What Kind of Pleco is this?

Hello, everyone I'm new on here. I'm just learning about proper care for my fish, however I am curious about one of my fish in particular. He's a Pleco, pretty sure the common type, however I know "common" is a general term, since there are so many types of plecos. He's about 2 years old and is almost a foot long. And, yes I do know the tank is too small. I do 25% water changes 3 times a week and also 50% water changes 4 times a week, to keep up with the bio load, and am getting a bigger tank tomorrow. 55 gallon arcylic, and I am aware this is also small, but is only temporary as I am saving up to buy a custom built 90 gallon acrylic tank. I am just curious if anyone knows the specific species of my pleco. Thank you!

Hi and welcome to the forum

can you post a picture showing the fish from the side so we can see the markings on its back?

It is either a Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps or a Hypostomus plecostomus.

re: water changes. I would do a 75% water change and gravel clean every couple of days. Bigger water changes dilute nutrients more effectively than small ones.

Thank you. And how often do you think should I do the 75% water changes; everyday or every couple of days? I just worry about removing too much of the good bacteria.

Water changes will not remove the good bacteria - they grow in the biofilm which is tightly bound to surfaces in the tank. They do not live free in the water. Provided you don't forget to add dechlorinator to the new water, water changes won't harm the bacteria.

Hypostomus plecostomus

Thank you I had no idea, I just assumed good bacteria was in the water too, because I read that you're not supposed to do water changes and change the filter on the same day.

Colin_T said:

Hypostomus plecostomus

Click to expand...

Thank you now I can do proper research on him/her.

Mikayla K said:

Thank you I had no idea, I just assumed good bacteria was in the water too, because I read that you're not supposed to do water changes and change the filter on the same day.

Click to expand...

The filter bacteria are in the air and water but when it comes in contact with water it tries to attach itself to hard objects like rocks, gravel, glass, filter sponges, etc. So whilst there might be a small amount in the water, it is negligible and not worth worrying about.

Filters on the other hand should not be cleaned for the first 6 weeks of life because the bacteria takes times to attach firmly to the filter materials. Once the bacteria is firmly attached to filter media, then you can clean filters every week if you like and it will be fine. And you can change all of the water and clean the filter at the same time as long as the new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank, and the new water has a similar temperature & water chemistry to the water that was removed.

If you are concerned about the filter bacteria, then clean the filter one day and do a water change the next day. Most people do filters and water changes on the same day for convenience.

Change the water first then clean the filter the next day, This way the filter gets to suck up any particles that were stirred up during the water change, Filters should be cleaned weekly.

Rinse sponges and media in old tank water replace the fine polishing pad at least every other week and you will have crystal clean water.

NickAu said:

Change the water first then clean the filter the next day, This way the filter gets to suck up any particles that were stirred up during the water change, Filters should be cleaned weekly.

Rinse sponges and media in old tank water replace the fine polishing pad at least every other week and you will have crystal clean water.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the information.

common plecostomus, and don't use the flash next time as your pleco is nocturnal and the flash will impair your pleco's vision.

Colin_T said:

Hi and welcome to the forum

can you post a picture showing the fish from the side so we can see the markings on its back?

It is either a Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps or a Hypostomus plecostomus.

re: water changes. I would do a 75% water change and gravel clean every couple of days. Bigger water changes dilute nutrients more effectively than small ones.

Click to expand...

Where did you get Pterygoplichthys gibbiceips from?

Cichlid4life said:

common plecostomus, and don't use the flash next time as your pleco is nocturnal and the flash will impair your pleco's vision.
Where did you get Pterygoplichthys gibbiceips from?

Click to expand...

Sorry it took me so long. My boyfriend got him from Petco, I sent him to get fish food and brought back this guy. I don't buy fish from chain stores I always go to my LFS, but my LFS is a 45 minute drive compared to petco which is a 4 minute drive. And is he the Hypostomus plecostomus or Pterygoplichthys gibbiceips. I'm a bit confused now.

It's a Hypostomus plecostomus.

The Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps has more spots on its body, whereas the Hypostomus plecostomus has more lines.

Both fish grow big with the H. plecostomus reaching 2ft and the P. gibbiceps growing to about 18 inches.

They do well in water with a pH between 6.6 & 7.6 and a GH between 50-300ppm.

They eat plant matter and dead fish, shrimp, bottom feeding pellets and anything that resembles food. They should have access to driftwood and algae at all times.

They live in burrows dug into the mud in creeks & rivers and the males look after the eggs, which get laid in the burrow. Basically they are like giant Bristlenose catfish.