shovelnose pleco

[lesley]

Can anyone tell me about this guy? The guy at the LFS talked me into buying a shovelnose instead of a bristlenose pleco. He said that it would grow to be about 5 inches. He has a sort of broad mouth, rather than a circular one, and head is definitely the widest part of his body. I would like to know the scientific name if possible, so I can do some research on him. Thanks.

[ChilDawg]

Is it something like a Farlowella spp. whiptail?

[ChilDawg]

I cannot find a shovelnose pleco, but shovelnosed cats appear in this listing: http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&Family=Pimelodidae&view_records=1

If any of these are what you have, you might have a problem...

[lesley]

Nope. I did a search and that's all I came up with. He's definitely more... pleco-like. Squattier, I guess. He sort of looks like a bristlenose without the bristles. Shape-wise, anyway. He's kind of greyish-blue in color. The LFS said that he was the best kind of pleco for algae-eating.

[ChilDawg]

If they are Ancistrus spp., it will probably be found on this page: http://www.planetcatfish.com/ilibrary/loricari/ancistru/g_thumbs.htm

[lesley]

I'm looking at all of the Loricarids on Planet Catfish now, and the ones that look most similar so far are the Chaetostomids. I'm only up to the H's though. Thanks for helping.

He also has very tiny eyes for his body-size.

[OrionGirl]

Look for Rubber plecos, and bull dogs. Sounds more like what you are describing.

[lesley]

Thanks, OG. That's the conclusion that I've come to also. Do you have any experience with them? What about their fast-water preferences?

[OrionGirl]

I have bristlenose, and I think they are similar in behavior to the rubber plecos. Like most fish with this body shape, they need high levels of oxygen in the water, which is usually in fast moving waters. I don't make any special efforts to increase the oxygenation in my tank, and the bristlenose are fine. The younger fish eat algae much better, while the mature fish tend to spend a lot of time in caves. They do need a meaty supplement, such as shrimp pellets or a scallops, in addition to algae and veggies.

[lesley]

Okay. So my guy needs a cave and some meat and veggies. Got it. So far he has just been hanging out in the corner of my tank behind a little shrubbery. He hasn't really moved around the tank that I have noticed. Maybe he just needs some time to settle in.

[valerie]

rubbernose plecos dont' eat algae as well as bristlenose pleco but they still do a decent job. Rubber nose plecos need fast flowing water and prefer cooler temps.I have mine in with soem african haps and it seems to be doing ok,only eats the brown algae off the rocks won't touch the glass.

[lesley]

hm... sounds like another bit of misguidance from the LFS. they told me that the shovelnose (rubber pleco) would stay much smaller than the bristlenose, but that it would do an equivalent algae cleaning job. I'm kind of concerned about the fast- water concept. I have an eclipse 3 system for that tank, and I don't think the current is all that strong. Since I put him in my tank, he has been hanging out right by the uptake tube thing. Maybe the current is better over there. I hope he does okay.

[lesley]

Disaster strikes...

I noticed last night that my new guy has some little white ich-like spots on his belly and fins. So far I have not had any disease problems in my tank, so I am hoping that it will just go away. I have a bunch of cories and black neons and two pearl gouramies in this tank, who have seemed pretty healthy all along. I'm planning on just feeding well and keeping up on water changes to keep my fish healthy and hope that the disease doesn't spread. Does anyone else have a better solution? I don't have a quarrantine tank, so that's not an option right now, unfortunately.

[valerie]

IF your pleco does have ich you should treat it with an ich med.(becareful since plecos can be sensitive to meds and salt).

If i understand right you have an eclipse 3 with cories, neons, pearl gouramis and a pleco? That is way too many fish for this tank. Have you tested the water? could be that the levels are off and that is what is causign your pleco to get ich.

I would suggest thining out your stock. I would return the pearl gouramis(or move them to another tank) since they get about 4-6" each. 3gals isn't much room to work with.

[lesley]

Valerie,

I forgot to mention, It's an eclipse 3 filtration system for a 30 gallon tank, not the little tiny acrylic things. I think I'm okay on fish load.

sorry, should have been more clear on that.

[valerie]

phew, thats good to know. If it were the 3 gal it would have been bad:p

If you want more info on your pleco check out planetcatfish.com I know htey have a catfish of hte month for rubbernose plecos(might also be called bulldog?)

But if i were you i wouldn't wait to see if the ich goes away by itself. I have never had that happen.I have used Jungle ich gaurd and ich guard2 with good results. I would use ich guard 2 in your case because of the cories and pleco.

[ChilDawg]

They're definitely also called Bulldogs. The genus was the COTM for Feb. 2002 on www.planetcatfish.com and is unfortunately not a Factsheet of the Month on www.scotcat.com