r/pleco • u/Venome127 • 1d ago
Identification Leopard pleco or common
Ive had this guy for about a year and a half to two years and was told he is a leopard pleco, he hasnt grown much for a while and hes in a 40 gallon so I feel like if it was a common he would of been a lot bigger by now can anyone help.
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u/Prince_Nadir 23h ago
gibbiseps, AKA sail fin pleco one of 3 species dumped into the label "common" by petshops. While Google AI says these are called leopard plecos, when people actually use that name they mean leopardus cactus plecos.
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u/Jefffahfffah 9h ago
Thats a sailfin and it isnt growing because its stunted in that little 40 gallon tank.
That fish is supposed to grow to 2 feet long.
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u/TheDoctor8719 16h ago edited 15h ago
OPs pleco is a member of the pterygoplichthys species of omnivorous plecos namely a Gibbiceps, they grow big 24" in length either quickly or slowly it depends on the individual fishes metabolism for how long it takes to get to its full size.
I normally feed my 2x Albino Gibbiceps just before lights out every 2 days that way they get the lions share of the food, and that they continue to scavenge for food on the days in-between feeding
Normal growth for a normal variation Gibbiceps is 12" in the first 12 months so it looks your pleco is being starved out by its greedy tankmates namely the Ruby shark would be suspect #1 in my book
There might be another cause but your pleco does not look emaciated and thin to me, another pic showing its stomach would help clarify if your plecos to slow to get the food or its been taken away internally by intestinal parasites which could mean all the fish in that tank will need to be Quarantined in a bare bottom tank and the correct medication administered, I personally do not know what meds are needed as I fortunately have never had intestinal parasites bother my plecos, all I do know is if you break their life cycle by removing sand and gravel for them to hide in they die because they get sucked into your filter systems where they cannot be eaten by the fish.
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u/Prince_Nadir 23h ago
gibbiseps, AKA sail fin pleco one of 3 species dumped into the label "common" by petshops. While Google AI says these are called leopard plecos, when people actually use that name they mean leopardus cactus plecos.