The Puffer Forum

I started out years ago with a beta,who only lived a couple of years and then started a guppy tank, I still have some I don't know what generation of guppies, I add fresh genes every once in awhile, they live with my many bristlenose plecos and their babies, two clown plecos, I also have a peppermint pleco male and an unknown bristlenose pleco. I have some fantail goldfish 3 in a large 60 G so they can grown and swim a lot which they do and a Rhino pleco, and a Cat(feline) . It's amazing but with the help of my children every one has a name!

What's a peppermint pleco?

A Peppermint pleco is an L181, a larger sized bristlenose pleco, with little tiny white spots-kind of like stars often confused with a starlight/L182. They are called pepermint pleco in the UK, eastern Canada and in many parts of the USA, its the common name most people know them by.

I bought this one as a "Fathead" but knew it wasn't, since it's got the white spots & trim. I'm pretty sure it's not a "Starlight", as the site says: http://www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/pl ... 100065.asp

Does your pleco have a stripe on his tail still and what age is he/she?

Starlights will tend to keep their stripe and spots/ may be more circular and larger/ either white or orange, the peppermint will generally loose most of the tail stripe, maybe retain a small sliver and the spots are more like pinpoint white circular flecks/ of course-both subspecies have-hence the cunfusion The peppermint has a larger head- very broad, like a medusa pleco almost, I will try and look for a decent pic of mine- the eyes are a navy blueish and the background color is dark brown-black. Mine is 2-3 years old -full gorwn as these guys mature slower than smaller plecs and about 8 inches long- very good at algae cleaning/glass/ plants just like any ancistrus/bristlenose. Hope that helps with the Id of yours.

I bought this one as a "Fathead" but knew it wasn't, since it's got the white spots & trim. I'm pretty sure it's not a "Starlight", as the site says: http://www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/pl ... 100065.asp

Well if he looks like the pic on the link- that's a nice looking fish...jealous:)