Pleco ID and compatability question

[sosgal721]

I have a pleco in my 55 that I got about 9 months ago as a common pleco (Petsmart) and until recently has no interest in determining the species or sex. Now I am considering finding new homes for the couple thousand livebearers it shares a tank with and getting another pleco of some kind.

I did some research and determined that (according to planetcatfish http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=148) it is in the Pterygoplichthys genus since it has 12 rays in its dorsal fin. It looks similar to the sailfin plecos pictured in the link, but has smaller, shorter fins and its darker patterns are blended together instead of being separated into smaller sections by lighter lines. Additional information: purchased at about 1.5 inches and is now about 7.5 inches, loves algae and scrubs the tank every night, eats anything that I put in the tank(flakes, pellets, algae tablets, cucumber, zucchini, lettuce)

So does anyone know what species and sex it is? How might it respond to another pleco (small, probably about 2 inches) of its own species or genus?

Also, I know that a 55 is not big enough for a single full grown pleco, let alone 2. This is only the current tank and I will be getting at least a 125 in the near future regardless of what happens.

 

[Barbie]

It's probably this one: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/image.php?image_id=5588

It's actually hard to tell with common plecos because they hybridize easily and are becoming nuisance fish in the waterways in Florida. Rather than actually keep the fish that could potentially cause breaks in the clay ponds with their digging caves, the fish farmers pay for the egg masses they lay and just raise them from there.

Barbie

 

[Malefic23]

Caught the pleco fever eh? Can't put a specific family name to the pleco, but you can stop worrying about sexing it. These only breed in large ponds, where they can dig holes in the mud.

As for adding another plec to the tank, it should'nt be a problem, especially if you wait untill you get your 125. Moving the one fish and adding the second at the same time should prevent any territoriality from the big fish. Generally speaking, most of them get along most of the time. Common species are not known for a lot of agression. You might see some pushing during feeding time, but no injuries. Just make sure you have space for each to get away from the other if need be. I've kept three of these big fish together, and never seen anything more agressive other than "shove over, I need zuchini too!"

 

[Lupin]

Funny how Barbie confirmed my exact thoughts.lol I was thinking Pterygoplichthys pardalis as well but the more I looked into the photos, the more I become unsure with what I am thinking about.

 

[sosgal721]

Thanks for the id. It looks very similar to the one in the picture that Barbie linked to, but at the same time looks very little like other pictures for that species, which is what I was having trouble with.

The reason I wanted to know the sex is to try to get a pleco of the opposite sex in hopes of having less aggression, but it sounds like there shouldn't be any trouble as long as they each have their own area and get enough food to share. The pleco that I am thinking of getting is a sailfin and in the planetcatfish article it says that they are sometimes aggressive toward conspecifics. I'm not sure if conspecifics just means same species, or if there would be aggression between two species of Pterygoplichthys. Anyone know the answer to this? Malefic23, were your 3 plecos of the same or different species?

 

[GEV83]

Pardalis would be my guess to I use to own one.
The sailfin pleco or gibbiceps is territorial and can cause injuries to others. One I had a while back tried fighting my Jaguar Cichlid (managuense). I would suggest waitin for the bigger aquarium and havin alot of hide outs and caves for them.

 

[Dschwec]

I think plec's are simply amazing! That being said, I have only recently had any luck with keeping them. It got to a point where i never even would consider buying one when i would go fish shopping. I gave it another try last year. I bought 4 small common ones from the Petsmart. As it would turn out, only one lived...but man is he living! It went from a 2" juvie to a 9" monster in a year! He seems to be doing very well, albeit my recent move may have stressed him a bit. He has not yet regained all of his dark black coloring the week since the move.

In the past I have tried everything to keep pleco's, all without success. I have learned the hard way, and lost Royals, golden nuggets, etc...not a cheap lesson to learn. I'm still not exactly sure why this one seems to be thriving, but I am now considering a different set up on my tank, so I may be successful with one or two of the more unique strains of pleco. I realize that they generally prefer cooler, highly oxygenated water, with some flow to it. I have lots of turbulence going on in my set up, and the bio wheels provide some decent oxygen, i'm sure.....but i'm seriously thinking about going with a large wet/dry sump to accomplish this. I have had trouble finding them big enough for a 150 gal tank though..at least locally or on a retail level.

I guess my point is, I don't feel confident enough to invest the $$ in some of the unique plec species with my current set up. Not to hi'jack this thread, but I'm interested in hearing of everyone's success and failures with the unique plec species...kind of a crash course, I suppose. I'd appreciate it, and I'm sure the thread starter would also get some useful info from it. I'd hate to see anyone throw $$$ out the window.