what are the species that are often sold as "common plecos"
i'm trying to figure out which one i have.. if there is a way.
i'm trying to figure out which one i have.. if there is a way.
"common pleco" species
- Thread starter silentskream
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Lupin
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- Sep 21, 2006
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A couple I know are Pterygoplichthys pardalis and Hypostomus plecostomus. They're now considered invasive species in the Philippines after being seen in hundreds by fishermen, not to mention rising incidence of torn nets.
the plecos they sell at petsmart and petco are common plecos......if that is where you got it from.
Hi Silentskream-
I think Lupin's two suggestions are the two most commonly seen ones, but they're by no means the only ones sold as "common pleco" or just "plecostomus". The problem is that most of these are grown in aquaculture ponds in the far east, and even the owners probably don't know which ones they've got- they may have a mixture of species in the ponds.
If you take lots of pictures of the fish you've got you might be able to narrow it down by looking at fin ray counts etc.?
I think Lupin's two suggestions are the two most commonly seen ones, but they're by no means the only ones sold as "common pleco" or just "plecostomus". The problem is that most of these are grown in aquaculture ponds in the far east, and even the owners probably don't know which ones they've got- they may have a mixture of species in the ponds.
If you take lots of pictures of the fish you've got you might be able to narrow it down by looking at fin ray counts etc.?
thanks for the help.. i'm hopefully getting a better digital camera for christmas and i'll show some pics afterwards!
i did get this one from Petsmart. and in the last month he's probably quadrupled in size.. i'm really hoping he's the larger variety.
for now. i'm gonna do some internet searching and see what i can figure out.
i did get this one from Petsmart. and in the last month he's probably quadrupled in size.. i'm really hoping he's the larger variety.
for now. i'm gonna do some internet searching and see what i can figure out.
well the one i have is very dark in general. but his coloring is brown with black(or very dark brown) spots.
and he's got somewhere between 10 and 15 dorsal rays (i think.. hard to count when he won't show longer than a second.)
about 16 rays on his anal fin.
his underbelly is also spotted, not verticulated, and considerably paler than the rest of his body.
and he's got somewhere between 10 and 15 dorsal rays (i think.. hard to count when he won't show longer than a second.)
about 16 rays on his anal fin.
his underbelly is also spotted, not verticulated, and considerably paler than the rest of his body.
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Try planetcatfish.com its a fabulous resource for catfish!!! I'm gonna be a traitor so SORRY AC but planetcatfish is my top resource for plecs.
yeah i've been looking through their website. not having a whole lot of luck though.
there's just too many species to choose from!
there's just too many species to choose from!