ID my plec....

[Fawke]

Hi there,

Id like you help ID my plec.
I cannot remember exactly what he was purchased as, but i know it was not purchased as a common.

My book (picture and data) tells me it is what it says in my sig Hypostomus Punctatus..... looks identical.....
I am not sure as this is correct though, as the underneath the latin name it says - suckermouth catfish.

When typing the latin name into google i get a loada stuff, some of it saying its a common.....?

So any ideas?

Woody

Thanks

 

[breezer40]

Hi Woody

From what I can see your book tells you right it is Hypostomus Punctatus (latin Name). It is also a suckermouth catfish because of the fact it is able to suck onto objects such as glass and the odd algea wafer The term suckermouth is used to describe a characteristic of this fish and is not the name of the fish.

These catfish are usually termed "common" because they are so reeadily available and it is alot easier to say and remember the name "common pleco" than "Hypostomus Punctatus". Common or not he is a fine specimen

 

[Fawke]

Hi breezer,

Thanks for your lovely comments about my plec )
I think he's great...

So do you mean that the term common pleco, is used over many species of plec?

It's just that commons grow to be huge, i realise that, but my book tells me that this species (latin name):

"formerly known as plecostomus punctatus, this catfish can grow to a length of 6 to 8" in a public aqaurium, but is unlikely to in a home aqaurium."
The interpet encyclopedia of freshwater tropical aquarium fishes

Im a little confuddled

EDIT : and the plec is called Woody, not me , sorry the post looked that way

 

[breezer40]

The term "common" can aply to a few plecos such as Hypostomus punctatus, Liposarcus multiradiatus or pardalis, and others.

As for growth..I think your book may have under estimated the size by quite a way. I have one of these and when I last measured him he was nearly 12 inches!

Woody is a great name for the pleco

 

[Fawke]

Hmmm,

Book sound like it's wrong. Although that said. I bought him @ 4" and he's only 5/5.5" now. Iv had him for 6-7months and boy that fish eats....

How long did yours take to get to 12" then? years? months? weeks ?

I don't want to get rid of him as he has been through the wars with regards to the lfs i got it from and we have got him into a good condition and looking great, yet i really do not want to stunt his growth by any means?

 

[robgurr]

brezzer, where do you get all your plecs from? Do you have any pics of them?

 

[breezer40]

How long did yours take to get to 12" then? years? months? weeks

I have had Pluto many years but he was around 10 inches in just 12 months.

brezzer, where do you get all your plecs from? Do you have any pics of them?

Most of them have come from either Wharf Aquatics or Tri-Mar..both in the UK. I will take some pics if you like but wont be for a week because the wife has taken it on a trip to her moms in the US.

 

[robgurr]

cool that would be great...i need to find a place in canada thats has all these different plecs

 

[smithrc]

just trying to work out if yours looks like ours...

what do you think?

 

[Fawke]

Now see, im not sure if it does look like it.....
I mean, its a similar shape, and colour... but mine has a really spotty look to it sometimes....
Like a cross between your pic and a gibbiceps almost

It was sold as something different, i remember the LFS saying it was a little different.... do i remember what difference? do i hell

V nice plec u got there btw

 

[smithrc]

Now see, im not sure if it does look like it.....
I mean, its a similar shape, and colour... but mine has a really spotty look to it sometimes....
Like a cross between your pic and a gibbiceps almost

It was sold as something different, i remember the LFS saying it was a little different.... do i remember what difference? do i hell

V nice plec u got there btw

you see - thats just it... ours changes patterns and colouring too.

still not sure what he is

Like you, we were sold him as something esle - and told he would be ok for our first tank (2ft) he's now about 8" and still growing