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Hi guys, I have opportunity to buy Hypostomus luteus 5-7cm but first I need you to answer my few questions:

1. How fast it grows?

2. What do you think about keeping this pleco in temperature about from 24 to 26°C during the whole year.

3. Last but maybe most important, how about Pseudas as its tankmates?

Time flies. I've bought this fish around month later, 5cm long and right now it is 19-20cm, what do you think after 26 months? not too small?

I've been lurking, trying to learn more about them myself. It'd be awesome to see some pics & lengths of ones with known ages. Everything I've seen so far, is wild caught of unknown age (only identified by color phase).
I do know pier aquatics, and a bunch of Florida USA places were selling them like expensive hotcakes last season. Maybe some of them have ideas on growth rates.

One place claimed to have captive raised young, but i can't seem to find where i saw it.

If the guy who sold me said the truth mine is not wild caught but bred in captivity. The fish was looking exactly like the one I marked in the photo, came to my tank with really deformed fins..



I don't have any photos from the first year, I've only found a photo from 14.11.2013 (11-12cm length)



and one made yesterday



right now there's almost no sign of any defomation on the dorsal fin, tail is also way better than 14months ago

Update on my Hypostomus luteus (around 24cm), I can slowly say --> its morphing time!!!

It's a beautiful fish! Thanks for sharing.

Very nice species, phase 2 coming now i believe?
Do you still keep it from 24 to 26°C during the whole year?

It is coming but very slowly. I'm not sure if the growth rate of this fish is OK? or it should be bigger right now?

Temperature in tank is ranging from 23-24°C right now in winter (sometimes it might be quite cold for my L25, which becomes a little bit sluggish), then it's set to around 26°C, with few hotter days in the middle of summer

The really interesting thing for me is that it appears someone is breeding these things. Can you tell us more?

Jools

As I wrote years ago - I was told that someone from Germany has bred them once but only a dozen of youngsters have survived, that's all I know.

The fish is right now around 31cm, so growing slowly and morphing slowly as well

Beautiful fish! You are rewarded for your patience.

Cheers, Eric

The morphing looks to be very slow process another two years +4-5cms

Thanks for the update. That is slow, but looks great!

Cheers, Eric