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The man at the fish store said leopard pleco. I said leopard? He said yes.

Me: so it isn't a common pleco that get's to be 20 inches long right?
He: no, they are right over there? See the difference?
Me: so how big will he get ?

He went to look it up and I took out my cell and logged in planetcatfish and went to catelog and the common names. Leopard pleco was not there but leopard cactus and leopard frog and leopard peckoltia. Maybe it was wishful thinking that they were leopard frogs as that showed the smallest pleco but even the cactus would nt be too bad and i was pretty sure it wasn't him. Well my cell battery died before I could google search leopard pleco. Which I was to later learn comes back to the Gibby!!! OMG !!!!

So i didnt find that out till later and the man came back and said it doesn't list how big they will get. Well since they were 9.99 I was suspicious but they were adorable! I asked the man if I scope them out later and they turn out to be dinosaur fish I can take them back right? He says yes. Got them home along with a BN, too cute . That's where the stress out began. Are they really leopard frogs? what did I buy!! What if they are monster plecos hidden in cute little pleco bodies!! I even had a night mare that a huge pleco was half in the fish room and half in the tank!

so what do you think? and yes I already looked at these: Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps and
Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus The pics are the best i could get so far. And while the one was against the glass sucking away he was pooing also. I tried to rotate those two belly shots but couldnt figure out how to save them the right way up. sorrry.

pleco baby #1







pleco baby #2



sigh have I made a huge mistake?

It looks like a gibbiceps to me &they do get pretty big - did the dealersay how big it would get?
[Mod edit: use persistent link --Mats]

they are both P. gibbiceps i'm afraid....

they can reach a length of 60 cm TL, and grow really fast, 20 cm in the first year!

thanks you two. I was afraid they were Gibbys.

did the dealersay how big it would get?

no he said it wasnt listed on his order sheet, the size that is, just his name. but he knew I didn't wanta one that got huge cause I told him I couldn't get the common ones they get too big and he said yeah they do.



so what size tank will they need? and they certainly can't live together then. I am so stupid and now sick to my stomach over this. They are beautiful but....

oh and I respectfully request that for other newbie pleco people like me, if there are any that are as naive as me, can someone add "Leopard" equals possibly Gibby in catelog common names.

need ? I don't know. I have, however 1 of 18 years, which is nearly 60 cm - that is 2 feet, in a 270 * 80 * 60 cm tank - or 9 * 2 2/3 * 2 feet tank. The space does seem sufficient

thanks Bas.

The fish store man is really nice and I will bring them back today or tommorrow.

What if they are monster pl*cos hidden in cute little pl*co bodies!! I even had a night mare that a huge pl*co was half in the fish room and half in the tank!

That's too funny...but ends up being almost true

Good choice with the BN though...should just get a small group of them...and try spawn them, you would enjoy that and there would not be any nightmares

Birger

yeah he is cute...if he is a bristlenose!!!!! (scary music playing in background)

he is happy in his tank all alone with his 4 otos and his fruit and veggies.
I would love more. I will get a pic of him for you guys to positively ID him for me.

he or she looks really close to these PlanetCatfish pics, but I can't remember if he has so many spots: (i think he she is too young to know for sure if bristles will come or not yet, or are they born with bristles?)



or this but without the bristles: (and he/she likes apples and honeydew melon)

Gibbiceps are commonly called Leopard Sailfins in the US. For me, P. gibbiceps has always been the first plec I equate with "Leopard". It was what I bought my first gibby as, long before I'd heard of a Leopard Cactus, and is far more common. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen P. gibbiceps sold as a Gibby here.