# what are those fish called...



## leogirl (Oct 1, 2006)

the ones that just stick to the side of the tank and lick the crap off? i remember having one when i was little and i was more facinated by that
than the other fish lol


----------



## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Plecostomus.

I used to like them too. Every freshwater tank we ever had had plecos in it - though be aware they can get HUGE.


----------



## Art_Gecko101 (May 6, 2006)

Wanda???


sorry couldnt help it

Yes theyre plecos


----------



## leogirl (Oct 1, 2006)

thanks! i cant remember what happened to my fish. i kno i cried when my goldfish died then i wasnt allowed anymore after that lol (i was like 6!)


----------



## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

in second grade, my goldfish died and i cried like a little girl! had a funeral and everything!:lol2:


----------



## leogirl (Oct 1, 2006)

haha, i hatched my first lizard egg the other day and it died, i still cried lol and burried it  hard as a rock me : victory:


----------



## Gwenz (May 15, 2007)

could have been otos maybe. They stick to the glass. Plecos are more commonly seen tho.


----------



## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

otto cats are a must have in lots of tanks. i used to push them on customers and they usually came back for more. not as popular as they should be..


----------



## Gwenz (May 15, 2007)

I know. they are great fish! I'm getting some soon to put in one of my tanks. and can't wait!

Gwenz


----------



## Kenorsanc (Dec 10, 2006)

I had some ottos in my tank but they kept mysteriously dying for no apparent reason.


----------



## Mez (Feb 19, 2007)

they can be quite sensative to the water parameteters.
there are plenty of plecs that stay small and are very colourful, butquite pricey..


----------



## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

thats the biggest problem with the small plecs. The cheaper ones like ancistrus are pretty ugly in most peoples eyes. wheres the better looking ones are expensive. A decent queen arabesque can fetch upwards of 50 quid if a nice looking one


----------



## Kenorsanc (Dec 10, 2006)

How big can a golden nugget plec grow to then and do they eat plants?


----------



## PinCushionQueen (Jun 8, 2007)

I've got 2 sailfin plecos - crazy little things they are! They spend half their time sucking the dirt off my African Clawed Frog (who seems to have fallen hopelessly in love with them!). They do fab jobs in my frog's tank coz he's a messy little thing! :lol:

I won't be upsizing my aquarium though - the bigger space a pleco has the bigger they get! (I learned the hard way - my albino was a monster at just under 14ins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) mg:


----------



## Herp Awareness (Jan 24, 2006)

There are many species of Plecs out there nowadays to suit any size a tank and budget...i have some 20+ individuals across 11 different species of plecos spread throughout my tanks...heres just a few of them...

heres my Blue phantom *plec*, a lovely L-number catfish from the Colombia-Venezuela border.










Same Fish From A Different Angle....










Bulldog Plec (Chaetostoma thomasi).










L25 *Scarlet pleco* Pseudacanthicus


----------



## PinCushionQueen (Jun 8, 2007)

Aaaw!! They're lovely!!! I should post mine on here except yours are a bit nicer!! Lol!! Mine are gorgeous - they just look a little...dozy!!!
Do the albino varieties have a shorter lifespan? I read that somewhere but there was no explanation!! : victory:


----------



## Herp Awareness (Jan 24, 2006)

PinCushionQueen said:


> Aaaw!! They're lovely!!! I should post mine on here except yours are a bit nicer!! Lol!! Mine are gorgeous - they just look a little...dozy!!!
> Do the albino varieties have a shorter lifespan? I read that somewhere but there was no explanation!! : victory:


Aw ty for the kind comments...i have not come across any information regarding lifespan of albinoism with this particular group of fish...i will do some research on this and get back to you...

Cheers Dal...


----------



## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

I've got an albino that's about 9 years old and still going strong never had any problems different to the normal coloureds. I think they are pretty much the same in all aspects except colour.

oh and pincusionqueen, what size tank are they in?


