PlanetCatfish.com

Perusing different Pleco-related sites, I am surprised to see photos of hand-held plecos. I would never think of doing this for fear of shocking/traumatizing my plecos. Am I missing something here?

no more traumatic than netting, which is almost always when it's done. Plecos can be difficulte to get a pic of in the water and if they need to be moved anyway, it's no extra harm to snap a pic then.

case in point


I bought this guy about 2 weeks ago. I had to move him from the bag to the tank, and I try to get the very least amount of water from the bag into my tank, call me anal. so I grabbed him out of the bag, had the camera handy, so I grabbed a few quick ones, of which that's probably the only one worth uploading... and I put him in the tank, an extra few seconds out of water. I Have seen him once since then, he's incredibly proficent at hiding, at that size in a 90 gallon, and he's extremely shy.

One other thing to consider is that it's actually less stressful for the fish as it makes for a quicker transfer.
Since plecos have so many protrusions from their body, it's fairly easy for parts of their body to get snagged in a net, increasing stress both for the fish and the owner.

Plecos tend to lock their fins out in a defensive maneuver that also sticks their odontodes in their gills out like quills. If you pick them up in a net, they can get tangled up in it. It also tends to make for nice clear shots of the fish if you pick them up that way, although I wouldn't be ambidextrous enough to be able to manage the camera and not drop the fish, personally

Barbie

{Edit Note: I shouldn't wander off and cook dinner then come back and finish my post, obviously, lol}

heh true. it's not as bad as doradids or stingrays, but, plecos, especially psuedacanthicus like the above species, are spikey as all get out.

;) on a side note I made the mistake of moving stingrays with a net a few months back, all went fine except for one... now he's got a shorter stinger till he grows a new one and I ruined a big expensive fine mesh net http://scott.aaquaria.com/net.jpg

It's the age barbie I'm sure when you were younger you could have... ;) it does take some planning as natural tendency's to grab the fish with the right hand, and the Olympus is nearly impossible to shoot left-handed.

S- I see. I'm surprised they don't flip out while doing so.

sometimes they do... depends... some plecos have a sort of "He thinks I'm a rock, if I don't move, he won't eat me, he'll think I'm a rock" mentality even when picked up, others are much fiestier, and squeaky in some cases, and if held wrong will flop all about even try to get you with an interopercular odontode on occasion. You'll also see some plecos being held by their heads, that's a good way to hold them that doesn't damage them but will also keep them still enough they won't damage themselves or you, and you can snap a pic

Very cool, indeed. Thanks Steve:) Can they bite you, btw? I have a pretty moody pleco who used to tear the scales off of one of my Comets. He was a terror of the tank until the comets outgrew him.

Umm... I suppose... I haven't really thought about it too much. most don't have particularly effective teeth for biting people, although most can rasp on other fish pretty well if the mood strikes them. The only pleco I ever had that I worried about a bite from would be this 14 inch scobinancistrus. http://scott.aaquaria.com/L014x.jpg might have been able to give a pretty nasty bite. I didn't handle him much... he scared the poo out of me, as up till that point I hadn't had a pleco over 5 inches(which was what he was supposed to be anyway, but...)

When photographing lories this way, I've noticed that if you hold the fish in one hand and cover it like a roof with the other one, it goes crazy, but as soon as you move the "roof-hand" away, it calms down. I guess they react at not getting any light...

Konig- I saw a massive Royal pleco the other day. The bulk of his body was a large grapefruit-size. It looked like a cartoon fish.

Curt

Hi,

Can they bite you, btw?

As S.Allen stated,it depends on the size and anatomy of the pleco.Leporacanthicus for exaple can give you a healthy bite.

S Allen- lovely Scobi pic! I have one too but only about 9" long, when I have had to move it though...... geez! It thrashes about like anything, and has managed to thrash its tail just as I lifted it out of the tank soaking me! I have only ever been bitten once, by my L91 Redfin Blackspot plec, (which is a nasty piece of work I have to say- so much attitude for a small plec) and it kinda clamped its 'teeth' on the fleshy bit between my thumb and finger when I got it home and went to put it in the tank. Would it let go...! I leave that one well alone now, evil plec!

Loric wrote:S Allen- lovely Scobi pic!

Looks like Pseudacanthicus leopardus to me.

Dinyar

Dinyar, he meant the link I think, which is a closeup of a scobinancistrus mouth.

Barbie wrote: It also tends to make for nice clear shots of the fish if you pick them up that way, although I wouldn't be ambidextrous enough to be able to manage the camera and not drop the fish, personally

Actually there is a knack to this that Robin Warne at Loricariidae Wholesales showed me. Have towel and digicam at the ready. Catch the pleco with your right hand, wet your left and and then hold the pleco with it using your thumb under its throat and forefinger over it's head (carefully avoiding the eyes). Then dry your right hand on the towel and take a snap or two with the cam. Return pleco to tank.

It takes some practice to do this with large or spiney plecos and I wouldn't recommend it for bristlenoses if they are very bushy. Try it on your zebras first!

Although the fingers are swapped round (you get a better pic if your thumb is under the fish) here is an example: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/lo ... /407_8.htm

Jools

Dinyar-
correct, I should recognise the pic as I have one.... *note to self* Post replys when in an awake state.