FishProfiles.com Message Forums

	Golden Red Eye Pleco??
geesloper Enthusiast Posts: 151 Kudos: 95 Votes: 8 Registered: 28-Aug-2004	Hi All... The other day I bought a fish my LFS describe as a 'Golden Red Eye Pleco' - it looks very much like a common pleco in terms of its shape, but its an albino. I was thinking maybe Pteryoplichthus, but I really have no solid idea. Does anyone have any clues as to what it might be?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:07
Cup_of_Lifenoodles Fish Guru Posts: 2755 Kudos: 1957 Votes: 30 Registered: 09-Sep-2004	I assume you mean pterygoplicthys, right? My guess would be scrophus--it is the most common albino species of the genus available. Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 21-Apr-2005 21:54
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:07
geesloper Enthusiast Posts: 151 Kudos: 95 Votes: 8 Registered: 28-Aug-2004	Sorry, yes.. My bad :-P I was also thinking scrophus, but then I looked up a pic, and it doesn't seem quite the same.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:07
Cup_of_Lifenoodles Fish Guru Posts: 2755 Kudos: 1957 Votes: 30 Registered: 09-Sep-2004	Hmm...Anything in particular different about him?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:07
geesloper Enthusiast Posts: 151 Kudos: 95 Votes: 8 Registered: 28-Aug-2004	It's hard to qualify the differences.. He just looks more 'craggy' - you know that kind of sharp edged look some catfish (Whiptails spring to mind) have? Also, he doesn't have the impressive sail-like dorsal fin.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:07
Cup_of_Lifenoodles Fish Guru Posts: 2755 Kudos: 1957 Votes: 30 Registered: 09-Sep-2004	There are 4 distinct ptery. species on the market, as of yet; gibbiceps (which is rare, and goes for quite a bit of money), pardalis (uncommon, and less costly than the aforementioned), scrophus (the most commonly encountered of the three), and an unidentified pterygoplicthys spcecies, noted for it's maintainence of pigment in the inner eye. It is quite likely that you have, in your possesion, a p. pardalis albino, as it is difficult to distinguish between the four specimens. If it looks like a pardalis, then chances are it probably is.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:07
geesloper Enthusiast Posts: 151 Kudos: 95 Votes: 8 Registered: 28-Aug-2004	It cost me NZ$35 (approx US$25) for a roughly 6" specimen. Would that change your assessment? I just assumed that NZ$35 was fairly low, and that it must be quite common.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:07
Cup_of_Lifenoodles Fish Guru Posts: 2755 Kudos: 1957 Votes: 30 Registered: 09-Sep-2004	Not necessarily. Most albino hypostomids come pretty cheap anyways, save gibbies, which are generally imported from SE Asian fish farms; I wager in a few years, with a steady albino population in circulation, the price will drop. In other news, I still believe your fish is a scrophus, as their dorsal fins aren't markedly big, either. Though, if you insist that it looks like a pardalis, I see no reason to doubt that claim. Good luck with him, anyhow. Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 25-Apr-2005 01:39
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:07
geesloper Enthusiast Posts: 151 Kudos: 95 Votes: 8 Registered: 28-Aug-2004	I'm leaning towards Scrophus myself at this point.. So far he seems to have settled in nicely, and is becoming quite bold
Posted 26-Jan-2006 12:07


	Jump to:

The views expressed on this page are the implied opinions of their respective authors.
Under no circumstances do the comments on this page represent the opinions of the staff of FishProfiles.com.

FishProfiles.com Forums, version 11.0
Mazeguy Smilies