Bruce! - How Big Will He Get Do You Think? - Pics

[johnhutch2000]

Hi!

So about a year ago, I have 2x bristlenose plecs in my community tank and my mate goes and buys some to clean his tank walls of algae, and is sold 2x "bristlenose plecs" no way are they bristlenoses (as they dont have bristles and dont look at all similar) then one grows to about 6" and he gives them both to me cus they are too big for his tank.

Now I love my 2 fat plecs but Bruce is growing fast and is kind of a cluts, the other day he ran over a bamboo shrimp by accident I guess and killed it dead.

I keep my community in a 125L planted tank (more heavily planted now than in the photos) and I'm wondering how big will he get before I need to go and buy another bigger tank? He really does have personality so really its a case of the floorboards go before he does.

PS. He's called bruce but probably more likley to be a female from what I've read about (7" now from nose to tip of tail). The other smaller one is Percy but is still about 6" long just not as "round"

Anyone any thoughts?

 

[nmonks]

Those aren't Ancistrus spp. bristlenose cats; they're Pterygoplichthys spp. suckermouth cats, often sold as "common plecs". Maximum size is around 40 cm under aquarium conditions, depending on the species. Nice fish, gentle giants, but as you've seen, they're big and messy.

This underlines the point that some of the aquarists here at TFF do try to make repeatedly: scientific names, though they seem "difficult" because they're unfamiliar, are far more reliable. Latin and Greek are both phonetic languages, meaning that they're pronunciation is generally very simply once you've practised a little and recognise some of the odder letter combinations (like "pt" and "ct"). Hence Ancistrus is pronounced "An-Ky-Struss" and Pterygoplichthys is "Terry-Gop-Lick-Thiss". Try using scientific names; you'll like their precision and consistency all around the world and in any pet store or aquarium book!

Cheers, Neale

 

[johnhutch2000]

Hi Neal thanks for confirming their ID. Pterygoplichthys they are then.

Does anyone know at what size they will need to be in a tank bigger than 125L (27g)?

Cheers - J

 

[nmonks]

Yes, it'll need a tank around twice the size of the 125 l tank you have now. People certainly do wedge them into smaller tanks, but they're filthy animals when mature, and it's an uphill struggle maintaining water quality and for that matter water clarity!

Maximum size varies, and supposedly wild fish can get to about 50 cm. That is uncommon in aquaria, but certainly 30-40 cm is not at all unlikely.

Cheers, Neale

Does anyone know at what size they will need to be in a tank bigger than 125L (27g)?