mystery pleco, please help me id it (pic included)

[FrogSplash]

Hello all, its been a while and i have been busy =D i recently got new angel fish and a golden spotted mystery pleco. The guys at the sandbar didnt really know what it was either. can you help me out?

[CyberBob]

Hello all, its been a while and i have been busy =D i recently got new angel fish and a golden spotted mystery pleco. The guys at the sandbar didnt really know what it was either. can you help me out?

That's commonly referred to as a Gold Nugget Pleco.
There are a few varities, but all considered to be the same fish.
The one you have actually hasn't been given a true designation yet.
Looks like you prolly have the L177 variety IMO. (Iriri Gold Nugget pleco) http://www.piranha-info.com/default.php?lang=en&id=L177
They can be very expensive. usually around $40 - $50.

There are currently three forms of gold nugget plec available in the hobby. Sadly none have been described to science as yet, so it's not known if they comprise a species complex, or are simply colour forms of the same species. For the time being, they've been assigned different L numbers in order that they can differentiated. Two of these, L081, and L018/085, are collected from the Rio Xingu, with the third, L177 hailing from the Rio Iriri, a tributary of the Xingu.

Generally speaking, they can be distinguished by the size of the spots on the body, with L081 having very small spots, L018/085 "medium-sized" spots and L177 much larger spots. The spots on the latter form also tend to be more yellow than in the other two species, which are more of a bright orange colour. Unfortunately for the fishkeeper, individual fish can vary somewhat in patterning, and this also tends to change as the fish mature.

Happily, despite this confusion, all three are equally beautiful, and must rank among the most attractive Loricariids currently available in the hobby. They can be quite delicate when first imported, though and should never be added to a less than fully mature tank. When buying always check that the fish has a rounded belly and that its eyes aren't sunken, as these are classic signs of emaciation in newly imported specimens.

Here's some more info on the lil guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baryancistrus
(Very Thorough List of sub-species)

Max Length: 14" or so
Min Tank: 65g+ for One, Much Larger for group
Tank Setup:

• The choice of decor isn't critical, provided the fish has plenty of refuges and caves. The water should be very well oxygenated. It can be kept in a planted tank if you wish, but plants might be uprooted by an adult specimen. A very efficient filter, along with a stringent maintenance regime must be employed, as it's sensitive to poor or deteriorating water conditions.

Temp: MUST be kept in Warm Water (77-86°F)
pH Range: 6.4-7.6
Hardness: 3-15°H
Diet:

• Omnivorous. Offer a varied diet, composed of dried, frozen and live foods. This can include tablets, algae wafers, slices of cucumber, courgette etc. Meatier fare such as bloodworm, earthworms, prawns, cockles and even lancefish should also be offered.

Compatibility:

• Highly territorial towards conspecifics and not much better with other benthic species. It's best kept with quiet species that inhabit other areas of the tank, such as larger characins, peaceful cichlids and the like. A massive tank is needed if you want to keep more than one of these, as they will often fight to the death in confined spaces.

Sexual Dimorphism: Very difficult to sex. Mature females are slightly rounder in the forehead and belly than males.
Breeding:

• Rarely achieved in the hobby, not least because the fish are so aggressive towards each other, making it nigh on impossible to get a compatible pair! Apparently, the use of a powerhead to direct a strong flow of water towards the breeding site is required, and the fish lay their eggs either in the open or in a cave. The fry require heavy feedings of brine shrimp nauplii for the initial period, but are otherwise quite hardy.

Hope That Helps
Grats on a Great Find,
Bob

[Pufferpunk]

I do not think that is a Gold Nugget. Are the spots gold or white?

[CyberBob]

I do not think that is a Gold Nugget. Are the spots gold or white?

Looks like a dark green or black body with yellow spots on my monitor.
It also has larger spots then normal and yellow, not so much orange, so I'm thinking it's L177.

Found this on YouTube, Looks like the lil guy in the pic to me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAifXsqX ... re=related

[Troender]

I don't think it's a golden nugget either. It lacks the yellow stripes on the dorsal and tail fin. All the three Golden Nugget species (L-018, L-081 and L-177) have that.

