pleco id

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JH

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Sep 11, 1998
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Can anyone help me id this fish? I have 2 in my 125 gal both are about 5 1/2 - 6 inches. One was purchased in 1999 and the other in 2000 when they were about 2 inches. I was told that they are butterfly plecos but after checking out plantcatfish.com I am not sure if that was correct or not. The picture they have of a butterfly pleco looks nothing like mine.

I hope this picture works. First time posting pic.

butterfly.jpg
 

MonoSebaelover

Anableps
Apr 20, 2001
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Phoenix, AZ
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No, that is definetly not a Butterfly. A Butterfly looks kinda like a Zebra pleco only they have wide bands of black and cream. Yours looks like a Sailfin Pleco (Gibbiceps pleco). Those are the monsters of the Pleco world reaching two feet long. Hope this helps, and I am pretty sure this is right. If not then I'm sure someone will correct me.
 

FishBait

triggerhappy
Nov 27, 2002
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Check out Pterygoblychthyes (Glyptopterichthyes) joselemanis (sp?) I think it's the gold-flake pleco or something like that. Either way it is a sailfin variety and very much NOT a butterfly.
 

JH

AC Members
Sep 11, 1998
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Bingo. I think you are right. Well I knew it couldn't be a butterfly after checking out planetcatfish.com. Makes me wonder how many fish are incorrectly labled at pet stores and if they even know the difference.

Thanks for the help.
 

FishBait

triggerhappy
Nov 27, 2002
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Well part of the problem with this group of fish is that even scientifically they are confused. Not enough work has been done on them to this point to make it any easier. Couple that with the fact that new ones are being discovered almost daily, and usually they are shipped for the aquarium market before researchers ever get a glimpse of them.

Not that that would make much difference as I've seen shovelnoses sell as channel cats and arrowanas as snakeheads :eek:
 

Tightdog1

Chinaman Can!
Sep 2, 2002
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some sort of sailfin pleco is all i can add.
 

clayt101

Registered Abuser
Originally posted by FishBait
Check out Pterygoblychthyes (Glyptopterichthyes) joselemanis (sp?) I think it's the gold-flake pleco or something like that. Either way it is a sailfin variety and very much NOT a butterfly.
Just going by memory, but are you talking about L-264 Lepordcantus josemelanis (something like that). The L-264 is gray with black dots. It's definately not that (If thats what you are talking about). To me, it appears to be a variety of Gibbyceps. There are several different varieties, but I have seen some that look nearly identical to that (I think). Just look at this thread for another variety:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4525
 
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