Common or sailfin?

MrsE88

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I got these two almost a year ago sold as common plecos. Is this correct?
I thought I read somewhere that commons are actually really hard to find and most sold under that name are really sailfins. That has me wondering which type I have. I'm leaning towards sailfin.
20170418_074145.jpg
I did have to separate them a few months back because they were fighting and hurting each other (as you can see). This is the smaller of the two for a side shot.
IMG_1368.JPG
Both those pictures are from a while ago. The little one is now 9" and the bigger one somewhere between 10-11" I believe. If that helps with identification at all.
 
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tlindsey

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I got these two almost a year ago sold as common plecos. Is this correct?
I thought I read somewhere that commons are actually really hard to find and most sold under that name are really sailfins. That has me wondering which type I have. I'm leaning towards sailfin.
View attachment 1279602
I did have to separate them a few months back because they were fighting and hurting each other (as you can see). This is the smaller of the two for a side shot.
View attachment 1279603
Both those pictures are from a while ago. The little one is now 9" and the bigger one somewhere between 10-11" I believe. If that helps with identification at all.

The one on the right may be a Sailfin due to the color pattern.
 
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MrsE88

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They both belong to Pterygoplichthys which have over 10 rays in their fins. You may be confusing the original common pleco which is Hypostomus plecostomus, they only have 7 rays.
So are there more then one kind of common pleco?
And yes I believe you are right.
 

Warborg

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So are there more then one kind of common pleco?
And yes I believe you are right.
Yes, there are 3. Hypostomus Plecostmus was the first one, pre-90's.

But it made way to the next two
(2)P. Pardalis and (3)P. disjunctivus look alike and are hard to tell apart. The belly is the way to tell them apart. A P. Pardalis has a circle like pattern and a P. disjunctivus has wavy lines.
 
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