Prissy Plecos

[Patwa]

Hey All,

Basically i'm contrasting the Common Pleco with higher-end plecos (the L numbered ones such as the Gold Nugget, Zebra, Vampire, Purple, Bulldog Blue, etc..)

soo....what makes keeping these higher-end plecos so much harder than keeping the common pleco??

I've had a common pleco for a lOng time....he/she finally died after 6 years (had to move to a new house and he didn't make it

BUT...I've also had my fair share of expensive Plecos (all at different times, and none together in the same tank, except for 2 Royals)

I've had 3 Columbian snowballs to 1 gold nugget to 1 tiger pleco, to 2 Royal pLecos (1 died recently, while the other is still alive and kicking to this day..)

anyways....Why do the expensive ones die so easily???

could it be:

-expensive ones do not like other plecos as tank mates??
-need special food (i know plecs like the Zebra rarely eat algae....they're more like omnivores)
-need fast flowing water
-require strict pH

are they soo sensitive that they are basically UNABLE to adapt to new conditions???

I did my best to accomdate these plecos by adhereing to those criteria noted above...really!

i dunnoo...i really love these fish...but they never seem to live beyond 1 week (although my Gold nugget died after about 6 or 7 weeks)

any advice??

Zach.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

Come over to www.planetcatfish.com . Just do a search of the forums, they will be able to answer any questions you have.

 

[ferret]

I think common plecos can survive an acid bath, I'm not entirely sure why so many others are incredibly delicate.

 

[William]

Common Plecos are common because they are so durable.


If, say, the Zebra Pleco was as tank-like as the Common, from the begining of fishkepeing.. then we may very well call Zebra's Common Plecos instead.

 

[TankGirl]

Most plecos need driftwood to thrive, but the common pleco has apparently adapted to life without it, as I used to have one years ago that lived forever and not a shred of driftwood to be found. The driftwood contains lignin (or lignan), which aids their digestive tract. This may be part of the problem with some of the more unusual plecos, and they do really have some variation in their dietary requirements. It may be related to being caught versus tank-raised, as well. I really like them and would like to keep some of the more unusual ones some day.

 

[madasafish]

Hehe. It might be a question of causation, then........ Common coz they're tanks or are they really common coz they're more populous in the wild? I dunno the answer, sorry. I think the truth, though, about the "common" plec is that they represent a number of species separated taxonomically by very tenuous and thin lines... I've seen very different "common" plecos.

BUT, if you are getting the more specialized plecs (I have a Queen Arabesque I just love and she's very hardy) it's possible that some of them have been bred selectively. I know of several breeders who do breed these plecs, though it is difficult. It's just possible that this interbreeding or selective breeding has increased their susceptibility to disease...

 

[BrianNY]

I've had the same experience with a gold nugget Patwa. All was wonderful for a month, and then he went to Pleco heaven.

It could be that these wild caught strains have some inherent parasite, or that nobody understands there actual requiremments. Just a hunch.

 

[Patwa]

I've had the same experience with a gold nugget Patwa. All was wonderful for a month, and then he went to Pleco heaven.

It could be that these wild caught strains have some inherent parasite, or that nobody understands there actual requiremments. Just a hunch.

well yeah i think so too....a few of the ones that have died all had full bellies (underbelly was greenish in colour)...so they were eating alright i suppose.....or do i have it backwards..maybe the green was the illness!

maybe they need a larger tank, or less fish in the tank......no one knows..

Zach.

 

[Patwa]

Hehe. It might be a question of causation, then........ Common coz they're tanks or are they really common coz they're more populous in the wild? I dunno the answer, sorry. I think the truth, though, about the "common" plec is that they represent a number of species separated taxonomically by very tenuous and thin lines... I've seen very different "common" plecos.

BUT, if you are getting the more specialized plecs (I have a Queen Arabesque I just love and she's very hardy) it's possible that some of them have been bred selectively. I know of several breeders who do breed these plecs, though it is difficult. It's just possible that this interbreeding or selective breeding has increased their susceptibility to disease...

do they really breed these really expensive ones to to that sort of degree?? i always thought they were expensive because they were rare, which also meant that they had to be wild caught...

i dunno....i wonder if there is a World Campion Pleco breeder out there...one like that Dempsey fella (not sure of the name) who breeds Discus fish....

Queen Arabesque, eh? any more hardy ones youl recommend?? i'm picking up a 65 gal tank on boxing day and i'm already planning what to do with it!

Zach.

 

[TankGirl]

i wonder if there is a World Campion Pleco breeder out there...one like that Dempsey fella (not sure of the name) who breeds Discus fish....

Jack Wattley? There probably is a pleco breeder like that out there, who is THE name in plecos. I'll bet planetcatfish.com has articles on this topic.

 

[Patwa]

i wonder if there is a World Campion Pleco breeder out there...one like that Dempsey fella (not sure of the name) who breeds Discus fish....

Jack Wattley? There probably is a pleco breeder like that out there, who is THE name in plecos. I'll bet planetcatfish.com has articles on this topic.

hahah yah..Jack Dempsey is a fish.....LOL......my bad.....must be the egg nog talking.

yah Mr. Watley, you make good discus fish...and he supposedly gives my rena filstar's ammonia filter his 'seal of approval'! yay for me!

Zach.