Thinking about getting Hypostomus punctatus or plecostomus... Opinions please!

[Plec123]

This may sound like a noob question but i suppose theres always a chance it could work...
My tank is 38gals, 36"L x 12"W x 20"H.

Would there be any possibility of me keeping a hypostomus punctatus, hypostomus plecostomus, or L001 in this tank? Please, no flaming. Im serious on this question.

 

[fishlover88]

I suppose any of them are possible given the right nutrition and very good filtration. The problem i foresee is actually getting your hands on H. punctatus or H. plecostomus. Not only are both of these sp. very similar to eachother but they are extremely similar to some Pterygoplichthys sp. which grow in considerable excess of 12".

 

[Plec123]

Oddly enough, my local petsmart gets mixe hipments of thes hypostomus species and P. pardalis. They seem easy enough to tell apart when theyre all crammed together. My filter is an ac110, which gets the job done. Tht, coupled with my plants suking up nitrates, should do fine i suppose.
Well, this is wonderful! Ive always wanted a big plec, and now i can get one!

 

[Warborg]

This may sound like a noob question but i suppose theres always a chance it could work...
My tank is 38gals, 36"L x 12"W x 20"H.

Would there be any possibility of me keeping a hypostomus punctatus, hypostomus plecostomus, or L001 in this tank? Please, no flaming. Im serious on this question.

I'd go with the hypostomus punctatus as it would be the smallest of the three with the L001 being the largest... however it would also be the hardest to find.

 

[zerojquan85]

This may sound like a noob question but i suppose theres always a chance it could work...
My tank is 38gals, 36"L x 12"W x 20"H.

Would there be any possibility of me keeping a hypostomus punctatus, hypostomus plecostomus, or L001 in this tank? Please, no flaming. Im serious on this question.

I suppose if its a short term like a grow out..... it should be ok... Plecos do take years to grow.... I have a hypostomus punctatus right now in my 60 gallon tank.. i got it at petsmart some 9 months ago... it grew to about 5" (got it at 2") so this gives u an idea....

 

[matubula]

As juvies, yes it would be ok, but as adults thats too crammed imo, its not wide enough. Its also too small imo to be able to keep the water quality right. You could get away with the smallest but it really needs more space.

 

[Plec123]

As juvies, yes it would be ok, but as adults thats too crammed imo, its not wide enough. Its also too small imo to be able to keep the water quality right. You could get away with the smallest but it really needs more space.

if i go through with it, ill get H. punctatus... still unsure what im gonna do though. ive always wanted a moderately big fish, and so far, one of these plecs or an african brown knife are my two choices.

 

[jbarbaresi]

i know this is an old thread but do you have pics of what the juvenile Pterygoplichthys punctatus look like from your petsmart?