How Big Do They Grow?

[arcg1978]

I'm looking to get a golden nugget plec for my tank (Juwel Rio 180) but keep reading different figures about how big they grow. I have read that they can grow anywhere between 15cm and 35 cm, who is right?

I have also been rcommended to look at zebra, bristle nose and clown plecos as alternatives, who big do they get?

 

[stang1]

I think Golden nugget plecs can get to about 12".
Zebras and Clowns grow to roughly 4" and Bristlenose 4"-6".

 

[Miss Wiggle]

i believe they get 10-12", they are very slow grower's though.

zebra's while lovely are incredibly expensive and hard to come by, your talking maybe £200 per fish so unless your an enthusiast i wouldn't recommend it.

how big is the rio 180? is that 180l?

 

[LisaLQ]

Depends on which gold nugget they are, some only grow to 7"ish and some grow mahoosive. I think they're fairly hard to tell apart though so unless you know for sure which they are, it's a bit of a gamble.

Zebras are very expensive, clowns are very cheap (and eat bogwood), and bristlenoses are lovely and active

If you're wanting something to help keep the tank clean, a bristlenose is your best bet, but if you dont mind sawdust poo and a few extra gravel cleans, a clown plec is a lovely choice. Can I recommend one more? I have a lovely flash plec, every bit as pretty as a zebra, and yet only around £15-20 usually.

Also leopard frog plecs are very pretty and about the same price

 

[stang1]

Depends on which gold nugget they are, some only grow to 7"ish and some grow mahoosive. I think they're fairly hard to tell apart though so unless you know for sure which they are, it's a bit of a gamble.

Zebras are very expensive, clowns are very cheap (and eat bogwood), and bristlenoses are lovely and active

If you're wanting something to help keep the tank clean, a bristlenose is your best bet, but if you dont mind sawdust poo and a few extra gravel cleans, a clown plec is a lovely choice. Can I recommend one more? I have a lovely flash plec, every bit as pretty as a zebra, and yet only around £15-20 usually.

Also leopard frog plecs are very pretty and about the same price

He's a beauty.

 

[arcg1978]

Thanks all for the info. I was doing some more research last night and noticed that in two seperate books the common name "golden nugget" has been used for 2 different species.

Baryancistrus and Panaque nigrolineatus.

The ones I was looking at were the Baryancistrus which it claims grow to 4 in in length while the others grow to plus 6 in. Is this true?

Could it be you thought I was talking about the Panaque when I originnaly mentione dthe golden nugget?

 

[LisaLQ]

Panaque nigrolineatus is a royal plec, and they can grow up to 18-24". Sounds like your book is a little teensy bit out of date *lmao*

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=151

Doesn't even look like a gold nugget - but on a plus side they grow very slowly. If you got a tidger, it'd take years to grow. Even the above link only say they get up to 13", but even so - it's a long way off a 6" gold nugget *lol*

There are actually 3 different types of gold nugget plec:
http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=153

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=155

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=154

Be aware though that the above site is rather conservative with their size estimations. They say a common plec only gets to 12", and even that was after lots of persuasion otherwise they'd have left it at 9"!

Ps. Thanks Stang

 

[Gankutsuou]

isn;t that flash plec a candy stripe pelco also?

they stay very small, right?

cause they're only $8 here. mislabeled as candy stripe at two petcos.

 

[KathyM]

That's the problem with common names, they get applied to any plec that looks vaguely similar - if you take the name "comon plec" as an example, it refers to at least 3 different species. On Planet Catfish, the "Candy Stripe Pleco" is peckoltia vittata. There are lots of small peckoltias that look very similar, but L204 ("Flash Plec") is a panque species.