PlanetCatfish.com

Hi there!

I've just got two Pseudacanthicus sp. L273 and they look stunning... In my opinion the most beautifull of all plecos!

I will be very happy if someone can tell me some of their experinces with this pleco, or maybe other Pseudacanthicus'es!? Things to do and not to do...

At present I'm looking for a larger tank to fit these fish. What would be the most preferable tank-size?

I'm just so exited...

Oh, I almost forgot; what's the size af a fullgrown specimen?

PS. Sorry about my poor english, I'm danish! undefined

Did you look in the Cat-eLog?

Yes, I've read anything I could find about it... also the Cat-eLog. I'm more looking for some who have had experiences with this pleco.

Another question: How fast do they grow?undefined

Hi, L273 is certainly a splendid pleco. I have mine for more than 5 years and it have grown from 2" to 8" (SL). I will share some knowledge of L273 with u. (These info are base solely on my obervation with the L273 that I have in my aquarium and hence , some of the other L273 keeper may not agree with me with some of them....)

In the home aquarium, the caudal extension can reach a very long length! (My L273 has a caudal extension of about 5"!)The colouration is more attractive in the male specimen when the fish grow up. The sex of the L273 should be obvious when ur L273 reach about 4" (SL). For the male specimen, the orange and black colouration will not merge and become messy like the female specimen. If u keep the pH to be on the slight acidic side (around 6.5), the orange colouration will be more intensified.
At smaller size, (about 2-3" SL), it is rather shy and only venture out for food hen the light is out. But once it reached 4" and above, it became rather brave and it is always one of the first pleco in my community tank to reach the food! It prefer driftwood to rocks/slates for hiding place in my tank. Its fav food include Hikari algae wafers, frozen beef heart(I had stopped feeding beefheart) and various sinking granules that are meant for discus. Behaviourial wise, it is a very peaceful fellow and is very suitable for a pleco community tank.

Hope these info helps!

Gorgeous fish. Absolutely stunning. I've got some small (2 inches and smaller) and they kept their color more-or-less as they've grown (especially if you've fed them a very varied diet). The larger ones (7+ inches) that I bought at that large size usually had less color to begin with, so I don't know if that is just caused more by genetics or husbandry. I assume the prettier larger Titanics sell abroad to better paying customers. Small babies are very hard to feed, not showing much interest in vegetable based foods (as per standard for Pseudacanthicus spp.) and are extremely secretive. If you can get freshwater clams they go bananas! Now I generally stick with Hikari's sinking carnivore pellets, brine shrimp, frozen peeled shrimp, and Kent's pelleted African cichlid food.

My originally-2-inch size Titanics are grown out to a 4 inch size now. They've grown pretty rapidly (about 2 inches in 8 months) and still play well with each other. The bigger guy (10 inches) cost an arm and a leg and is not a very nice fish to anything which strikes (or should I say doesn't strike) his fancy. Speaking of Psuedacanthicus, has anyone in the continental United States ever seen an L-065 (Mustang Cactus Pleco) for sale? I've never been able to track one down.

Hope this helps. If you have baby Titanics, you CANNOT overfeed. Better to overfeed and clean your tanks every day than have the baby waste away. Yes, unfortunately, I have managed to kill a few. And I think they get quite large, in excess of 12 inches.

J (ducking for cover right now)

Thank you for sharing your experiences!

It's been a great help, just what I was looking for!

Just another question: I'm thinking of setting up a pleco-only tank, with my Pseudas as the King. Are there some particular species to avoid? What about other Pseudacanticus? - Love the Leopardus....

Thank you in advance!

Hi, of all the pseudas that I have keep/kept, L160 (spiny monster) and L114 (Leopard Pseudacanthicus) appears to be the most quarrelsome. But the worst of the lot should be the adonis acanthicus(most aggressive when they reach a length of 6"(SL) or more). There will definitely be a squabble or a mild fight or two for territorials when a new pseuda is introduced into the group but once they establish who's who in the set-up, peace will prevail again! Good luck!

Great... Then I will be on the look for some Pseudas to join my two Titanics! Thank's for your help Lizardking!:)

Oh... the thing you described with the Pseudas quarreling when a new individual is added, was exactly what happened when I put the two of mine together. They couldt stand the sight of each other. At first I thougt they would continue with this until one would die, but then, the next day or two, they became (quite) peacefull. I'm glad it is the same with other species of Pseudas.

The meanest Pseudacanthicus I've ever kept would be L282 (King Galaxy). She's full grown at a very fat 8 inches and all the other plecos in the tank with her bear witness to her dominance. If you are planning on keeping any of the Pseudas together, be certain to provide far more caves than fish, and be very careful when introducing new (especially mature) ones into established tanks. They are, to me, the most fascinating of the Loricariids. And certainly the least net-friendly. Good luck and let us know which ones you pick!

YEEEHAAA... My LFS has just got 7 small, beautifull Leopard Pseudacanthicus'! And gues what?- I bought 3 of them today!

They are about 4-5 cm compared to the 7-8 cm of my Titanic's. They quarrel a bit but hopefully they will be more amicably (-peacefully, just trying out new expressions, hope you understand.. *S*) tomorrow.

now I just have to find a nice big tank for them... They will soon (SOON) need more space...

Thank's to you all for your advices!

Really nice tread, Im planning on getting some Pseudocanthicus myself the L-025. And then I noticed that guffiarnold is danish too, wee apperently this must be mecka:) Where in Aarhus did you buy those leopardus, do you have a phone number for your fish pusher? Add me to your contact list or mail me please:)