they can get pretty big, ive had mine for maybe 2 years now and its 15-16" from 3" but growth is slowing some. i can also honestly say i havent taken the best care for him possible.
Sailfin Gibbiceps Pleco
- Thread starter JEAE21
- Start date
hes healthy but ive never feed him veggies. raised on algea wafers,sinking wafers, market shrimp,cichlid pellets, and of course my tank is spotless due to the beast!
you have to be careful with feeding that kind of diet, just have to make sure of the ingredients in the algea wafers, a lot aren't much "algae" and mostly protein based or just crap. These are non-descript feeders, but do well with a bit more roughage and a bit more less crude protein (although in comparison to a lot of other genus appear to be less affected by it).
its all hikari products. another think to be carefull of is hiding places, i saw my gib stuck in a 3" pipe fitting the other morning, he could have been in there all night! its funny to see a pipe swim around the tank though. it was hard to get him out, and he got banged up pretty good but is healing.
davo;1146269; said:2 years... still has more time to grow...
duno about big pleco=healthy pleco, but healthy pleco=happy pleco and happy owner
haha, I agree
hey dmopar74; is your tank glass or acrylic?
and I saw those small bags of algae wafers but how long do they last for 15" Plecos? How often and how much do you feed?
davo;1146190; said:It's fine I don't mind explaining.
scotcat I can't say anything for.
But I'll give you a short story. Fishbase gave Hemiancistrus subviridis a max size of something like 6" (15cm). Planetcatfish is posted at 7.5". Now odd that Wyldfya ended up with a specimen at around 11", a third of the size longer. I don't know if you know Shane but he's the one putting up the info on planetcatfish. People are busy and things haven't been updated the information is very old. Here is a link to shanes own words that the largest specimen he collected was 28cm http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13059&highlight=l200+size
Even DATZ labels the fish to growing a bit less than that.
I also wonder if it was the time-knowledge factor that has led to this or whether the fact that it is the fish farms that are "mass producing" these fish that seem to max out a few inches shorter, I don't know but I'd imagine it to be the previous. Another maybe is that people aren't talking about the TL when they say 18-19" and are talking about SL (I know planetcatfish uses SL in their sizes, and most people get their info from this site when it comes to Loricariidae), and so this is the most probable of all my hypothesis.
Ahwell I have two so in a few years time I'll hopefully be able to show you myself, the biggest I've had in the past - 20"
Either way, as in your original statement of 12-18" if you have a P. gibbiceps that maxes out at 12" then it has a serious problem.
OK saying 18" is small might be a bit wrong but if you have anything under that I'd be worrying when they can attain quite a few inches over that.
Hope this helps?
Thanks for the reply and I hope you don't think I was trying to call you out or anything. I guess for those of us who have them time will tell. I have one myself but have never seen an adult in person. I trust what I read, especially when it's from three of the best catfish sources on the web IMO. If what you say is correct I'll find out in time. Like I said before though, I do believe they can reach about two feet, I just don't think it's the norm.