[FrogSplash]

not a 'standard' golden nugget, but the spots are a milky golden yellow. and its just less than 3 inches too

if i can i'll try to get better pics, thats the best i can do with my droid.

but anyhow thanks bob, i got the pleco for 22 =D

my custom filter finally broke down so i had to replace it until i can effect repairs, the tank is highly oxengynated and has a combined 475 gph of filtration goodness

[CyberBob]

not a 'standard' golden nugget, but the spots are a milky golden yellow. and its just less than 3 inches too

if i can i'll try to get better pics, thats the best i can do with my droid.

but anyhow thanks bob, i got the pleco for 22 =D

my custom filter finally broke down so i had to replace it until i can effect repairs, the tank is highly oxengynated and has a combined 475 gph of filtration goodness

It could also be a hybrid. But, the 1st to come to mind would be L177 Golden Nugget.
True, it usually has yellow on it's tail and dorsal though. Also, wrong shaped head.
If the spots start turning white, let me know

Closer looks tell me it might be a "Angelicus Pleco" (L004)
Looks a lot like a "Polka-dot cigar pleco" (L082)
Very close match to "Big White Spot Pleco" (L142)
Could be a "Galaxy Pleco" (L107)
Could Be a "Mega Snowball Pleco" (L115) with bigger then normal spots hehe
Could be L368, L363 (darker), L326, L248, etc etc

You get the idea ... there are a lot that look very similar. It's hard to tell from these pics 100%
Chances are you can find the lil guy in this list though:
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/nu ... &thumbs=16

Hope this helps ID the lil fella. It's important to know what he is so you know how to take care of him

If you do get a positive ID from that list, please come back and let me know which one it is.

[FrogSplash]

I apologize for the second post, but i think i got an accurate id for my mystery pleco.

It has been id'ed and seconded as a Hypancistrus contradens

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/sp ... ies_id=677

[Lil' Swimz$]

Ooh pretty.

Where you been lately?

[Troender]

It has been id'ed and seconded as a Hypancistrus contradens

If the mouth is smaller than on other plecos, it could be. Hypancistruses are recognizible by their small mouth.

[Pufferpunk]

I apologize for the second post, but i think i got an accurate id for my mystery pleco.

It has been id'ed and seconded as a Hypancistrus contradens

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/sp ... ies_id=677

That pleco has WHITE spots. My guess was the Vampire pleco, which is why I asked if they were white or yellow.

[CyberBob]

I apologize for the second post, but i think i got an accurate id for my mystery pleco.

It has been id'ed and seconded as a Hypancistrus contradens

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/sp ... ies_id=677

Glad you ID'd the lil guy. Glad you found a smaller pleco.
I don't even buy common plecos anymore and won't buy one that grows past 5".
I might buy a common for a pond, but that would be about it.
I prefer bristlenose myself. Mostly cause they suck the glass into adulthood, not to mention their cool mustache

I hope he keeps sucking the glass when he grows up
I have no experience with that species.
Either way, he's a cutey for sure.

[FrogSplash]

I apologize for the second post, but i think i got an accurate id for my mystery pleco.

It has been id'ed and seconded as a Hypancistrus contradens

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/sp ... ies_id=677

That pleco has WHITE spots. My guess was the Vampire pleco, which is why I asked if they were white or yellow.

yellow spots, plus the vampire pleco has too many spots per inch compared to the one i have. and a bunch of the contradens from the planet catfish link do have yellow spots

Ooh pretty.

Where you been lately?

been busy with work and golf, i moved my tank from my coffee stand to a real tank stand, removed all of the gravel (~60 lbs of small rocks) and put in 1.5 inches of stuff made for planted tanks. i had 4 silver dollars, 2 banjo cats and a whip tail cat die during that process which also included the loss of my custom filter so for now only hardy things and small stuff. sold my silver dollars and bolivian rams, and got angel fish to replace em