Pterodoras are funfish, but man, they really bust up your tank...
i've kept 2, from tiny juvies to 1+foot monsters. by that time they really knew what to eat....
They're like rabbits! unlike the niger -wich has a vacuumcleanerlike mouth- they won't "suck up" sand or gravel. They're more like giant Platydoras, with a wide mouth. fortunately they do not eat fish! not even small ones.
they DO eat plants however, wich to my dismay I found out.....
I kept them in my 500 liters 2 meter tank, and -as known here- I'm a bit of a live plants-nut. So there were plenty Crypto's in there, huge Anubias, Giant Vallis etc etc.
I fed mine with spinache, pleco-tabs, live food, flake, bloodworms etc; and peas too. They looooooove peas! A Pterodoras goes wild on peas, berserk!
however, one time I woke up, and noticed (still sleepdrunk) something different.....
it wasn't after the cliche coffeemug that I noticed my cryptocorynes were gone, zip, obliterated
that was about 2 square feet of densely grown C wenti, mind! gone in a single night....
after thaty they decided to have a go at Giant Valli's and it took them just a few weeks to eliminate about 2 dozen Giant valli's, some of wich had 6 foot leaves.
In short:
Pterodoras granulosus = Lawnmowerman in disguise!!
if you like it, get a real big tank, and add a shoal of Methynnis. same diet, good company.