----------



## PinCushionQueen (Jun 8, 2007)

Cool! I'm sure people tell you things just for the sake of it!!
My 2 are in a 3 ft tank at the mo...
I had one ages ago and when I started adding fish to the equation I put them all in a 6ft tank... The plec got to around 14 ins which was pretty scary at the time because I didn't know they grew like that!!!!!

3 1/2 ft isn't too small for two of them is it?


----------



## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

yeah it is really. Sailfin plecs can get to 18inch easily so they would need a 6footer really. People keep them in smaller tanks but its really not fair on them


----------



## skimpy (Nov 22, 2006)

leogirl said:


> the ones that just stick to the side of the tank and lick the crap off? i remember having one when i was little and i was more facinated by that
> than the other fish lol


 
Love the way you have worded this :no1:

Yeah, pleckies I think... are they the ones that just keep growing and growing?


----------



## tom1400 (Jan 21, 2007)

we've got a massive pleco. It's not one of the biggest species of pleco but have been told it's big for what it is. Whenever we get him out with a net to clean the tank you can never get him off off the net because of his whiskers with little hooks on


----------



## Herp Awareness (Jan 24, 2006)

tom1400 said:


> we've got a massive pleco. It's not one of the biggest species of pleco but have been told it's big for what it is. Whenever we get him out with a net to clean the tank you can never get him off off the net because of his whiskers with little hooks on



Lol now you see why they are perfectly adapted to fast flowing water and clinging to rocks hehe...


----------



## PinCushionQueen (Jun 8, 2007)

Oh my gosh!!! REALLY????!!! Goes to show how some pet places can't be trusted - I was told Sailfins were the samllest of the plecs and wouldn't get any bigger than about 5 ins!!! :bash:

I was also told that they don't grow unless you give them massive tank space!!

Well, I still have that 6 ft tank so guess what's my job for the night?!!! :lol2:

Seriously, thanks so much - I had no idea the poor things might get cramped up!!


----------



## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

sailfin plecos are gibbiceps. Big females can hit 2 foot but very rare in tanks. My biggest was 19inch but she was raised by a friend in a tropical pond.

If you could get a pic that way we could ID the species


----------



## Herp Awareness (Jan 24, 2006)

as stated gibbiceps in captivity tend to top out around the 16" / 18* mark.my biggest gib is around the 14" mark....i cant believe that someone told you they only get 5"....arghhh..

cheers Dal...


----------



## Mez (Feb 19, 2007)

hey dal, no blue eyed panaque? or zebra plecs?:Na_Na_Na_Na:


----------



## Herp Awareness (Jan 24, 2006)

Mez said:


> hey dal, no blue eyed panaque? or zebra plecs?:Na_Na_Na_Na:


Oh james you know me 2 well...lol...


----------



## Herp Awareness (Jan 24, 2006)

and another....if you look closly...there are three species on show...in my quarantine tank prior to going to there main tanks...


----------



## Herp Awareness (Jan 24, 2006)

And here,s one of my Lda33..oh you have gotta love the L numbers...hehe


----------



## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

PinCushionQueen said:


> I was also told that they don't grow unless you give them massive tank space!!


I hate shops that pass on that myth, whether it be fish, snakes or lizards.

Nope, an animal will grow to the potential it has if it is adequately fed, regardless of the enclosure size.

And those stripey plecostomus are gorgeous  I only ever had sailfins and bristlenoses.


----------



## PinCushionQueen (Jun 8, 2007)

Thanks! You're all stars on here! I get for more info from you guys than any amount of pet shops round here... It makes me mad that these people are allowed to sell animals to be honest! :blahblah:

Well, my 2 pleccies are now happy in their new home which I set up for them last night!! I was kind of told that the old plec I used to have was a "freak" and that he shouldn't have got that big... Now I know they're meant to get massive I can't wait for them to grow!!

Oooh!! I LOVE those stripey ones you have Herp Awareness!! I want one!! :mf_dribble: Are they very expensive??


----------

