what kind of pleco do i own?

[AquaticAustin]

They are supposed to be fast growers but my brother had one in a 40gal that actually broke and it ended up (and is still in) a 10 gal tank in our grandparents house lol they seem to grow much slower in a small environment... but a 55 will provide him with some decent growing room so I would say a couple months on him?

 

[tabbykay]

okay that works with my budget. he seems to be growing about an eigth of an inch a month. give or take. the knifefish i have only had for about five days so he hasnt done much growing yet

 

[TheFishBoss97]

okay sounds good. how long until you think he will ourtgrow my 55g?

maybe 4 months? Idk, i got a common pleco when it wsa 3" and it was12" within 6 months,,,,,,,they grow fast.........

 

[BettaFishMommy]

are there any bumps at all on its face? and a female BN, correct me if im wrong experts getting mine next week, would be full grown at five inches and would noticeable bristle by that time.

female bristlenose plecos can have a perfectly smooth facial area devoid of bristles. mine does.

 

[oo7genie]

Male bristlenose are the ones that get the bristles. While females can also get them, it's far more common for them to remain without, or only get very small spikes that occur just around their mouth. Where did you get the pleco? What were you told it was? If from a store, what was it labeled as? If it was just labeled as "plecostomus", it's almost always going to be a common pleco. Bristlenose on the other hand will go by "ancistrus" (species name), "bushynose", "brushnose", "spineynose" or some other name describing the fact that they get bristles. Even in the bad stores, they usually get that much right, if only because they can bump up the price on them.

My best guess is that it's a common pleco though, as I had a full grown 5" bristlenose, and it had a much different overall shape to it. The one you posted looks younger and more juvenile as far as it's body proportions are concerned, IMO.

 

[tabbykay]

yes he definately lokos like a baby still. I have grown to love him and i am willing to do anything i can to let him grow to a very big healthy boy. but last night i decided to try blanched greens. he wouldnt even touch it.

 

[BettaFishMommy]

if a fish isn't used to a certain food, it can take a few tries to get them to realize it is edible and yummy.

try zucchini. i very rarely hear of a pleco not liking it. i don't even bother blanching it for my bristlenoses, they nom on it fresh. they'll even eat it when i toss a slice completely frozen in the tank! (best way i found to keep zucchini long term for fish food purposes - wash it, slice it, freeze it in a ziploc. spear a frozen piece with a fork to weigh it down in the tank).

 

[authmal]

i have a fifty five he is about five inches now. i think it may be a female brittlenose

If it's a female bristlenose, it won't be 5 inches. I've never seen one that looked quite like that.

 

[authmal]

dang so i will be having to get it a bigger tank.(which im planning on doing anyway.) my pleco and knifefish and black moor wit=ll be moving to a 75 hex or 120 long whithin the next six months

75 hex won't fix issues with the size of the pleco. It doesn't have the length or width to be much of an improvement over the 55, unless it's merely a short term intermediate step to the 120. Dimensions wise, how does a 120 stack up to a 125?

edit

Never mind. Found the dimensions. For anyone who doesn't already know and is curious, the 120 is roughly 4' x 2' x 2', and a 125 is roughly 6' x 1.5' x 2'.

 

[authmal]

if a fish isn't used to a certain food, it can take a few tries to get them to realize it is edible and yummy.

try zucchini. i very rarely hear of a pleco not liking it. i don't even bother blanching it for my bristlenoses, they nom on it fresh. they'll even eat it when i toss a slice completely frozen in the tank! (best way i found to keep zucchini long term for fish food purposes - wash it, slice it, freeze it in a ziploc. spear a frozen piece with a fork to weigh it down in the tank).

Mine doesn't like frozen zucchinni. :irked: