Albino Pleco

[treed]

Does this species have an L series? I know it's a typical sailfin, but don't know much about it. Also, this one is bigger than I typical have had in the past, is it true I can feed it veggies such as peas and cucumber as well?
Thanks!

<a href="http://members.w-link.net/~tcreed/home.html"><img src="http://members.w-link.net/~tcreed/mypleco.jpg"></a>

*´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ *Tricia*

[MatsP]

It looks (to an untrained eye like mine) like a Hypostomus of some sort. They are omnivores [1] with a taste for vegetables. It will eat cucumber, peas, courgette (zuchini), broccoli (stems are better than the tops, because they stay together better, and the fish don't seem to mind), melon, cut up grapes, apple, etc, etc.

Giving it Algae wafers and the odd "meaty" pellet wouldn't hurt it either. Just as long as it doesn't get too much protein. These fish have very long intestines, and they do like to get a decent portion of fibres to keep their digestive system going. To have a piece of wood probably won't hurt it either, although they aren't really "wood eating" like the panaque species.

[1] Omnivore means that they'll eat "anything".

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Mats

[Shane]

It is a Glytopterichthys (one of the genera called "sailfins") and not a Hypostomus as can be seen from the number of rays in the dorsal fin. Mats other advice is good, although for ease of cleaning I would stick to veggies (esp. yellow squash, cucumber, and spinach) rather than fruits. They will certainly eat anything.
-Shane

[MatsP]

Thanks Shane for correcting me.

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Mats

[kyo_k81]

Does it has a L number?

[MatsP]

I'm pretty sure it's a captive bred albino, which means that if it has a L-number it would be the same as the specie without albino. From a species perspective, the albino is just the same as the species with the normal colour genetics. Just like a blue-eyed human is not a different specie than a brown-eyed human.

What can be hard to find out (unless we know the parents) would be which of the Pterygoplichthys species it is, because the colouring is a good help in identifying the species on these.

There is an albino form on

Pterygoplichtys Gibbiceps

for instance. But other species of this genus may also form albino off-spring given the right parents.

Shane: You mean Pterygoplichthys, not Glytopterichthys (no such thing in Cat-eLog), right?

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Mats

[Shane]

I meant Glyptopterichthys. There has been a lot of work on these guys so I might be behind a paper or two with regards to Glyptopterichthys, Pterygoblichthys and Liposarcus.
-Shane

[Jools]

Following Armbruster, it's a <i>Pterygoplichthys</i> but blink and it might be Glypto next week. Anyhow, it doesn't have an L-number and I am pretty sure it is a Gibby as I have yet to see any other member of this genera for sale as an albino. The height of the dorsal fin is also a small factor in that ID.

Jools

[sidguppy]

There's common albinos here by the truckload; Liposarcus/Glyptopterus/Pterygoplichthys pardalis that is.

fairly easy to distinguish from Gibby's as the Common has a more "flat" profile, esp the part where the dorsal is attached.

[treed]

He's pretty active, but doesn't eat the veggies. I keep having to 'fish' them out the next day. I'll have to buy something to keep them down I guess.

Tricia

[Caol_ila]

I'll have to buy something to keep them down I guess.

You dont have stainless spoons at home in America?
*joking*

Take a spoon and stick it through the cucumber, zucchini etc...or use a rubberband and a flat stone... Practically you can use everything except heavy metals...