fish."....im a bit confused as to what your logic is, or maybe i should say lack of it....

 

[Paradise3]

I'm not grouping them all together, I mean Commons. I know there are species of pleco's that do get very aggressive to other fish. Carnivorous species being top of the list.

you are contradicting yourself too many times.....first you say plecos are not aggressive toward any other fish except for other plecos.....then you tell a story of a pleco eating guppys and neons.....and now you say "I know there are species of pleco's that do get very aggressive to other fish."....im a bit confused as to what your point is, or maybe i should say lack of it....

Right, the pleco was accused of eating the guys fish(that was what I mean to put) but we later found out that the fish were dying and the pleco was eating the bodies. There are certain species, not all of them. I am not contradicting myself at all. Commons do not get aggressive to other fish(bar other pleco's) for no reason, carnivorous plecos can and do get aggressive to other fish.

 

[Mikey1]

Commons do not get aggressive to other fish(bar other pleco's) for no reason, carnivorous plecos can and do get aggressive to other fish.

yes i agree with you....but we are not talking about a common pleco in this thread

 

[Paradise3]

Commons do not get aggressive to other fish(bar other pleco's) for no reason, carnivorous plecos can and do get aggressive to other fish.

yes i agree with you....but we are not talking about a common pleco in this thread

You said yours was a common Pleco...? The pleco that TaurineLittle owns isn't but we were talking about why yours had gone and attacked your tinfoils...

Or that's what I thought we were discussing...

 

[Mikey1]

no, you are mistaken, i never said mine was a common pleco....i said it was a Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps

 

[Paradise3]

no, you are mistaken, i never said mine was a common pleco....i said it was a Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps

Which is a common sailfin XD

It is the one that people most commonly sell and although I was mistaken and thought of Gibbiceps as your pain old Common(always been told that till about 1 year a go) it is not. It is however known as the Common Sailfin or Leopard Sailfin as it is the most commonly sold Sailfin species of Pleco. However, the same statement stands for Sailfins as they are not carnivorous. If anything they are veggies. They can develop a taste for slime coats when hungry or bored but not just randomly

 

[TaurineLittle]

Ah ok, my tank upgrades should suit his growth well enough then. At the moment he is only about 2.5 inches if that, cute little #28### haha. Yeah I have got him in a 40L for now with one small and one medium/large piece of bogwood, which has leaked a fair few tannins, but yeah 1-2 months 200L tank will be ready for him to play around in. Seems like I'm doing alright so far thanks for your responses and your help. I might make a journal/progress log of his growth and my tank upgrades over time...