View Full Version : Just caught in Florida need pics from pleco people.
kakojones
11-08-2006, 10:08 PM
Ok, I was just out at Myakka in Sarasota, FL and we caught a Pleco. I didn't see a lot of him de to darkness when we were moving our catch into the pond, but it looked like a sailfin. i mean it was a pretty big dorsal for his size and the colors looked about right.
Big question is, did i hurt him. here is why i ask: we put our haul in a cooler (full of water not ice) and while we were getting all the mich out and getting the shrimp (i'm guessing ghost/glass shrimp) our of the muck I felt something weird, kinda hard/kinda soft, (i had a few beers in me at the time) and it was stuck to the side of the cooler. So not thinking at all i just pulled it off and there was a pleco, i put him the water quick. Our water is the same as where we collected him because that is where we get the water and it was all outside temp (i just really hope the quick change, if any, doesn't kill him.
He was about 4" or so.
I will try to get pics, but in the meantime can someone post some pics of sailfins or anything that looks like one? please?????
weird thing is that this was a pond on my friends property and the river does not feed it unleww there is major flooding. His prop is double gated, one onto the road and one from the road to his prop. how the hell did this thing get there and how do i catch his parents and siblings? any ideas on how to get them would be appreciated (there are gators so swimming is out of the question).
I know i said i had some beers, but this was no catfish. def a pleco of some sort.
WyldFya
11-09-2006, 2:34 AM
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/catfish/images/pleco30_s.jpg
It will be very difficult to catch more, maybe a trap w/ veggies, in it. Or meat, but you will likely catch some shrimp as well.
kakojones
11-09-2006, 8:03 AM
Funny thing is we were out there last week and fishing for some cats with cut up mullet and as a joke we put mullet head on a hook and threw it out there. when we pulled in the head a lot of the skin was missing in a weird way, no i know why.
I was thinking a minnow trap (with bigger entrances) with more mullet or some veggies, maybe a few minnow traps.
His dorsal looked like that one, i did only get a quick look, but the coloration/pattern wasn't the same. unless he was just dirty/muddy.
we were just happy about the shrimp, we needed a cleaning crew while we still have smaller fish in the pond.
I'll try to get some pics.
"commons" and gibbys are hardy plecos and i believe are all over flordia water, which is unfortunate i guess. the patterns on them will change a lot, and the colour due to stress and surroundings etc. ill find some pics.
here you go jones. they look different in lighter conditions (some would say better as it brings out the pattern) and in dark conditions they dont have this. they are also different out of water/in stress heres a few pics of gibbys in diff. situ, hope it helps for now, but a pick from you would be good. i wouldnt do it again, but you probably didnt harm it by pulling it out. as they arent native if you catch them again id probably kill them or keep them like you have, but it would be almost impossible to get rid of them now...
kakojones
11-09-2006, 1:31 PM
Thanks for all the info and photos. I knew someone could help a little.
I'm not gonna lie, i was hoping for something a bit more valuable but this is still a cool catch. We saved ourselves @ $9 and thats not too bad.
I'll see if I can get pics today, just in case. I didn't think we would be able to get 'em all but i wouldn't mind catching a few more. I couldn't believe we caught one though, i mean we have caught a few armored catfish with hook and line but never a pleco in a net.
What's the L# on that guy? I don't know too much about plecos...yet, guess we're gonna need some bigger tanks!!!
yea apparently they are becoming more and more common. not sure how hard it is to actually catch them like you did mind. The L number was, and i guess still is L083, L165, L196 but has since been given the scientific name glyptoperichthys gibbiceps and so the l number is just another common name.
it would be rare to catch anything more exotic, as most of the more expensives are not let out into rivers etc, and are less hardy and probably wouldnt thrive in the places that these commons and gibbys do.
kakojones
11-09-2006, 2:34 PM
Well, I'll give the minnow traps a try. I doubt any of the adult ones that may be in there will fit, but if we catch as many of the little guys as possible maybe that's a start.
You suppose there is any trade in value on those? i mean they're not rare or expensive or anything, but a couple bucks wouldn't hurt.
I'll get those pics and let you know how the trapping goes. The trapping will begin next wednesday. if anyone in florida close to sarasota/myakka/bradenton wants some let me know. if we catch more we won't mind parting with them as long as they aren't going to be released back into the wild.
duno, people are always trading them in. you might get something (little) depending on store policy, but youd have to quarenting everything as its wildcaught. i personally dont think it would be worth it, but might be cool for your pond
kakojones
11-09-2006, 3:36 PM
I just don't want to off the fish that we can't personally keep and I don't want to let them back out into the wild either.
it might sound cruel, but its a sensible thing to do. but to put you at peace, if you were to release it again, i dont think it would make an awful lot of difference, the fish are in large populations and have taken a real hold in some areas. however, if it was me, it is the best thing for your environment. introduced species are never a good thing, and it helps protect your NATIVE wildlife...
or dont fish for them lol...
kakojones
11-10-2006, 8:12 AM
Well, I couldn't get a good picture yet but it looks like it is a sailfin. he was smaller than I thought too. Guess a breeding pair or two got stuck in the pond during a flood 4 or 5 years ago.
Well, we'll do the trapping and what ever we catch can go to our pond and a couple of our friends' ponds. hopefully we can get some credits at our LFS just to get some pond equipment or at least some more food.
My friend wsaid he'd have no problem getting rid of the ones nobody takes. He'll probably just throw them in a box and put them in the walk in freezer at his store.
thats fair enough, although i believe it isnt the best way to kill fish at all. there are threads on killing fish humanely if you use the search. clove oil, head smashing(gruesome i know) etc. it would be good if you can get some credit but i know here in the UK, if we had a similar situation, we wouldnt get anything
WyldFya
11-10-2006, 10:31 AM
You might get some credit for them, but what will likely happen is they get given to another genious and out grows their tank. Then they will be right back in the water system. The pillow case full of fish smashed on the curb always works well.
then run it over, back up and do it again, just to be sure
There are much bigger ones up in the springs here in N Florida - see my post in General Discussion. Quite a few species too - saw at least 4 different ones, but I'm not up on pleconese.
kakojones
12-09-2006, 11:23 PM
these are the only pictures i could get. they suck.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/jefe007/sucker1.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/jefe007/sucker2.jpg
WyldFya
12-10-2006, 1:36 AM
That looks to be a hypostomus punctatus, or plecostomus.
rottbo
12-10-2006, 11:48 PM
did ya take that one home josh???
WyldFya
12-10-2006, 11:54 PM
Same thing probably h. punctatus, or plecostomus. Nice spine curve in it, Ironically with plecos stunting doesn't seem to happen. I've seen 12" commons in a 20 gallon high, with no abnormal spinal curvature, and then I've seen commons with warped spines, and hunchbacks that were kept in 125 gallons from 1" on. Just defects, but they don't seem to affect the pleco too much.
REDKID!!!
12-10-2006, 11:57 PM
here is mine
WyldFya
12-11-2006, 12:11 AM
Shame you couldn't keep him.
Redkid, that is a good looking albino, it will be monster soon enough.
kakojones
12-11-2006, 1:58 PM
well, we haven't had any luck getting any of this guy's family mambers out of the pond that we caught him in. We'll keep on trying, we need two for the pond at my friend's house. and a couple other friends need a pleco or two in their ponds. why not save them a trip to the LFS. Thanks for the id, once I got a good look at him in a tank in the house i knew he just looked a lot cooler in the pond. oh well, its still a free fish.
WyldFya
12-11-2006, 2:32 PM
Free Insta-]V[onster! Always a good deal.