View Full Version : Help with Pleco ID
kianna
10-12-2010, 11:02 AM
I'm thinking its a bristlenose but maybe just a different color variant? I can't seem to find any others that look like this one.
Its about 4"-4.5" from nose to tail.... maybe a bit larger. I've had it over a year now and it was a pretty good size when I got it. So I'm thinking its at least 2 years old. It's extremely shy (always has been) and I rarely ever see it. It looks like it has some bristle starting on the end of the nose too. It never changes color. I thought maybe it was washed out cuz of the white gravel but I've had it in different tanks with darker substrate and it still that olive color.
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Heres a pic of my brown male just for comparison. By 1 year old he had a good start on his bristles. The female has none around her nose.
My browns aren't shy at all. When theres food out ...they're out.
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LiL GinGeR
10-12-2010, 11:49 AM
I would say it was a bristlenose :) Probably female
Looks like its a BN. In the pics looks like bristles coming out.
Lillyan
10-12-2010, 2:58 PM
Looks more like a rubberlip/rubbernose pleco to me.
Taysius
10-12-2010, 3:04 PM
Looks more like a rubberlip/rubbernose pleco to me.
That's kind of what I thought as well but I know very little about plecos.
Looks more like a rubberlip/rubbernose pleco to me.
Thats what I was thinking but looks like it has bristles. Do rubbernose pleco's get bristles???
Pofke13LT
10-12-2010, 3:36 PM
Looks more like a rubberlip/rubbernose pleco to me.
Yeah I was just at the petstore and they had it labeled as a Rubber Lip Plecostomus... Really awesome looking lil guys but they were extremely skittish and swam at ultrasonic speeds if you got close to the tank... Not sure if this is common to them or if these ones were just skittish... But compared to a common pleco that sorta mopes around these guys were hyper!
Lillyan
10-12-2010, 5:00 PM
No, rubbers don't, they have smooth noses.
I guess it could be a bristlenose, I found two albino ones at petco, they dont sell bristles at that store, just commons and rubbernoses, kinda lucky.
kianna
10-12-2010, 6:13 PM
So rubber nose or not rubber nose?
It was sold to me as a bristlenose but this store always mis-labels their fish. After I got albino and brown bristlenoses I started to question whether it was a bristlenose. I did some research and thought maybe it was a rubber nose but then it started to get those little bristles. I couldn't find any info about rubber nose getting bristles so then I was back to thinking it was a bristlenose but just a color variant. I know theres albinos, browns, calico and I think theres a red marble.
Ok I just found this on aquabid? Does this look more like it without the long fins of course?
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcatfishp&1287276722
Nah you dont got Green Dragons which by the way I plan on getting soon. I think it may just be a hybrid of some kind. BN but none like Ive seen. Ill try to find out for you though just give me a bit of time.
Lab_Rat
10-12-2010, 9:44 PM
Looks like a BN to me. My LFS has a green color variant.
http://www.safhl.net/davesfish/images/Ancistrus%20sp%20Bristlenose%20Green%20Dragon.jpg
GEV83
10-12-2010, 10:10 PM
Doesnt look like those ones IMO
Lab_Rat
10-12-2010, 10:12 PM
I guess the color of the fins is wrong and the pic I posted the fish are a bit greener.
GEV83
10-12-2010, 10:29 PM
But even the body shape is wrong.