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I recently brought a Super red pleco from aquabid seller, but I think he switch the female hoping I wouldn't realize, But what do you guys think?

He claims the original fish I brought breed the night before. So he proposed that If I give him an extra $80 he will buy me a female and male german strain super red (so a pair) from his supplier who gets them from Germany and will also give a young male, plus the proven Female for $90 I already paid.

I believe he switch the female I brought through him. Here are links/pictures he sent me of the fish he brought from his supplier.

1) Female ( stated in e-mail that "this is is your female")
http://www.use.com/supersize.pl?set=acc ... 9d44fd&p=1

2) Male (stated in e-mail that "this is is your male")
http://www.use.com/supersize.pl?set=acc ... 9d44fd&p=2


REASON FOR DOUBT
---In picture you can use the drift wood in the back to estimate the both the male and female are of similar size (width and length.
---Notice the female has very little black pigmentation

3) Picture taken of what seller claim to be the same female, (take day of arrival)
http://www.use.com/supersize.pl?set=acc ... 9d44fd&p=3


-the male is the same ( can tell by bristles), but the female is very small compared to the male and NOTICE there are an increase of black pigmentation in comparison to Image(1) of the female above

Do you guys think he switch the female and used part of my $80 to buy myself a female super red or am I just being paranoid?

can plecos increase black pigmentation by that much in 2 days of shipping and shrink that small?

I think it's the same female in both pictures.

I think what is throwing you off is that the picture of the female by herself is from a shorter distance away which makes her look bigger. If you look at how long the male is in relation to the corner curve of the Glad container he is in and then compare it to the picture of the female (also in the same Glad container) you can see that the female is considerably smaller.

Andy

How would you explain the increase in black pigmentation on the back within 2 days?

IME, there are lots of reputable sellers on Aquabid. But, there are also some con-artists in there. Hard to argue based on few pictures but I can relate. I suggest you follow your suspicion if you truly feel there was a switch. Only you can determine the basis for this. Contact the seller and try to find a resolution to the problem. If everything goes unfavorable, charge this to your experience! Good luck.

I am not sure I understand what the problem is! Did you get the two fish you paid for or what? I would cut your loses and don't give him anymore money! Seems like you are paying an awful lot of money for these fish. I sell a lot of fish on AQUABID and try to satisfy the customer if there are any complaints. I would talk to the breeder and try to resolve the issue. If not tell him you will give him negative feedback! He will most likely fix the problem, but if not you learned a lesson.

Ron

I think Andy is right and it's just the perspective that's throwing you off. Ancistrus coloration can/ does vary especially during times of stress (shipping) and from camera to camera. If I understand you correctly, the seller is also willing to provide an additional pair for less than what you paid for the original. Seems legit.

Compare the hard fin ray of the pelvic fin between the original photo file vs the actual fish you've received.

I am the original seller of these fish, I shipped him/her the exact fish he/she paid for. His/her complaint was originally that the female was a tad smaller than he/she thought (I misjudged her by a little less than .5 inches). So I agreed to ship him/her a new female, that was larger, under the terms that the original was euthanized and or sent back to me. The extra one that was purchased arrived at my house two days before I shipped her; so I believe it is highly likely that she was extremely stressed after spending 5 out of the last 7 days in transit thus the mis-coloration (The fish hadn't even been with the buyer for 24 hours). Let me know if it sounds like I was honest because I believe I am being extremely fair. The buyer also refused to ship me back the female even though I would pay for it. Thanks, Ben

Just to let everyone know I'm keeping an eye on this thread. Happy to keep it open, but if this descends into mudslinging I will lock it. Typically, one to one communication between buyer and seller are the way to resolve issues and if that doesn't work, I am guessing Aquabid should arbitrate?

Jools