help id'ing my pleco!

[Fin2you]

<- is what I will bestow upon whom ever is able to help me id my spur of the moment rescue!
(he was in a little 5.5gal tank with a bunch of feeder goldfish @ the local pet store that had just started carrying live fish) I couldn't leave him there, the employee told me they were already planning on different tanks for the pleco's away from the feeder goldfish, but the tanks had arrived damaged... I figure for $5.99 how could I go wrong? He seems very happy & at ease in his new tank he hangs out not totally hidden during the day & @ night he zooms around the tank!
he is just under 3" long from nose to tip of tail.... but no idea how old he is!

[Silurus]

Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps

I hope your tank is big enough for it.

[Fin2you]

Really, you're absolutely certain???? EEK! Hmm well the tank is a 30gal, guess if he really is, when he grows some more we'll either have to upgrade or rehome.... a very good friend has a 55gal, she'd probably take him b/c I've helped her out in the past taking fish that aren't doing well in her tanks.

[Richard B]

Even a 55 gallon is way too small for a gibbiceps, they need massive tanks & are not great fish for the trade as few people can adequately house them

[racoll]

Looks more like

Pterygoplichthys pardalis

to me.

Either way, it's going to grow huge!

[Fin2you]

Looks more like

Pterygoplichthys pardalis

to me.

Either way, it's going to grow huge!

according to the different pages on this site, the difference is this one is about 13.8" adult size & the other is over 17"... Is there any way to tell which one mine really is? 13.8" would be ok in my 30gal as it's long vs tall.

[GhostArcher]

Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps

I hope your tank is big enough for it.

+1 for sure.

[racoll]

according to the different pages on this site, the difference is this one is about 13.8" adult size & the other is over 17"... Is there any way to tell which one mine really is? 13.8" would be ok in my 30gal as it's long vs tall.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to those sizes, as both species basically get to roughly the same size in the aquarium, which is well over a foot long. I think the

Pterygoplichthys pardalis

is underestimated, but the policy---which I agree with---is to only update the cat-elog if there's good evidence for a change (i.e. a photo of a fish next to a measure).

You'll need a big tank if you want to keep it long term; something like a 125 gallon, really. Both will outgrow a 30 gallon very quickly.

[Fin2you]

ok thank you very much for the info!
I will likely just give him some serious tlc to recover from the horrors from the store then I will look for a new home or try to convince hubby our family room isn't complete w/o a huge tank!