Peppermint pleco

Big Vine

Big Vine

Elite Fish
#1
Feb 7, 2006
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#1
Any specific feeding recommendations/strategies to try and get this guy growing as fast as possible?






I'm sure the 10" oscar could gulp him down if he really wanted to, and I know that the 6" salvini could shred him to death...but so far he seems to be doing fine.

It would put my mind at ease if he were bigger though...
BV
 

Pure

Pure

Elite Fish
#3
Nov 1, 2005
3,216
7
0
Jacksonville, FL
#3
After doing a little research, I don't think this fish is an L183. It is an ancistrus sp of some sort and it is a female that's for sure. You can double check by feeling her dorsal rays. If she is an L183 she will have 9 soft and 1 hard dorsal rays.

If she isn't L183 a positive ID will be pretty much impossible without knowing the location that this girl was collected. Either way it is still a black water ancistrus so feeding and care is the same as L183.

Feed her blanched zucchini, and cucumber. Also sweet potatoes as well as regular potatoes, carrots...all should be eaten. Being a black-water ancistrus she does require more protein in her diet but should be getting enough from the left over foods you feed the cichlids.

beautiful fish BV
 

Big Vine

Big Vine

Elite Fish
#4
Feb 7, 2006
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#4
Thanks, Pure.
Do you mean L176? After looking at L183, this one is not the same.

Is this the 'care sheet' I should be working off of?
Parancistrus nudiventris • Loricariidae • Cat-eLog • PlanetCatfish

I used to feed raw cucumber and zucchini on occasion when it was in another tank, but I've since stopped doing that now that it's in with the oscar and salvini. They devour just about anything before it has a chance to get to the bottom.

Once every other night or so I drop in a decent chunk of an HBH 'Algae Grazers' sinking tablet. Its first ingredient is 'spirulina algae,' so I figure between that and the cichlid food leftovers, the pleco oughta be okay? :confused:

BV
 

Pure

Pure

Elite Fish
#5
Nov 1, 2005
3,216
7
0
Jacksonville, FL
#5
L176 (more commonly known as L031) is a parancistrus. Parancistrus is a much more hefty pleco than an ancistrus with very clearly defined large scale plates all over it's body. Your fish is thinner and has a heavy rubbery snout indicative of a female ancistrus.
 

Pure

Pure

Elite Fish
#6
Nov 1, 2005
3,216
7
0
Jacksonville, FL
#6
Then again I could be totally wrong as it's kinda hard to tell head shape from these pics. Can you get a closer profile shot? Also I realize the picture may not show the scale plates.

Black plecos with white spots can be as hard if not harder to identify than the black and white striped hypancistrus. Like what's in my avatar. That's why knowing a collection point makes IDing them much more easy.
 

Big Vine

Big Vine

Elite Fish
#7
Feb 7, 2006
3,895
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#7
Pure...I appreciate the help.
Sounds like I should be using the L183 'care sheet' from planetcatfish as a general guideline for this gal then?

She seems to be surviving okay, although whether or not she's actually "thriving" is definitely in question. Unfortunately I don't have any other place for her at the moment...


Given that we're looking at the move to Florida in the near future...
To be honest, I'd sooner send her to you or someone else who knows how to care for her and can appreciate her rather than put her through the rigors of the move in December. She was never intended for this tank setup---she was initially part of a planted community I had going on which was short-lived (because of the fragile angels I always seem to get stuck with around here...not to mention my inability to keep live plants alive).

I really want a sturdy pleco for my 75 gal. oscar tank, but this 'peppermint pleco' just doesn't seem to fit the bill. Got any suggestions for a robust, non tank-busting, and relatively carniverous pleco for this setup?

BV
 

Pure

Pure

Elite Fish
#8
Nov 1, 2005
3,216
7
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Jacksonville, FL
#8
The diet of parancistrus is pretty much the same for an ancistrus.

L114, I have 3 of them and would be more than willing to trade one for her. They are a blackwater fish, but mine have been acclimated to Florida tap. They say they don't recomend keeping them with large cichlids due to the amount of waste they produce, but really as long as you have good filtration and keep up on your WQ there shouldn't be any problem.

Pseudacanthicus leopardus • Loricariidae • Cat-eLog • PlanetCatfish
 

Big Vine

Big Vine

Elite Fish
#9
Feb 7, 2006
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#9
Good ole' L114 'Leopard Cactus Pleco,' eh?

How big are your specimens?
I'd be happy to trade for one if you think yours is big enough to do okay in with the oscar and sal.

What are your tapwater parameters down there anyway?
Up here the pH straight out of the tap is about 8.6, and the tapwater contains 0.5 PPM ammonia (due to the chloramine). HOWEVER, I always age the water under aeration in a 44 gal. rubbermaid trashcan for at least 24 hours prior to water changes, which brings the pH down to about the same as what my tanks sit at (which is about 7.2-7.4).

BV
 

Pure

Pure

Elite Fish
#10
Nov 1, 2005
3,216
7
0
Jacksonville, FL
#10
Good point. I have one that might be large enough but as I don't have any large mouthed fish it's hard for me to give an accurate comparison. These guys are freaking slow growers!

It's going to be very hard for you to find a large carnivor pleco. And if you do it will probably be very expensive. The L114s I have seen over 6 inches all start out at 150 bucks each. Heck I paid 45 bucks each for these 3 at only 1 inch. They are now 2,3,and 4 inches long...yeah odd growth rate.

I'll do some looking around and see what I can find available for you and PM ya this afternoon with what I find.
 

Big Vine

Big Vine

Elite Fish
#11
Feb 7, 2006
3,895
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#11
Sounds good.
I wouldn't be attempting any of this if I thought the pleco would stand a good chance at being eaten. Sure, the possibility is always technically there, but based on what I've seen, I don't anticipate any issues...

Only the oscar has a mouth large enough to pick up and attempt to swallow a pleco of the sizes you mentioned (I'm thinking the 3-4 incher). Luckily, the pleco has plenty of hiding spots which the oscar cannot fit into. Salvini cannot physically hold and attempt to swallow a 3-4" pleco...his mouth is simply too small. He does, however, have razor-sharp teeth which could be used to tear one apart with relative ease (should the mood strike him).

However, the oscar and salvini distract one another.
Oscar is boss, so if he catches the salvini trying to mess around with a pleco, he'll put a quick stop to it.

My plan (to be carried out within a few months of moving) is to have this 75 gal. tank belong to just the oscar and pleco. The salvini will be relocated to a 125 gal. community.

BV
 

Pure

Pure

Elite Fish
#13
Nov 1, 2005
3,216
7
0
Jacksonville, FL
#13
L001 is one of the plecos that's dietary requirements changes as they get older. Going from Herbivore to Omnivore with meaty tendencies.

Not one of my favorite plecos as to me they just aren't that pretty. But I think if you wanted one it would work in this setup. But you probably won't find one large enough from the LFS. Might be able to find someone wanting to get rid of one they have grown up. Like I said I will look to see what is available.

Large plecos just normally aren't imported into America. The cost of shipping one large fish from South America makes them too expensive for the American market, when people in Japan and Germany don't mind spending over 1000 USD (no I'm not exaggerating) on a single pleco.
 

Big Vine

Big Vine

Elite Fish
#17
Feb 7, 2006
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9
0
47
Florida
#17
Yeah...biggest challenge is going to be finding one which I trust to be large enough at time of purchase/acquisition to be housed in with my oscar. Sounds like Pure might have what I'm after, but I'll still keep an eye out just in case.

Thanks guys.
BV
 

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