LDA105 Typhoon Pleco

[SeaHorseRanch]

Just got my group of 4 in this morning. They're 1.5" and can't wait for them to grow. I have a few questions for those who keep them or cactus plecos in general.

- Are they hardy?

- Do they need a good flow in the tank?

- Whats their growth rate?

- Best way to feed them meat protein diet? I am planning on feeding Hikari Carnivore, frozen Hikari foods, and Hikari algae waffer (mainly for my other plecos).

 

[Fallen_Leaves16]

Lovely fishes, congrats! In recent years, farming operations for LDA105 in East Asia have stepped up quite a bit and I suspect we will be seeing more trickle into the international/Western market soon.
Yours looks bigger than tank-breds I've seen imported in years past.
They are not difficult to care for, and seem to be able to be treated like other farm-bred Pseudacanthicus (L114, L160, etc), for the most part.
I have heard they are more sensitive, however, and do require cleaner water and stable temperatures; I have seen a few videos of entire tanks full of dead LDA105 while similar-sized L114 were mostly alive in the same tank, that implies they do have different tolerances for improper conditions.
I doubt the difference is big enough to warrant a particular change in care, though; just a bit more caution in case of poor parametres. They are likely still fairly hardy for a fish either way.
As with most other Pseudacanthicus, flow is appreciated and the tank should be kept on the warmer side.
Unsure of growth-rate besides people who have said they are slower than L114 and about on par with L025/L024.
Frozen-foods and pellets are fine, I prefer more high-quality pellet-foods for my fishes but there are threads here with varying opinions and takes with regards to feeding various diets to captive fishes.