Rubbernose/bulldog Plec

[moochy13]

when i went to a few shops yesterday, i intended in getting a piar of rubbernose plec's as they would stay small and my mate has one that looks amazing. it totally captures my attention whenever im round his. anyways, i found a tank yesterday in a shop with 'bulldog plec' on the label, but it looked mothing like what my mates does, which was labelled the same, albeit at a different shop.

heres a planet catfish link to L444 here

the picture at the top of the second column, labelled 'close up of head' is what my mate has and i think its stunning. the teal green colour and pattern of the black 'lines' looks amazing. this is the fish im after. but the bulldog plec i saw yesterday was grey and mottled, more like the 3rd picture down in the same column.

are these the same fish at different stages, or are rubbernose and bulldogs different fish ? im reluctant to order L444 from my LFS because i dont want the wrong coloured plec.

 

[JenCliBee]

when i went to a few shops yesterday, i intended in getting a piar of rubbernose plec's as they would stay small and my mate has one that looks amazing. it totally captures my attention whenever im round his. anyways, i found a tank yesterday in a shop with 'bulldog plec' on the label, but it looked mothing like what my mates does, which was labelled the same, albeit at a different shop.

heres a planet catfish link to L444 here

the picture at the top of the second column, labelled 'close up of head' is what my mate has and i think its stunning. the teal green colour and pattern of the black 'lines' looks amazing. this is the fish im after. but the bulldog plec i saw yesterday was grey and mottled, more like the 3rd picture down in the same column.

are these the same fish at different stages, or are rubbernose and bulldogs different fish ? im reluctant to order L444 from my LFS because i dont want the wrong coloured plec.

There are various different species under the genus chaetostoma all called rubbernose or bulldog plec... a full species list is HERE!!!

The 2 pictures show the same fish but one is adult and the other been juvenile but that's not to say pattern and colour variations of the same L- number wont occur. you may have a stunning marked one but the next nowhere near as nice.

Look of the draw what they fully turn out to look like unfortunaley.

 

[moochy13]

so is the teal green picture adult then ? assuming the ones i saw yesterday were grey juvi's. and are you also saying if i order an L444 i could get anything (within reason) off that list you linked to, though more likely the more common ones ? somebody posted a thread in thsi section a few weeks ago, he had recieved a misnamed rubbernose, but it was sand coloured with dark spots, looked stunning.

wow it might be exciting receiving a fish that i have no idea what it will end up looking like.

cheers

 

[JenCliBee]

so is the teal green picture adult then ? assuming the ones i saw yesterday were grey juvi's. and are you also saying if i order an L444 i could get anything (within reason) off that list you linked to, though more likely the more common ones ? somebody posted a thread in thsi section a few weeks ago, he had recieved a misnamed rubbernose, but it was sand coloured with dark spots, looked stunning.

wow it might be exciting receiving a fish that i have no idea what it will end up looking like.

cheers

I guess depending on where you order from then yes anything is possible, alot of rubbernoses are often mis-named and sold with the tag they are exported with.

I'm not saying you wont receive the plec you've ordered but the possibility is there, the actual colouration as with quite a few species of plec may not be exact to each and everyone labeled as the same name, colour variations are part of life and in plecs it is no different.

The green one in the pic is showing an adult fish and the mottled green one a juvenile of some sort.

The grey ones you saw yesterday could be labeled wrong and be a completely different L number, they could turn out to be the correct one just a juvenile staged colours. Colours/pattern can change rapidly as the mature with no guarantee what they will turn out like.

 

[moochy13]

thanks for your help. from what i've read and how im understanding it, if i order an L444 whatever type i get, they will all be roughly the same size, about 4" according to PC. i guess that would be the biggest problem, recieving some type of L444 that grows too big. i think i might take the plunge and order one in in a few weeks.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I finally got round to buying a Chaetostoma for my 5-footer yesterday, thought to be a L444 and not thomsoni (former has "spotty" head and the black edged armour plates). It has settled in pretty well and is already having an impact on the algae levels!

Highly recomended if you have a cool tank (~22C, really needs to be less than 24C) with a good turnover of water through filters and/or powerheads (8x water volume per hour, or even more), just like Panda Garra. They are territorial with conspecifics, just like the Garras, so I'd recommend either buying one or jump to a 3+ group if the tank is big enough to give each one a territory.

 

[moochy13]

hmmm thanks for pointing out the temp, i just noticed it. my tank is at 26, though its not for any specific reason, its just where the temp was when i plugged it in. my mate with the rubbernose has his tank at about what mine is, and has had his plec for well over a year now, and its happy and healthy. are the temps just reccommended as what their natural habitat is, or would the 2 degree difference harm the fish ? i would only be buying one.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

The temp combined with the high current gives a high oxygen saturation, think of Chaetostoma as the Central America equivalent of Asian "Hillstream Loach." Because of their setup needs, these fish do well in tank swith fish like Steatocranus family Cichlids and Synodontis brichardi.