so i just ordered some new fish and the guy had an L-14 and i thought they looked gorgeous so i had him put it into the order as well. only thing is i haven't ever kept any plecos besides commons and rubber lips, when i read about these guys it just said that they will eat sinking pellets and left overs, so do they not need supplemental algae wafers and just feed it sinking shrimp pellets like i feed my pictus cats? i feed broken up algae wafers to my fish anyways to supplement their diet but was just wondering if i should put some whole ones in the tank for him to munch on or are they more predatory than herbivorous? also what are the largest your L-14s have grown? online it says a foot and the guy i ordered him from said they get like 14in so i just wanted to make sure i know what to expect as it may be a tight fit in my tank if they get any larger than 14in (my tank is only 18in wide)
Getting a New L-14
- Thread starter Sarah88
- Start date
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=161 to start you off
Edit* sure, i was just trying to help out, give some background
Edit* sure, i was just trying to help out, give some background
thanks yeah thats where i first read about them, i love that site lol, i just wanted to see if there was anything different that someone had to add or any personal experiences they could share about them
They are a great lively no hide pleco. I had to get rid of mine as my L-114 would not tolerate him. The L-114 being the instigator. L-14 are carnivores and get around 12 inches. I have yet to see one that was 14 inches. They will also eat some veggies. Try zuccinni and sweet potatoe. The most colorful pleco as adults imo.
sadly i didnt get him, when the guy i ordered from was packing the box he couldnt find the L-14 for some reason, he said he knows he didnt sell it but he must have put it in a different tank than he normally keeps the L-14s or something so he didnt add it into the box, and i dont want to reorder and then pay separate shipping for just the pleco, so i went to petsmart today to get some serpae tetras and saw that they had what they called a hi-fin spotted pleco which im assuming is a sailfin pleco so i picked it up since all we ever usually have around here are commons and rubber lips, im kind of disappointed as i was really looking forward to having the L-14 but i like my new pleco as well he has some very interesting markings, but i have a question, these plecos are more herbivorous right? how do you get new plecos to find the algae wafers? i added in an algae wafer tonight and he hasnt gone near it he has just stayed on the glass, do they not need supplemental algae until they are larger? (he is only like 2.5in right now)
Sarah88;4349484; said:
I highly recommend doing extra research on plecos.. especially L-14, its not an easy pleco to keep...
L-14, Goldie Pleco are not Herbivore, but rather Carnivorous or Omnivorous plecos. Although they will eat veggies and algae walfers, They require a meaty diet.. Mainly market shrimp, shellfish etc..
Also for full adult life you need a tank size of about 6ft long mini These guys grow up to 12 inches to 14 inches and requires caves and hiding places. Although they are active, they still need a hiding place to feel safe.
Theres alot more that i can say about L-14, they are great fish and i have four of them myself, two that i'm trying to breed. But ya.. its not an easy task..
zerojquan85;4349758; said:
i know they are carnivorous, my last comment was about a sailfin pleco that i just got because the guy i ordered my fish from didn't send the L-14, and my tank is a 5ft long tank with driftwood and rock decorations making lots of caves and i do 50% weekly water changes so i dont think that is going to be an issue (and yes i know sailfins get larger than the L-14 would have)
Your sailfin will find the algae wafers. They are pretty hardy and if he is on the glass he is fine as he is eating the film off the glass as well as algae. If wafers remain in tank next day remove then skip a day and put in a few more. Night time is when he will eat and will have no promblem finding the wafers.
ok i just wanted to make sure because he hadnt touched the one i put in, but then that was like the night right after i put him in the tank so im sure he was still adjusting, and yeah i only get the really small whitish algae/film on my glass and not the green or brown so it seems like that is what he is chewing on, on the back glass of the tank. he is like really small right now so that is probably enough for now but yeah i will definitely continue to put in the algae wafer like every other night or so and see if he touches it or not, when do you guys start feeding your plecs zuchinni and stuff, i want him to have a nice varied diet but i think that right now he is still a bit small and isnt quite brave enough to explore the whole bottom of the tank (but i may just be underestimating him lol)
