PlanetCatfish.com

Hi, I am new here

I have been shopping for a couple of plecos and I have been given conflicting information from the aquarium stores I frequent. Store number one claims that No plecostomuses are bred - they are all live captured. Store number 2 says that all the plecostomuses they have (about 9 different varieties) come from domesticated Plecostomus ranches. I suspect that they are just trying to figure out what I want to hear and then making something up. What is the truth?

Thanks.

Karla

If you're looking @ "commons" they're farmed or Domestic for the most part. If you're looking at "fancy" (I hate that term) most are Wild, while some stores are supported by local breeders on the more common ones like Bristlenose. Heck there's even a couple stores up here that only sell F1 zebras from a local breeder. That being said, most "fancy" plecos in stores are wild.

most L. nos. are wild caught, for there quite difficult to breed and they only have few no. of siblings...

I know of the floowing species that are farmed (at least in Florida, Hawaii or Singapore or all three...):
-Liposarcus pardalis (common pleco)
-albino Liposarcus pardalis
-Glyptopterichthys gibbiceps
-Glyptopterichthys joselimaianus

The following are captive bred in great quantities all over the globe (by breeders and hobbyists alike)
-Ancistrus cf temminki (common bristlenose)
-albino Ancistrus cf temmincki
-veiled Ancistrus cf temmincki
-Sturisoma festivum and Sturisoma "cf aureum"?

getting more and more often sold as F1, F2 etc:
-Ancistrus L144
-Hypancistrus zebra
-Sturisoma panamense
-Sturisoma barbatum
-Farlowella sp
-Otocinclus sp

most others are wildcaughts I think.