Do All Pleco's Have Very Hard Skin..

[SherriSixxx]

... or only the common pleco??

 

[SirMinion]

All plecos are classed as 'armoured catfish' although some have more elaborate plating than others.
The common is about average.

 

[SherriSixxx]

Oh wow! Thanks! Does anybody know about the pretty plecos, like the zebra pleco and the one that has leopard prints?? Are these hard skinned? And would they be ok in a room temperature tank, or would they need to be in tropical? How big do they get?

 

[SirMinion]

Oh wow! Thanks! Does anybody know about the pretty plecos, like the zebra pleco and the one that has leopard prints?? Are these hard skinned? And would they be ok in a room temperature tank, or would they need to be in tropical? How big do they get?

All plecs, without exception are tropical as they all come from the Amazonian rainforests.
Some, like the common plec have been captive bred to tollarate the cooler conditions of an indoor unheated tank (21 to 25c) but most plecs are wild caught and must have full tropical conditions if they are to thrive.

And yes, even the delicate looking pretty species still have tough, amoured skin and sharp spiked fins.

There are over 700 known species of plecs, the smallest is just an inch long and the largest gets up to three feet.

 

[Durbkat]

THREE FEET!!! What kind of pleco is that, and should I even ask what size tank they need? Is it 500g or what?

 

[kittyfish]

Acanthicus get very large, and have reached up to three feet in length...here is a pic of a 90cm (just shy of 3 feet) Acanthicus adonis
http/www.plecofanatics.com/gallery/showp...to=1240&cat=516

and here is a smaller adonis...notice the spots fade in larger adonis plecos
http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/loric...nthic/277_1.php

the two links contain pics of the same fish (different individual) at different sizes....

kittyfish

 

[Durbkat]

That first pic of that 3 foot pleco is UGLY!

 

[morgan]

My local lfs has a huge pleco in a specially built brick and glass tank by itself. It is not for sale. I asked what it eats and they smiled. So I said I see, basically anything that fits into it's mouth!