Can Any Species Of Sailfin Pleco Remain Small?

[aim25]

I bought a sailfin pleco (3 in) at our lfs. The owner (in the tropical fish business for 40 yrs) told me they only got 6 in. Then upon looking online found out that they can get 1.5 ft long. I then called the owner back who reassured me that it would only get 6 in. long. She said she had never seen a sailfin get over that. She said not to read into things on the internet because it could be wrong. She said it was a different species of sailfin than the one that gets big. Is there such a thing? A very small species of sailfin that only grows to 6 in?

I'm very confused.....

Thanks!

 

[black angel]

As far as i know theres only the one type which indeed grow to over a foot long and it sounds like she is trying to get rid of them.
Post in the catfish section for more help.

 

[morgan]

In PFK this month someone wrote in with a question about Pleco sizes and the answer was that , as a rough guide, if a Pleco has 12 or more finrays on it's dorsal fin it is likely to grow very large. It would be quite difficult to count when they are small, mine was about 2-3 inches when I bought it (it was supposed to be a Bristlenose) and a few months on it is 9 inches. I can count it's finrays very easily now! Mine is a Common and could grow to 2 feet.

 

[aim25]

I have it in a 55 gal. It has about 12-13 finrays.

So there is only one type of sailfin? I don't know what to do. I am not going to buy a bigger tank to accomidate this fish. Should I wait to see how it grows? How fast can I expect this thing to grow?

Thanks for the responses so far.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

plecos are rather easily stunted but their stunt size is so large that many LFS owners (especially those who don't research their fish) never realize that common/sailfin plecos should easily meet and exceed 12" in length.

if she's not researching fish on the internet, where is she getting her information? 40 years of experience doesn't mean 40 years of doing things properly. unless she's familiar with the names Aqualog, Axelrod, and Baensch--i'd take her insistence of not looking things up on the internet with a grain of salt. even Axelrod and Baensch are just individual writers who may or may not get everything right. generally the best sources are based on the combined knowledge of many individuals--such as Aqualog and similar companies that primarily sell fish research books, online forums, and specialist websites such as Planet Catfish or The Puffer Forum.

 

[aim25]

Stunted?.........

Does it hurt the fish to be stunted?

I am really considering returning it, even though it is really pretty. The other one she had was a clown pleco.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Yes stunted growth will shorten the fish's lifespan and makes its life a misery, here is an info page on sailfin plecs;

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/loric...rygop/148_f.php

 

[pica_nuttalli]

are you sure that its a sailfin or a common pleco? or did it have a fancier name than that? there are thousands of types of plecos and there are plenty with maximum sizes of 6" or under. its just that those are essentially never referred to as just "sailfins".

can you post a picture for us?

 

[aim25]

I tried to take a pic but my digital camera really stinks. It looks just like this though.

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/loric...rygop/148_7.php

It did not have a fancy name, just called sailfin pleco. Should I take it back to the store and try to exchange?

Thanks again!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

if that's what he looks like, i'd take him back in favor of the clown pleco. odds are quite good that your sailfin isn't going to stop growing at 6"