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hey everyone!
i was at my LFS today and saw a pleco i didnt recognize. it was labled as a common pleco but it was blackish and had a white spot on its nose. pretty cool looking if you ask me anyways thought id ask if anyones seen one like it before? thanks lol and happy new year!

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

I'm tempted to say it's a common plec with a wound or rubbed out area on its nose... Common plec coloration can vary between species as well as individuals within each species; certainly there are some that approach blackish, while others seem almost hypancistrine in their contrast. Cup can probably give you a good ID if a fish actually exists like you describe.

In any case, I haven't heard of a plec like that before...

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

hmm well this is got me all curious. im going to go out and try and buy it tommorow if its still there. the stores closed today. im also gonna take my sis's camera and try and post some pics. its going to be a pain. it hasnt stopped snowing since last night and its not supposed to for awhile. so besides it being a pain to drive im also concerned about the effect of the cold on the fish. im gonna try it though i think. or ill ask my friend at the LFS if he knows what it is. hes pretty knowledgeable. ill just keep my fingers crossed that he's working.

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

Bring the icebox and put the fish bag in there; it should help at least keep the fish dark and maybe insulate it a little. Good luck!

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

If it looks like a common, chances are it is pterygoplichthyini material. Probably a common with a raw, rubbed out nose or something. Pictures would help.

well when i got there it was gone so now i will be haunted forever lol. its going to bug me. thanks for the help though guys!

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

You know what, i saw a blue pleco once! Yeah, im not kidding, it was blue and its coloration was so neat! But i think it was diseased or something......Never seen a common with a blue color.

RANDOMNESS: Ive seen this pleco that my LFS (The annoyingly pushy one) that they sold as "Butterfly Pleco" when it really looked like a zebra pleco! The bad thing is, that i should have bought it while i could, as they realized their mistake, and were selling it for so much more $.....

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Butterflies are dekeyseria, and "blue" plecos might possibly be L-239 or L-128.

Butterfly plecos do look a lot like Zebra Plecs, but are flatter and do not have the same striping. Also, the are able to change their colors for camouflage. Around here I have seen them sold for about $15. If you say they increased the price, they didn't realize a mistake, they made one.

As Cup mentions, there are two types of blue plecs, the L128 "Blue Phantom Plec" and the L239 "Blue Panaque". Both very attractive fish, IMO. Neither of them look much like commons. I've been waiting for cheap L128's around here; an LFS around here was selling one of these suckers for $70, which is way out of my price range.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.