Good point! I guess you are right with Hypostomus. Why do you think it is laplatae? Couldn't it be H. plecostomus?
Large Pleco ID
- Thread starter Damascus
- Start date
I like most plecos, I've had them. I guess it depends on what you like. I'd keep one if it were a nice adult specimen. They aren't all that common, but not rare.
My ID isn't 100%, but that's just what it looks like to me. H. Plecostomus really isn't a fish that is being imported unless it's a bycatch or they aren't for sure of the ID. The La Plata is usually available with Luteus exports, etc. from that region. Best thing to have is the catch location to be almost 100% sure on the ID.
I'm nowhere near to being a pleco guy, but I have been keeping H.laplatae for the past few years. As an Uruguayan fish, it's well suited for the cool-water tanks in my basement fishroom, lives well in 50-55F water in the dead of winter alongside goldfish, gymnos, etc. It's also one of the all-time best algae-eating species I've ever kept. I've got three of them currently, all obtained when they were in the 2-inch range and all between 10 and 12 inches in length now. Apparently they get up into the 2-foot range at full growth?
Lol, when I saw the pic in the first post of this thread, I immediately thought "Hey, that looks just like my Redfins!" But I know squat about plecos except that there are a zillion of them, so I decided not to comment. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool...than to speak and remove all doubt...
Lol, when I saw the pic in the first post of this thread, I immediately thought "Hey, that looks just like my Redfins!" But I know squat about plecos except that there are a zillion of them, so I decided not to comment. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool...than to speak and remove all doubt...
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It's a good looking fish regardless of how sought after it is. If I had the tank space I'd rather pay $80 for that fella than many more expensive "rare" plecos.
I like mine, and they were much less expensive than that when purchased small...but they are likely going to be costly for me in the long run. They were largely an experiment in cool-water pleco maintenance for me, and were so successful that I have now begun to gaze lustfully at pics of luteus...
